Sarah Palin has "written" a book on the war on christmas.
Do you honestly believe she wrote it? While I am not going to say she is a complete dim wit, because that would be offensive to all the dim wits in the world, but intelligence isn't exactly a strength for her. I am pretty sure this book was ghost written for her.
So Fox News is starting up the nonsense again, like the do every year. They have the followers in lock step believing every word they say, mostly because they are preaching to the proverbial choir. Fox News tailors the reporting to a particualr audience, telling them what they want to hear. It is a great business model, but leaves quite a bit to be desired in the reporting of actual news.
Here is a collection of articles by The Blaze
http://www.theblaze.com/news/war-on-christmas/
But I have been sidetracked again.
War on xmas?? Tell me where in the US can you get away from xmas? It is EVERYWHERE! I am not complaining about that, even if I am not a big fan of the whole thing and the excess of it all. But how can any sane person say there is a war on xmas when it is just about everywhere you look! It is a visual assault day and night, pretty soon every other song on the radio is going to be xmas music, every ad on tv, and soon every show is going to be xmas. But if someone is refused putting a nativity on a public space it is suddenly a war? In most towns of any size there are plenty of churches all with varying displays, but the one place they are told they can't put them is some affront to christianity?
Finally we come to the history of xmas. The truth of the matter is no one is sure when Jesus was born, it is not related in any scripture or any sort of record. But judging by the details related in scripture it is definitely not the end of December! Most information I have read seems to agree he was born either in the summer or early fall. So why is December 25th the holiday celebrated? What other event falls around that time? What other event was celebrated by prechristian religions? Winter solstice.
Christians co-opted many dates and traditions of pagans to make integration easier, it is a very smart move on their part, good marketing. But try telling these Fox News sycophants this and you will be lucky to get away before they lynch your ass for blasphemy! And believe me the American taliban secretly admire the islamic blasphemy laws!
So it is just a holiday, a holiday that has become so corrupted by corporate greed as to be all but unrecognizable.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wasn't so bad!
Maybe I was just not paying quite as much attention as I should have, but it seems like the "War on Xmas" was a bit of a non story this year?
It is true that I don't watch O'Reilly or Fox News for that matter. I cannot handle the nonsense they spew and actually let me amend that. I don't watch any news on television, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS or ABC, none of them. So I guess I can't single out Fox News, but I will anyway.
So what is up with the poor persecuted christians? Did they have a good Xmas this year? Did the nasty evil atheists not ruin their Xmas?
Who cares? If you live in the US you cannot get away from Xmas is you tried! It looks like some kind of colorful holiday monster puked over every square foot of the country!
And no I am not being a scrooge, I will never begrudge anyone Xmas. But I do get a little annoyed with the obscene commercialization of it all. And then there is the small matter that Jesus was not born in December, but that is a horse that has been beaten into a bloody mess.
It is true that I don't watch O'Reilly or Fox News for that matter. I cannot handle the nonsense they spew and actually let me amend that. I don't watch any news on television, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS or ABC, none of them. So I guess I can't single out Fox News, but I will anyway.
So what is up with the poor persecuted christians? Did they have a good Xmas this year? Did the nasty evil atheists not ruin their Xmas?
Who cares? If you live in the US you cannot get away from Xmas is you tried! It looks like some kind of colorful holiday monster puked over every square foot of the country!
And no I am not being a scrooge, I will never begrudge anyone Xmas. But I do get a little annoyed with the obscene commercialization of it all. And then there is the small matter that Jesus was not born in December, but that is a horse that has been beaten into a bloody mess.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
O'Reilly is going off the rails
Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, the champions of christmas.
I saw a video online about the "War on christmas" with David Silverman of American Atheists.
O'Reilly first off is a bit of a nut. He tries to take the angle that christianity is not a religion but a philosophy. That catholicism is a religion but not christianity? Huh?
Here is a Newshound story about this LINK
Bill is losing it! Well, he is losing it as part of his job. Like all the other talking heads on Fox News they are entertainers. They are so far removed from doing actual news they kind of remind me of Honey Boo Boo. They talk a lot, but what they say makes no sense. O'Reilly is playing to his audience, the right wing closed minded sycophants who tend to only view the world as they think it should be. It is kind of like a Kool-Aid induced distortion field.
