Conservatives miffed by Bush `holiday' card

[contemplative]

Conservatives miffed by Bush `holiday’ card

Christmas not named in White House mailing

By Alan Cooperman
The Washington Post
Published December 7, 2005

WASHINGTON – What’s missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas.

This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy “holiday season.”

Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings.

“This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Read more

 

[CatQuilt]

I thought it was a beautiful card with a beautiful Biblical verse in it. I liked it better than last year’s which I don’t believe had any biblical references in it.

Some people will complain about anything…

 

[Petergee]

contemplative:

WASHINGTON – What’s missing from the White House Christmas card? Christmas.

This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy “holiday season.”

Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings.

“This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

I’m far from a conservative but I’m definitely miffed. This madness of calling Christmas “The Holiday Season” seems to be largely confined to the USA. The many other countries with populations of many different cultures and religions, and which actively support multiculturalism, have no problem calling Christmas Christmas.

I even saw a Yank try to rationalise this nonsense by claiming that ALL religions have a major holiday like Christmas at the same time. Bunkum. Chanukah is a very minor event on the traditional Jewish calendar, having no relation to gift-giving. Hindus and Buddhists have no holy days around Christmas time. Moslem holidays are not even on fixed dates, they move 11 days forward every year as they are based on a 354-day lunar calendar. And the tiny minority of so-called “neo-pagan” poseurs who claim to be celebrating the Old Norse Yule or the Roman Saturnalia can go whistle.

Seems like Bush is only a Christian when it is politically convenient.

 

[mdzialo1]

He’s putting the X back into X-mass, whether he knows it or not.

Thing is, Jesus is the reason for the season. No Christ, no Christmas. No “peace on earth and good will toward men” without the Prince of Peace.

When it comes to the “true meaning of Christmas”, there is no Brand X.

Too bad Bush isn’t running for reelection, so I could redeem myself by not voting for him next time.

 

[puzzleannie]

Big deal, put it in a stack with all the other cards you get that say seasons greetings, and take it as a simple generic greeting, and with those that say happy holidays, and take it as a wish that any holiday you care to celebrate is a happy one. Your actual Christmas cards, from those of your friends who are specifically making good wishes and greeting for your Christmas, can be placed in another stack to enjoy on Christmas day. Take your Kwanza cards in another stack, and have a drink for those folks, on whatever day that is. so on for Happy Solstice etc. Go outside on the 21st and party with the pagans, as long as you don’t forget Jesus Christ. If you tie your remembrance of him to a single day, you need work.

 

[oat_soda]

Some people will complain about anything…

actually, the problem is apathy. nobody cared about homo rights marches and pornography and contraception either. this is letting the snake in the garden and is exactly how satan attacks our society. he’s very subtle and most don’t know what is going on until it is too late.

bush has no problem sending young men to their death in the iraq debacle but he doesn’t have enough guts to say “merry christmas” when he knows that 95% of americans celebrate this holiday. he’s more republican then christian as many so called “conservative” catholics are.

Too bad Bush isn’t running for reelection, so I could redeem myself by not voting for him next time.

AMEN!

 

[CatQuilt]

oat soda:

actually, the problem is apathy. nobody cared about homo rights marches and pornography and contraception either. this is letting the snake in the garden and is exactly how satan attacks our society. he’s very subtle and most don’t know what is going on until it is too late.

So what are you doing about these things?

 

[rascal_one]

CatQuilt:

I thought it was a beautiful card with a beautiful Biblical verse in it. I liked it better than last year’s which I don’t believe had any biblical references in it.

Some people will complain about anything…

I didnt have a problem with it either. This is one of the most religious Presidents America has ever had and we are complaining? Can you imagine what Gore or Kerry would have done? He has nominated judges we agree with he clearly believes in God and not just for show. And more importantly he acts on those beliefs. Kerry would have nominated some ACLU Ginsberg extremist. We should consider ourselves lucky with this president. The Presidential timber for 2008 could very well give us a liberal in the Guilani mold. And forget Hilliary. We know where she really stands on religion.

 

[mlchance]

“This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture,” said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

mdzialo1:

Too bad Bush isn’t running for reelection, so I could redeem myself by not voting for him next time.

Well I guess that’s put that whole Paschal Mystery thing right into the unnecessary category.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Kristina_P]

Petergee:

I’m far from a conservative but I’m definitely miffed. This madness of calling Christmas “The Holiday Season” seems to be largely confined to the USA. The many other countries with populations of many different cultures and religions, and which actively support multiculturalism, have no problem calling Christmas Christmas.

