Does this bother you?

[eddie haskel]

I know Jesus prompted us, in telling we will be viewed in contempt for believing in Him, by many. But it bothers me much, and if I'm not careful, I can let the devil dictate my thoughts, when it comes to listening to those forces that want to remove the "reason for the season."

I see the elitist in academia, and media, promoting the idea that Christianity has caused more problems than just about any other segment of mankind. It bothers me that they use the example of extremist (abortion clinic bombers, crusades, etc...) as if its the norm. Yet, if we use that same criteria of reasoning to say, explain the life style of minority criminals, we would be labeled a racist, or whatever appropriate titled they deem fit. Even the gay lobbies talk of how intolerant Christians are, and lob us all in the same boat. If that is not prejudicial reasoning with intolerant thinking heaped on top, then I'm totally clueless...

Oh well....thank you for letting me rant and please pray for me that I can love even those, that believe otherwise...AND, Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Bartman]

Oh well....thank you for letting me rant and please pray for me that I can love even those, that believe otherwise...AND, Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Prayer said!! Have a great Yule season!! and a Merry Christmas!!

[samiam]

You're not alone in your feelings. I'm there all the time, too. One particularly irritating topic of discussion for me is the removal of Christianity from public schools, however, they might have a whole week dedicated to another religion including dress-up days, "fasting" (if you can believe that!), and songs. Scriptures that just came to mind (well i had to look them up) Luke 13:24. Mathew chapter 7. Hebrews 11:1 is great. I Corinthians 9:19-24 is awesome. And finish it with Ephesians 6:10 (put on the full armor of God). All from the online NIV, if you haven't used it try it. I prayed for your encouragement! Jesus IS the reason for the season! :smash: and that gets me excited, because I know how the story ends.

[Dullhook]

I'll say a prayer for you too, eddie. :flowered:

Unfortunately things will continue to get worse before they get better. Not until Jesus returns will all be resolved. Take comfort in His love and grace which He shares abundantly with us. Remain steadfast in your faith!

Romans 8:38-40...."For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

[eddie haskel]

Thanks you guys....

I need to get my nose back into reading scriptures and away from the TV screen, obviously :bricks:

You know, I've been so blessed, and I sometimes forget that. Amazing huh....!
Everything I ever "really" needed to be happy, the Holy Spirit, was given to me. All my sins were covered by the blood of Jesus. I was born anew. Yet...when my load is light, it appears I have all this extra energy to expend elsewhere, so I turn it back to the same "world" view that caused me grief before. Gee...you'd think I'd learn, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOoo!

Well, who am I too complain. I guess if I'm good enuff for God, I sure am darn good enuff for me :yay:

Thanks brothers :bowdown:

[DAB]

I'll say a prayer for you too, eddie. :flowered:

Unfortunately things will continue to get worse before they get better. Not until Jesus returns will all be resolved. Take comfort in His love and grace which He shares abundantly with us. Remain steadfast in your faith!

Romans 8:38-40...."For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I agree..........DAB

[REEL TIME]

Since I have been a Christian, nothing has bothered me more than a non-Christian telling me I have it all wrong. Knowing where I have come from and where I am going, I know I don’t have it wrong. However, in my development as a growing Christian several truths have played a big part in understanding the world’s intolerance to my faith:


My sheep hear my voice and know me. John 10.27 (not every one hears Gods voice)
We do not eat of the same spiritual food. Romans 14. (there are different levels of maturity among christians)
I was blind, but know I see. John 9.25 (the truth has made me blind)
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess. Romans 14.11 (no one will escape judgment day)
Cast not your pearls to swine. Matthew 6.7 (share what is holy, being carefull not to scorne the unclean)
If they do not receive you, kick the dust off your feet as you leave. Luke 9.1 (don't waste your time on those who will not listen)So let them remove the spiritual things and referances to the true God, soon the truth will be known. Pray for the salvation of those that are lost and peace for Israel. You will never remove the sprit from my heart and after all isn’t it a matter of the heart.

[samiam]

:agree: pray for the lost

[oldfly]

what a fascinating thread. i hear the same complaint from people of the muslim faith, from people of the jewish faith, from people of all faiths actually and surprisingly...............from people who are atheists too.

i have to wonder what you are looking for. are you looking for others to validate your choice? if so, i fear that you may wait a long time.

i certainly respect your faith. as i do those that have chosen to commit themself to other faiths or beliefs.

buat in your words eddie haskel, i eye a bit of concern. do you offer the same respect and the same freedom to those that believe, as strongly as do you, to other systems of belief?

is the issue that you speak of christianity?...............or is it bigotry?

[WestsideGal]

Interesting topic. What bothers me is the offenses that others have to the Christain Faith especially around Christmas time. It really bothers me that some are so offended by Christmas or Christmas Trees.

My employer has decided not to have a giving tree this year because a few employees are offended by it. What I'm trying to understand is why is it so offending?

I recently expressed the way I felt about it on another forum when the Rabbi from Seattle threatened to sue Sea-Tac because he wanted a Menorah put up alongside the Christmas Tree, I see nothing wrong with that, but what bothered me is the offense over it in the first place.

Someone please help me to understand why others find it so offending?

I hope this doesn't seem like a Hi-jack, if so I can delete this.