Bill calls David a fascist. This is absolutely hilarious to me.Bill gets his hackles up, starts leaning toward David, pointing, HILARIOUS!
Good job David!
I saw a video online about the "War on christmas" with David Silverman of American Atheists.
O'Reilly first off is a bit of a nut. He tries to take the angle that christianity is not a religion but a philosophy. That catholicism is a religion but not christianity? Huh?
Here is a Newshound story about this LINK
Bill is losing it! Well, he is losing it as part of his job. Like all the other talking heads on Fox News they are entertainers. They are so far removed from doing actual news they kind of remind me of Honey Boo Boo. They talk a lot, but what they say makes no sense. O'Reilly is playing to his audience, the right wing closed minded sycophants who tend to only view the world as they think it should be. It is kind of like a Kool-Aid induced distortion field.
Bill calls David a fascist. This is absolutely hilarious to me.Bill gets his hackles up, starts leaning toward David, pointing, HILARIOUS!
Good job David!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Ramping up the War, thanks Fox News!!
A win?
Santa Monica
I think the manner in which they fought this is innovative and should be taken as a lesson around the country.
This one is just plain silly
Charlie Brown
The parents got upset that their kids were going on a school trip to see Charlie Brown Xmas at a church? Why? It's freaking Charlie Brown! WTF? The parents got letters letting them know, so where is the fucking problem? Oh I forgot, this is Arkansas. It all makes sense now, never mind.
Santa Monica
I think the manner in which they fought this is innovative and should be taken as a lesson around the country.
This one is just plain silly
Charlie Brown
The parents got upset that their kids were going on a school trip to see Charlie Brown Xmas at a church? Why? It's freaking Charlie Brown! WTF? The parents got letters letting them know, so where is the fucking problem? Oh I forgot, this is Arkansas. It all makes sense now, never mind.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
War of Xmas is coming
Any day now, like they do every year, Fox News will begin its coverage of the "War on Christmas". Like much of the nonsense Fox News covers, this is almost entirely fabricated by and for Fox News, particularly Bill O'Reilly. And every year I get more and more amusement out of it.
To say that there is a "War on Xmas" in the US is the height of hilarity! How the hell can you get away from it! Every where you go, for all intents of purpose, there is Xmas decoration, displays and other nonsense.
I am not anti-christmas. It has become a commercial powerhouse driving the retail economy of the US. And that has become the story of what Xmas is about. I personally get sick of the decorations and the damn music by a few days after Thanksgiving.
It is almost certain that Jesus was not born at the end of December. If the biblical account is accurate, which has reasons to doubt that also, the whole story doesn't fit with what people would do at that time of the year in that region of the world. The reason it is at the end of December is because of the Winter Solstice. The early christian church worked hard to integrate pagan celebrations into christianity to make it more palatable.
Back to the War.
Like I said earlier, it is impossible to avoid xmas. It is every where. So what about people who don't celebrate xmas? There is a fairly large percentage of the US population that are not christian. So why does the entire country have to be subjected to the nightmare xmas has morphed into? But, there really is no "War on Xmas". It is a fabricated issue by Peter Brimelow and Bill O'Reilly.
Why? Well, why does the press do anything. For ratings, it is plain and simply about ratings. It is not about reporting the news. I have little regard for people who rely strictly on Fox News as their sole source of news. It is not fair and balanced, and it does have a definite slant in how it reports the news. And this "War on Xmas" is perfect ratings fodder for them.
There is no war on xmas. The only people who believe there is have other agendas. Those agendas undoubtedly are rooted in a political and/or economic basis.
To say that there is a "War on Xmas" in the US is the height of hilarity! How the hell can you get away from it! Every where you go, for all intents of purpose, there is Xmas decoration, displays and other nonsense.
I am not anti-christmas. It has become a commercial powerhouse driving the retail economy of the US. And that has become the story of what Xmas is about. I personally get sick of the decorations and the damn music by a few days after Thanksgiving.
It is almost certain that Jesus was not born at the end of December. If the biblical account is accurate, which has reasons to doubt that also, the whole story doesn't fit with what people would do at that time of the year in that region of the world. The reason it is at the end of December is because of the Winter Solstice. The early christian church worked hard to integrate pagan celebrations into christianity to make it more palatable.
Back to the War.