I even saw a Yank try to rationalise this nonsense by claiming that ALL religions have a major holiday like Christmas at the same time. Bunkum. Chanukah is a very minor event on the traditional Jewish calendar, having no relation to gift-giving. Hindus and Buddhists have no holy days around Christmas time. Moslem holidays are not even on fixed dates, they move 11 days forward every year as they are based on a 354-day lunar calendar. And the tiny minority of so-called “neo-pagan” poseurs who claim to be celebrating the Old Norse Yule or the Roman Saturnalia can go whistle.

Seems like Bush is only a Christian when it is politically convenient.

Hindus have Diwali. I don’t know about the others.

It is interesting to point out that a great number of religions, both past and present, seem to have holy days on or around the solstices and equinoxes. (I don’t think those are the correct plurals, sorry.) That doesn’t make it okay to ignore Christmas and call it “the holiday season” in this day and age (especially if you profess to be a Christian), but it might help us understand why so many religions have holidays around the same times.

 

[Kristina_P]

mdzialo1:

He’s putting the X back into X-mass, whether he knows it or not.

Thing is, Jesus is the reason for the season. No Christ, no Christmas. No “peace on earth and good will toward men” without the Prince of Peace.

When it comes to the “true meaning of Christmas”, there is no Brand X.

Too bad Bush isn’t running for reelection, so I could redeem myself by not voting for him next time.

You’d punish Bush for this by voting for a pro-choice politician? I guess our priorities differ then. Also, it’s been pointed out that the card included a Bible verse and, on another thread, that almost no Presidential Christmas cards in recent memory have included the word “Christmas.” Bush isn’t unique here.

Pointless trivia: The X in X-mass is suspected to have originated with the Greek letter chi, which has traditionally been used to symbolize Christ. Originally, then, X-mass probably actually meant Christmas, with no hint of trying to write Christ out of the holiday.

 

[Petergee]

Kristina P.:

Hindus have Diwali. I don’t know about the others.

It is interesting to point out that a great number of religions, both past and present, seem to have holy days on or around the solstices and equinoxes. (I don’t think those are the correct plurals, sorry.) That doesn’t make it okay to ignore Christmas and call it “the holiday season” in this day and age (especially if you profess to be a Christian), but it might help us understand why so many religions have holidays around the same times.

Diwali occurs in late October or early November, never around Xmas time. Since most religions have at least a dozen holy days spread through the year, if you try hard enough you can find, for most religions, a minor holy day which is “around” any date you care to name. But it is totally wrong to claim, as some do, that most religions have a major holy day around Christmas time. And even more wrong to claim that all these holy days have a similar theme/message to that of Christmas.

 

[mdzialo1]

Kristina P.:

You’d punish Bush for this by voting for a pro-choice politician? I guess our priorities differ then. Also, it’s been pointed out that the card included a Bible verse and, on another thread, that almost no Presidential Christmas cards in recent memory have included the word “Christmas.” Bush isn’t unique here.

Pointless trivia: The X in X-mass is suspected to have originated with the Greek letter chi, which has traditionally been used to symbolize Christ. Originally, then, X-mass probably actually meant Christmas, with no hint of trying to write Christ out of the holiday.

I never suggested that I would vote for a pro-abortion politician. Certainly the democrats are psychotic, and I couldn’t vote for them. It would be against God. And you are right, Clinton and Bush never sent out Christmas cards before, either one of them. It wouldn’t be PC; they are very like on this. Bush’s father sent out the last Christmas card.

Please don’t try to make the lame argument that X-mass is holy. The Eastern Orthordox use the first two letters of Christ’s name as an icon for Christ. I’ve never seen a priest with an X emblazoned on his vestments, yet.

 

[bones_IV]

Well I guess that’s put that whole Paschal Mystery thing right into the unnecessary category.

– Mark L. Chance.
[/quote]

Why is William Donohue such a bad guy? What do you have against him? He’s a good man.

 

[oat_soda]

Why is William Donohue such a bad guy? What do you have against him? He’s a good man.

don’t worry about it. people think that bush can do no wrong, especially when they are from TEXAS. if clinton did this, or any other liberal president, these people would be all up in arms over these cards. too many people are republican/democrat first, catholic second.

that almost no Presidential Christmas cards in recent memory have included the word “Christmas.” Bush isn’t unique here.

even if that was the case, does that excuse yet another case of idiotic secularism coming from a presisdent who claims to be “christian”? is this a good example for our young?

like i said, if you have enough guts to send over 2,000 americans to their death, and over 30,000 iraqis, you better have enough guts to put merry christmas on a card.

 

[TPJCatholic]

The President would have covered all people if his card would have said: “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.” I think this entire so-called war on Christmas can be solved by using that simply phrase, it leaves “Christ” in Christmas and it acknowledges other celebrations.