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Grex > Agora47 > #171: New york schools show religious descrimination. | |
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| 25 new of 74 responses total. |
aruba
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response 25 of 74:
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Nov 14 22:56 UTC 2003 |
Glenda, can you give us some examples of tree names?
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glenda
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response 26 of 74:
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Nov 14 23:51 UTC 2003 |
Once we get the fireplace repaired, we will keep the tree to burn on the next
year's Christmas eve. That is what we used to do when we lived in a house
with a working fireplace. Right now we put them out for recycling.
I only know the names of the trees that talk to me. Some names have been:
Harry, Thomas, Mildred, Clare, Fred, George, Harriet, Esmarelda.
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bru
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response 27 of 74:
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Nov 15 04:28 UTC 2003 |
pine trees are a poor choice for fire places. Tehy don't burn cleanly and
leave creosote? in the chimney which can lead to chimney fires.
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gelinas
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response 28 of 74:
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Nov 15 05:02 UTC 2003 |
Once a year shouldn't be a problem, especially if the chimney is cleaned
regularly.
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aruba
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response 29 of 74:
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Nov 15 05:26 UTC 2003 |
Carol's family had a tradition of staying up to midnight on New Year's Eve,
and then burning the Christmas tree in the fireplace.
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glenda
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response 30 of 74:
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Nov 15 06:53 UTC 2003 |
I like to let them age and dry out for a year. The Christmas tree is the only
pine we burn, so only once a year. Never had a problem with it.
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other
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response 31 of 74:
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Nov 15 14:51 UTC 2003 |
The only people in the country who think a Christmas tree is not a
Christian symbol are Christians.
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vidar
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response 32 of 74:
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Nov 15 15:21 UTC 2003 |
Think about the evolution of the tradition of bringing the tree in. It
started with pagans, was adopted by early Christians as a conversion
tactic, and has become associated with Christianty as people have
forgotten about the prior (and longer) pagan holidays.
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rcurl
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response 33 of 74:
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Nov 15 17:48 UTC 2003 |
I'm not a Christian and I have never considered a "Christmas Tree" a
Christian Symbol. I grew up seeing it as a traditional entertaining
end-of-the-year lighted and good-smelling decoration needed for putting
presents under that serves to jolly up a period of long darkness and cold.
I've never seen any religious symbolism in it at all. The same way with
"Santa Claus", despite the name. These are tied to 25 December, which I
knew had some tie to Christianity, but that was pretty irrelevant. I soon
learned, of course, of the pagan origins and the Christian co-option of
the date.
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other
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response 34 of 74:
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Nov 15 20:30 UTC 2003 |
Like all gross generalizations, mine was slightly less than 100% accurate.
The [nearly sum total of] people in the country who think a Christmas tree
is not a Christian symbol are Christians.
How's that?
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rcurl
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response 35 of 74:
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Nov 15 20:41 UTC 2003 |
How about percentages? Since there are more Christians than of any
other persuasion, the percentage of Christians that think a Christmas
tree is not a Christian symbol could well be much less than the percentage
of any other persuasions.
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keesan
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response 36 of 74:
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Nov 15 21:35 UTC 2003 |
When I was growing up only Christians had Christmas trees. My brother and
I each had one Christian friend. The rest of us did not give presents in
December, or send cards. For some reason we were required to sing Christmas
carols in our 2% Christian school by the Christian teachers.
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rcurl
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response 37 of 74:
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Nov 16 04:09 UTC 2003 |
I presume that your kinfolk didn't want to join in Saturnalia either.
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mynxcat
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response 38 of 74:
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Nov 17 15:33 UTC 2003 |
I've been wondering, if you're not supposed to have religious symbols
on display on public property, and they are moving away from
explicitly celebrating christmas in schools and putting up christian
symbols, then wtf is Christmas the only religious festival that is a
public and federal holiday?
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twenex
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response 39 of 74:
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Nov 17 15:37 UTC 2003 |
What about easter?
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gull
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response 40 of 74:
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Nov 17 16:11 UTC 2003 |
And Good Friday...
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bru
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response 41 of 74:
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Nov 17 16:42 UTC 2003 |
Because christianity is still the majority religion in this country, adn it
is hard to do business with 60% of the work force taking the day off.
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micklpkl
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response 42 of 74:
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Nov 17 16:45 UTC 2003 |
Last I noticed, Good Friday isn't a Federal holiday, nor is Easter (of course,
that one is always on Sunday, when banks and most Federal buildings are closed
anyway.). I'm a little confused by what mynxcat is wondering in resp:38
though.
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twenex
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response 43 of 74:
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Nov 17 18:03 UTC 2003 |
I was thinking of "the Easter season". Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter
Monday, and however many days kids get off school over there for Easter.
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rcurl
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response 44 of 74:
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Nov 17 18:37 UTC 2003 |
They do? I don't recall that happening when our daughter was in public
school.
To add to #41 - 60% of politicians too. They mandated the Christmas
holiday so they could do their traditional things on a majority religious
event. It is really unconstitutional, of course, but so are "in God we
trust" and "under God". However it goes beyond religion. New Year's Day,
for example, to recover from a hangover, or Labor Day, because of the
electoral power of labor.
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twenex
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response 45 of 74:
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Nov 17 18:53 UTC 2003 |
Re: #44 Para 1: M<aybe they don't. Over here they do.
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anderyn
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response 46 of 74:
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Nov 17 19:09 UTC 2003 |
AFAIK no public school in the two states I've lived in (Ohio and Michigan)
give children specifically Easter holidays. There is a spring break, but it
does not always coincide with Easter. And no business I've ever worked at has
had Good Friday or Easter Monday off.
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rcurl
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response 47 of 74:
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Nov 17 19:15 UTC 2003 |
I recall schools and businesses being lenient with students or employees
asking to leave early for religious ceremonies.
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gelinas
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response 48 of 74:
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Nov 17 19:17 UTC 2003 |
(Ann Arbor's spring break coincides with Easter. School lets out at the
end of the day on Maundy Thursday and resumes on Monday a week later.)
Last I heard, the Federal holidays were
New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day
Presidents Day Memorial Day
Independence Day Labor Day
Columbus Day Veterans' Day
Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day
I thought there eleven, so I seem to be missing one.
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mynxcat
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response 49 of 74:
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Nov 17 19:28 UTC 2003 |
I have a list of the bank holidays in front of me. There are 10. You
have listed them all.
I know there aren't holidays for Easter, but after all the hoo-haa
about removing religious symbols from the work place, and not allowing
christmas trees in schools, why does the government even sanction
Christmas as a federal holiday.
bru says it would be hard to do business with 60% of the work-force
taking the day off. But why should they take the day off. I haven't
seen the Muslims take Eid off, the Hindus take Diwali off. I'm not
aware of Jewish people taking Hanukkah off, but it's sufficiently
close to Christmas to be bundled with all the personal time people
take around the end of year.
I'm not fully aware of the constitution in this country, but isn't the
government supposed to be secular? Or am I just being presumptious
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