Like I said earlier, it is impossible to avoid xmas. It is every where. So what about people who don't celebrate xmas? There is a fairly large percentage of the US population that are not christian. So why does the entire country have to be subjected to the nightmare xmas has morphed into? But, there really is no "War on Xmas". It is a fabricated issue by Peter Brimelow and Bill O'Reilly.
Why? Well, why does the press do anything. For ratings, it is plain and simply about ratings. It is not about reporting the news. I have little regard for people who rely strictly on Fox News as their sole source of news. It is not fair and balanced, and it does have a definite slant in how it reports the news. And this "War on Xmas" is perfect ratings fodder for them.
There is no war on xmas. The only people who believe there is have other agendas. Those agendas undoubtedly are rooted in a political and/or economic basis.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Ten Commandments
1- No gods before me
2- No graven images
3- Dont take the lords name in vain
4- Keep the sabbath
5- Honor your father and mother
6- Dont kill
7- Dont commit adultery
8- Dont steal
9- Dont bear false witness against a neighbor
10- Dont covet
It has always struck me a little odd that the top four commandments are all about how god wants to be viewed, spoken about and treated as the one true god.
No gods before me? I understand that a jealous god would demand unwavering dedication to it. Exodus 34:14 Was god so afraid of his followers being promiscuous with some other god? Well, I guess he should be, look what happened when god was preoccupied making the tablets for Moses, the people went crazy and made golden calf and worshiped it. My question is, if god is all powerful, how did he miss these events going on? God does seem to be jealous, but also vindictive. Give people just enough proverbial rope to hang themselves and then run down the mountain, smash the commandments and slaughter 3,000 of his people as an example? Jealous god indeed!
No graven images. If you have ever been in a synagogue, you will notice there are no depictions of god, no images, nothing. Go to just about any christian church what do you see? lots of images, paintings, murals, statues, etc. Aren't these explicitly forbidden? For me personally I am creeped out by the image of some poor soul hanging off a cross.Many christians believe idolatry is just about the golden calf and worshiping false gods. But that is not the case. The word idoltry is the problem I believe, and this heads off to the ignorance many christians have of the bible. But that is for another posting.
Taking the lords name in vain. I believe it is not in reference to exclaiming "god damn it" or as some believe saying the word god. I think it refers to not making a statement in gods name. for instance saying that god demands this, when it is not written any where. You are in essence putting words into gods mouth, and god doesn't like that.
Keep the sabbath. Despite what christians believe, according to biblical belief, the sabbath is Saturday not Sunday. And aside from some hassidic jews I cant think of anyone who actually follow this commandment. Keeping the sabbath means, no work at all, no work for people and animals. According the bible work is something as mundane as collecting firewood. So typing on a computer, opening a refridgerator door or even the door to a house, driving a car, taking the dog for a walk, all forbidden!
Honor your father and mother. Didn't Jesus tell his followers to turn against their father and mother. It was in reference to the beginning of the end, kind of. Its not very specific, at least what I could find. But no, Jesus did not mean to turn against your parents.
Dont kill. This is one that has lead to lots of arguements. According the jewish law, it means don't kill another jew. Sometimes the word murder is used, which has a whole other set of meanings. Murder is wrong, killing can be justified according to the bible. I might need to come back to this one.
Don't commit adultery. According to the bible (OT), this is not as simple as it may seem. Since men were able to have more than one wife, to accuse a man of adultery was not so easy. Adultery was a capital offense, meaning you could be put to death for it. But since a man could have more than one wife, if he was caught having relations with a woman who was not his wife, he avoid death by making her his wife, unless the womans father forbade it. But for a woman it was worse. If she was caught with a man who was not her husband, with at least two witnesses, she would be put to death. If the woman was raped and did not cry out for help, she would be put to death. If she cried out it would signify it was not consensual. It goes on, but basically, sex outside of marriage is forbidden.
Don't steal. This has some interesting basis in another interpretation. I have been reading that it is not simply taking what is not yours, but refers to slavery and kidnapping. The word steal was misinterpreted, which is not surprising. But it refers to kidnapping or enslaving people. But in the OT there was lots of slavery, lots of stealing of women, so what gives? It goes back to the don't kill commandment. It means don't steal a fellow jews slaves, don't kidnap a fellow jew. Kind of brings this one into a new light.
Don't bear false witness against a neighbor. This is really a legal term in the bible. It literally means giving false testimony in court. That simple.
