response 14 of 74:

Nov 14 12:20 UTC 2003

re: 9: maybe you've been inhaling too much incense? ;-P

re: 6: I'm not suggesting it's an attack on Christianity
(nor, since I'm not a Christian, would I care any more if
it were than if it were an attack on Hinduism). I'm
pointing out that to outlaw the religious symbols of
religion A on the grounds of "separation of church and
state" while allowing those of religions B, C, X, Y and Z
is evidence of double standards.

response 16 of 74:

Nov 14 15:31 UTC 2003

Try that again gull, it makes no sense as it appears.

Christmas trees are not christian in origin.
The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and
worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green
date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in
honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with
greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity,
pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life.

Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens
during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe
as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep
away evil spirits.

Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees
inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the
forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early
traditions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to
celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was
walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group
of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the
moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could
share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he
lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

Saying a christmas tree is religious is like saying a pumpkin pie is
religious.  Or a blueberry muffin.  It is a tradition, not a religious
artifact.

Symbols of faith are:

Menorah is a symbol of Judaism
Crescent Moon and five pointed star of Islam
The Khanda of the Sikh
The OM of the hindu
The Dharma Wheel of the Buddist
The cross of Christianity

If you ban ine of these, you have to ban them all.
If you accept one of these, you have to accept them all.

Can we agree on that?

response 18 of 74:

Nov 14 18:00 UTC 2003

if they're not christian in origin, perhaps we
should stop calling them CHRISTmas trees.


i'm going to call mine "Madge" this year, or
perhaps "Gay Bobby"

response 20 of 74:

Nov 14 18:30 UTC 2003

We always call our trees by name.  We usually go to a "Cut Your Own" tree farm
and wander around looking at the trees until one of them tells one of us its
name.  We do the same thing when we don't have time to go to the farm and go
to a tree lot.  If none of the trees on the lot tell us its name we go to a
different lot.  Staci is getting quite good a hearing trees, almost as good
as STeve and me.  Damon has always been a little deaf, I quess trees talk in
that middle range of hearing frequencies that he lost due to ear infections
in his youth.

response 22 of 74:

Nov 14 18:50 UTC 2003

glenda, do you replant your christmas trees?

response 26 of 74:

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.

response 28 of 74:

Nov 15 05:02 UTC 2003

Once a year shouldn't be a problem, especially if the chimney is cleaned
regularly.

response 30 of 74:

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.

response 32 of 74:

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.

response 34 of 74:

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?

response 36 of 74:

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.