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SpeedRacer

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

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I think most of us have seen the animated Christmas show, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

It was made almost 40 years ago. At one point Charlie Brown asks "Will someone PLEASE tell me what Christmas is all about?"

And Linus steps forward & says:

LINUS:

"Lights please.

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

"That's what's Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."

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The quote is from Luke, chapter 2.

What do you think would happen today, if a student stepped forward in a public school & made such a declaration about the meaning of Christmas?

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Speed Racer
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If he were talking to his friends, quietly, probably nothing. Who would say anything? If he were leading an assembly or at the front of a class, probably he'd be asked to stop.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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But whether or not you're religious, that is the origin of the Christian holiday, Christmas, right? I wouldn't have any problems with someone answering similarly to me asking what Ramadan or Hanukkah is all about.
Oh, hello again!

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Absolutely true. Which is why I can't imagine it being a problem in a conversation at school. Or if there were an assembly where the kids were to ask the source of these things -- say have a representative from various religions on stage.

Now -- let's say that instead of being a discussion, or the answer to a question (however public), the description of why Ramadan is important is given at the beginning of home room during Ramadan, and kids who don't pay attention are given funny looks? Would you have a problem with that in a public school?

I would, just as I would with something similar attached to Christmas, or Hanukkah.

Wendy W.
There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

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My World History class in Jr. High and High School both had sections discussing the major religions of the world, and that included some of the philosophies behind each. I didn't have a problem with that. I was often given funny looks for not paying attention. Was I having 5 religions shoved down my throat, or were my rights somehow violated? I never heard anyone complaining about it, students or parents. I'm actually glad I learned that stuff back then, it made college courses easier later.
Oh, hello again!

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But whether or not you're religious, that is the origin of the Christian holiday, Christmas, right? I wouldn't have any problems with someone answering similarly to me asking what Ramadan or Hanukkah is all about.



Well, not exactly, but close. Christmas is actually descended from the pagan Winter Solstice celebration, under order from Pope Julius I, who declared that the birth of Christ would be celebrated on Dec. 25th.

But Linus puts it nicely, too.;)
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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Well, not exactly, but close. Christmas is actually descended from the pagan Winter Solstice celebration, under order from Pope Julius I, who declared that the birth of Christ would be celebrated on Dec. 25th.



Dec 25 is now the day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Its origins with reference to the time of year that was adopted take nothing from its meaning. No one knows the exact day that Jesus was born. That's beside the point.

The Origins of Christmas

The origins of Christmas go back to before the time of Christ when many ancient cultures celebrated the changing of the seasons. In the northern hemisphere in Europe, for example, the winter solstice, which was the shortest day of the year, occurs around Dec. 25th. These celebrations were based on the decline of winter. Since during winter animals were penned, people stayed in doors, crops didn't grow, etc., to know that winter was half over and on its way out was a time of celebration.
In the ancient Roman system of religion, Saturn was the god of agriculture. Each year during the summer, the god Jupiter would force Saturn out of his dominant position in the heavenly realm and the days would begin to shorten. In the temple to Saturn in Rome, the feet of Saturn were then symbolically bound with chains until the winter solstice when the length of days began to increase. It was this winter solstice that was a time of celebration and exchange of gifts as the hardness of winter began to wane and the days grew longer. December 25th specifically coincided the day of the birth of the sun-god named Phyrgia a culture in the ancient Balkans. In the Roman Empire, by the time of Christ the winter festival was known as saturnalia. The Roman Church was unable to get rid of Saturnalia, so early in the 4th Century, they adopted the holiday and tried to convert it a Christian celebration of the Lord's birth. They called it the Feast of the Nativity. This custom has been part of western culture ever since.


Christmas

Oh yeah! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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