Coveting. This is really the commandment dealing with stealing, not the previous. It began in the OT as dealing with treasure of destroyed cities that god commanded be utterly destroyed. All the gold and silver in the cities was to be destroyed and not brought back. Coveting leads to lust, and lust leads to all sorts of ill behavior.
So how many of these commandments are actually followed?
2- No graven images
3- Dont take the lords name in vain
4- Keep the sabbath
5- Honor your father and mother
6- Dont kill
7- Dont commit adultery
8- Dont steal
9- Dont bear false witness against a neighbor
10- Dont covet
It has always struck me a little odd that the top four commandments are all about how god wants to be viewed, spoken about and treated as the one true god.
No gods before me? I understand that a jealous god would demand unwavering dedication to it. Exodus 34:14 Was god so afraid of his followers being promiscuous with some other god? Well, I guess he should be, look what happened when god was preoccupied making the tablets for Moses, the people went crazy and made golden calf and worshiped it. My question is, if god is all powerful, how did he miss these events going on? God does seem to be jealous, but also vindictive. Give people just enough proverbial rope to hang themselves and then run down the mountain, smash the commandments and slaughter 3,000 of his people as an example? Jealous god indeed!
No graven images. If you have ever been in a synagogue, you will notice there are no depictions of god, no images, nothing. Go to just about any christian church what do you see? lots of images, paintings, murals, statues, etc. Aren't these explicitly forbidden? For me personally I am creeped out by the image of some poor soul hanging off a cross.Many christians believe idolatry is just about the golden calf and worshiping false gods. But that is not the case. The word idoltry is the problem I believe, and this heads off to the ignorance many christians have of the bible. But that is for another posting.
Taking the lords name in vain. I believe it is not in reference to exclaiming "god damn it" or as some believe saying the word god. I think it refers to not making a statement in gods name. for instance saying that god demands this, when it is not written any where. You are in essence putting words into gods mouth, and god doesn't like that.
Keep the sabbath. Despite what christians believe, according to biblical belief, the sabbath is Saturday not Sunday. And aside from some hassidic jews I cant think of anyone who actually follow this commandment. Keeping the sabbath means, no work at all, no work for people and animals. According the bible work is something as mundane as collecting firewood. So typing on a computer, opening a refridgerator door or even the door to a house, driving a car, taking the dog for a walk, all forbidden!
Honor your father and mother. Didn't Jesus tell his followers to turn against their father and mother. It was in reference to the beginning of the end, kind of. Its not very specific, at least what I could find. But no, Jesus did not mean to turn against your parents.
Dont kill. This is one that has lead to lots of arguements. According the jewish law, it means don't kill another jew. Sometimes the word murder is used, which has a whole other set of meanings. Murder is wrong, killing can be justified according to the bible. I might need to come back to this one.
Don't commit adultery. According to the bible (OT), this is not as simple as it may seem. Since men were able to have more than one wife, to accuse a man of adultery was not so easy. Adultery was a capital offense, meaning you could be put to death for it. But since a man could have more than one wife, if he was caught having relations with a woman who was not his wife, he avoid death by making her his wife, unless the womans father forbade it. But for a woman it was worse. If she was caught with a man who was not her husband, with at least two witnesses, she would be put to death. If the woman was raped and did not cry out for help, she would be put to death. If she cried out it would signify it was not consensual. It goes on, but basically, sex outside of marriage is forbidden.
Don't steal. This has some interesting basis in another interpretation. I have been reading that it is not simply taking what is not yours, but refers to slavery and kidnapping. The word steal was misinterpreted, which is not surprising. But it refers to kidnapping or enslaving people. But in the OT there was lots of slavery, lots of stealing of women, so what gives? It goes back to the don't kill commandment. It means don't steal a fellow jews slaves, don't kidnap a fellow jew. Kind of brings this one into a new light.
Don't bear false witness against a neighbor. This is really a legal term in the bible. It literally means giving false testimony in court. That simple.
Coveting. This is really the commandment dealing with stealing, not the previous. It began in the OT as dealing with treasure of destroyed cities that god commanded be utterly destroyed. All the gold and silver in the cities was to be destroyed and not brought back. Coveting leads to lust, and lust leads to all sorts of ill behavior.
So how many of these commandments are actually followed?
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