Hi y'all - I totally disagree with this (of course.) Chistmas is a relgious holiday imposed by the Federal Govt. As every church within walking distance of me (all 487 of them) is happy to blatantly point out on their signs - "Christ comes first in Christmas." If this is not going to be a religious holiday, let us change the name to something secular and let us adjust the day as we do with Presidents' birthdays, to fit in with weekend for those who work. I totally agree with goodwill toward men, (and women too) but it shouldn't need to be restricted to a relgious holiday. I always express my goodwill (except on Sundays.)
On Dec 25, 3:19 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/christmas.html > > Christmas > > [In answer to the question of whether it is appropriate for an atheist > to celebrate Christmas:] > > Yes, of course. A national holiday, in this country, cannot have an > exclusively religious meaning. The secular meaning of the Christmas > holiday is wider than the tenets of any particular religion: it is > good will toward men—a frame of mind which is not the exclusive > property (though it is supposed to be part, but is a largely > unobserved part) of the Christian religion. > > The charming aspect of Christmas is the fact that it expresses good > will in a cheerful, happy, benevolent, non-sacrificial way. One says: > “Merry Christmas”—not “Weep and Repent.” And the good will is > expressed in a material, earthly form—by giving presents to one’s > friends, or by sending them cards in token of remembrance . . . . > > The best aspect of Christmas is the aspect usually decried by the > mystics: the fact that Christmas has been commercialized. The gift- > buying . . . stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the > creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men > pleasure. And the street decorations put up by department stores and > other institutions—the Christmas trees, the winking lights, the > glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which > only “commercial greed” could afford to give us. One would have to be > terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle. > > The Objectivist Calendar, Dec. 1976. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