[Joe Schwab]

what a fascinating thread. i hear the same complaint from people of the muslim faith, from people of the jewish faith, from people of all faiths actually and surprisingly...............from people who are atheists too.

i have to wonder what you are looking for. are you looking for others to validate your choice? if so, i fear that you may wait a long time.

i certainly respect your faith. as i do those that have chosen to commit themself to other faiths or beliefs.

buat in your words eddie haskel, i eye a bit of concern. do you offer the same respect and the same freedom to those that believe, as strongly as do you, to other systems of belief?

is the issue that you speak of christianity?...............or is it bigotry?

It has nothing to do with respecting others religion. This is tradition based on 200 + years of celebrating Christmas in this country. Now all of a sudden the secular progressive movement wants to change everything. In parts of the country there are Jewish festivals. Middle Eastern religions may or may not have traditional celebrations in this country. If they do, more power to them. The celebration of Christmas has always been a two part event. One involved the religious celebration, honoring the birth of Jesus, the other a more inclusive offering of goodwill toward men, gift giving, doing for the less fortunate and family gatherings to celebrate. It is patently ridiculous to disallow Christmas trees in schools when that symbol has little religious significance. Unfortunately it reminds some non believers of the birth of Christ and to them that is unacceptable. To all this I say Merry Christmas!

It seems the only ones allowed to practice their beliefs openly anymore are the Atheists. Think about that!

[rimrock]

................or is it bigotry?

Sometimes those lines between any belief and falling into bigotry aren't as wide as we would hope they are. I agree it's something we always must be careful to protect against. To allow the freedom to accept or reject the truth, even the truth of Christmas is one we must be willing to gracefully extend.

[Riverside]

// A short list of early Christian martyrs


Saint Stephen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Stephen) was stoned
James the Great (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Great) (Son of Zebedee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebedee)) was beheaded (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decapitation) in 44 A.D.
Matthew the Evangelist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_the_Evangelist) killed by a halberd (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halberd) in 60 A.D.
James the Just (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Just), beaten to death by a club after being crucified and stoned.
Matthias (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Matthias) was stoned and beheaded
Peter, Saint Peter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peter), crucified upside-down.
Paul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Tarsus), Apostle Paul, beheaded in Rome.
Saint Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas), was killed by a spear.
John the Evangelist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Evangelist) was cooked in boiling hot oil but survived and died of old age circa 110 A.D.I guess I can put up with a little verbal abuse or my Christmas tree removed at the airport. It is really helpful for me to focus on Christ's message of love when I feel threatened ...it is so empowering.

my 2 cents

Rs

[Bartman]

At what point will people realize that the "reason for the season" is SOOoooo much more than their "reason". IMHO this is what gets many of us riled, the attitude of "Your trying to take away something thats ours",
it wasnt "yours" to start with,christmas is when it is, as an attempt to get other religions to stop celebrating their holidays, the vast majority of "christmas traditions" are really heathen and pagan traditions, especially the HOLIDAY TREE.

As well as fruit trees, evergreens have long been part of Winter Solstice celebrations. The evergreen tree, which keeps its leaves throughout the year, is an obvious symbol of the endurance of life through the cold and dark Winter months. Beer, bread, and table scraps were offered to trees in Scandinavia. In South Germany arose the custom of a branch or small tree brought inside and decorated with offerings to the spirit of the tree. This Yule tree was considered to represent the luck of the family (as the old Bairnstock did) as well as being honoured as a powerful wight in its own right, capable of bestowing fertility in the coming year. The cosmic tree, Yggdrasil is an evergreen yew in some traditions, and an ash (rowan = European mountain ash ) in others. Both trees have bright red berries; possibly this is one origin of decorating the modern Yule tree with berries. The cosmic tree (the Axis mundi) bears all nine worlds of the Norse cosmos in its branches and among its roots, so perhaps tree ornaments in part represent the nine worlds. Trees are sacred to Germanic and Celtic peoples, and there are many ancient traditions of offerings tied onto trees as gifts to them, this practice is the most probable origin for the custom of decorating Yule trees with gifts. In Heathen times offerings were made to the Alfar (wights who govern growth and fertility in nature) in gratitude for harvest yields. The evergreen boughs brought inside to "deck the halls" represent the ever-renewed life force and serve to welcome good Alfar into the house. Not surprisingly, these holy boughs also served to protect the home from evil wights. Yew, rowan, and holly boughs are traditional Heathen choices for hall-decking.

It's not YOURS ,it's all of OURS. and now that the laws that repressed many faiths, other than Christianity, have been removed from most European countrys and America,the true meaning of this Holy season is becoming more and more popular.
Good Yule!!
Happy Solstice!!
Happy Hanukhah!!
Happy Kawanza!!
Merry Christmas!!
And to cover them ALL, " Happy Holidays"!!

[oldfly]

originally, i didn't think this thread was about christmas but matters not, the point is the same.

and thank you bartman, yes the point really is happy holidays to all. i just like the mood anyway. put up all the christmas trees and all the menorah's and all the trimmings that you would like. i love them all. really, i just like to see the season where everyone, whatever religion, thinks about all the good things that they believe in and celebrates something nice.

yeah........thats about it.

[eddie haskel]

Old Fly.....

Perhaps you missed the last part of my post, when I asked for people to pray for me, so that I can love those, that I find that trouble me....

To me, Jesus was the ultimate lover of mankind, thus, the only answer to serenity, that can sustain all attempts to discredit Him. Also, I called not for removing anybody else's freedom to express whatever it is they should so choose, so I find your questioning perplexing. Did I somehow mislead you, in my post? If I did, I apologize, that was not my intent, I only posted this matter with the hopes I could mature in the nature of my character, with help from those that have tackled emotion...

Sorry for any confusion....:flowered:

eddie