|
Welcome to the International Skeptics Forum, where we discuss skepticism, critical thinking, the paranormal and science in a friendly but lively way. You are currently viewing the forum as a guest, which means you are missing out on discussing matters that are of interest to you. Please consider registering so you can gain full use of the forum features and interact with other Members. Registration is simple, fast and free! Click here to register today. |
12th November 2012, 06:09 AM | #41 |
Poisoned Waffles
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Monkey
Posts: 68,744
|
And it's legally irresponsible to use the term "war" lightly.
For instance, insurance contracts do not cover acts of war. If you are injured by falling while decorating your Xmas tree, your homeowner's insurance can get out of paying by declaring you a casualty of the War on Xmas. By putting up a tree, you entered the lists, and as a combatant you're certainly not covered, you reckless warmonger, you! |
__________________
You added nothing to that conversation, Barbara. |
|
12th November 2012, 07:07 AM | #42 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10,215
|
|
12th November 2012, 07:17 AM | #43 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 18,774
|
My local Tesco had their first Christmas display up at the start of October. That's a couple of weeks before they had their Halloween displays up. I quite like Christmas, but I think having it take up a quarter of the year may be a little excessive.
|
12th November 2012, 07:55 AM | #44 |
Muse
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 791
|
I for one absolutely love Christmas (and don’t mind the fact that it apparently gets longer each year). I get almost 3 weeks off work (digging into the vacation days I’ve saved during the year), I love to receive presents (and to give them too, I guess), I get to wear horrible kitschy sweaters and listen to Bing Crosby, and I have a socially acceptable excuse for being a gluttonous drunkard.
I see no problem whatsoever with being a Christmas-celebrating atheist. It’s not like we have rules governing what we can and cannot do, besides not believing in magical tyrants. We don’t have to worry about angering the goddess Atheae by acknowledging a false god’s holidays Besides, all the best parts of Christmas are either secular, or taken from pagan religions nobody believes in anymore. I don’t feel like I’m losing anything by skipping the lame Jesussy parts (like stopping the party midway through to go to a boring midnight mass, for instance). As for the commercialisation of Christmas, I’m all for it. Unlike religion, commerce is actually useful to our society and greatly improves all our lives. Isn’t that worth celebrating? |
__________________
Never eat more than you can lift -Miss Piggy |
|
12th November 2012, 08:05 AM | #45 |
121.92-meter mutant fire-breathing lizard-thingy
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northern St. Louis County, Missouri.
Posts: 42,180
|
Christmas is a reason to party in the early winter. (For the superior hemisphere, at any rate.) Anything else is mere detail.
|
__________________
Guns that are instantly available for use are instantly available for misuse. World War II Diplomatic and Political Resources Hyperwar, WWII Military History Buying conspiracy books is a voluntary tax on stupid. |
|
12th November 2012, 08:14 AM | #46 |
Critical Thinker
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 317
|
|
__________________
"Berkeley Campus on Lockdown After Loose Pages of Wall Street Journal Found on Park Bench http://www.theonion.com/article/berk...-wall-st-55815 |
|
12th November 2012, 08:15 AM | #47 |
121.92-meter mutant fire-breathing lizard-thingy
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northern St. Louis County, Missouri.
Posts: 42,180
|
|
__________________
Guns that are instantly available for use are instantly available for misuse. World War II Diplomatic and Political Resources Hyperwar, WWII Military History Buying conspiracy books is a voluntary tax on stupid. |
|
12th November 2012, 11:18 AM | #48 |
Poisoned Waffles
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Monkey
Posts: 68,744
|
Xmas is really just Walrustide anyway. And the great thing about Walrustide is that you can celebrate it however you like, St Walrus doesn't give a rat's damn about you. He dwells in blubbery glory in the Walrus Dimension, drinking blood and chewing up seals. Do what you like, won't bug St Walrus. Just don't cross him. Ever. He's a laissez faire, uninvolved member of the pantheon unless you piss him off. Then he's four tons of enraged supernatural killing machine, with no concept of pity or remorse. He'll welter in your gore and love every second of it. There's a carol about St Walrus. It begins "you better watch out".
|
__________________
You added nothing to that conversation, Barbara. |
|
12th November 2012, 12:00 PM | #49 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 7,682
|
I have seen Christmas displays in stores as early as the first week of October in recent years.
|
12th November 2012, 12:54 PM | #50 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,843
|
|
__________________
"How long you live, how high you fly The smiles you'll give, and tears you'll cry And all you touch, and all you see Is all your life will ever be." |
|
12th November 2012, 06:55 PM | #51 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
Please bear in mind that I have no problem at all with having a nice party on the darkest day of the year.
I just can't stand the faux-joy that is forced upon everyone. |
12th November 2012, 07:11 PM | #52 |
Scholar
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 111
|
|
__________________
"The biggest problem with the computer sits too often between the chair and the monitor." |
|
12th November 2012, 07:19 PM | #53 |
Slithering Through life
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Plymouth, MA
Posts: 1,661
|
|
__________________
The man who never alters his opinions is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. W B |
|
12th November 2012, 07:25 PM | #54 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 58,581
|
|
12th November 2012, 07:32 PM | #55 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
13th November 2012, 05:07 AM | #56 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 10,924
|
Oh give me a break, the War on Drugs is a joke. The War on Terror is only slightly less of a joke.
Both turned out to be wars on freedom in many ways. ETA: Also, how do you define the war on drugs as a "conflict between nations or parties"?? Surely if you think drug users and sellers are a "party" then christmas users and sellers would be a "party" as well..... The only difference I can see is that drugs are illegal in some countries. Illegal was not in your own definition "War is armed conflict between nations or parties", so I'm not sure why that would count. |
__________________
________________________ |
|
13th November 2012, 05:24 AM | #57 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,781
|
Christmas is in full swing for me, in fact the deadline has already passed for people wishing to order custom jewelry boxes from me in time for The Day.
I love Christmas. |
13th November 2012, 05:30 AM | #58 |
Safely Ignored
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,392
|
|
13th November 2012, 06:00 AM | #59 |
Poisoned Waffles
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Monkey
Posts: 68,744
|
|
__________________
You added nothing to that conversation, Barbara. |
|
13th November 2012, 06:18 AM | #60 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 18,774
|
|
13th November 2012, 07:13 AM | #61 |
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,568
|
|
13th November 2012, 08:39 AM | #62 |
Muse
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 576
|
|
__________________
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." - Thomas Paine "We are convinced that liberty without socialism is privilege, injustice; and that socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality." - Mikhail Bakunin |
|
13th November 2012, 08:51 AM | #63 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,781
|
|
13th November 2012, 09:01 AM | #64 |
Muse
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 576
|
|
__________________
"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good." - Thomas Paine "We are convinced that liberty without socialism is privilege, injustice; and that socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality." - Mikhail Bakunin |
|
13th November 2012, 09:02 AM | #65 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,141
|
In art class at school i did a cartoon called Father Christmas Meets the Hells Angels...
|
13th November 2012, 09:14 AM | #66 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10,215
|
|
13th November 2012, 10:08 AM | #67 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Detroit
Posts: 8,843
|
All the gift-giving at Christmas really exasperates me!
Gift-getting, now that's a different ball of string. |
__________________
When I spoke out against the bullies, they called me woke. When I lashed them with a length of chain, they called me sir. |
|
14th November 2012, 02:30 PM | #68 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
14th November 2012, 02:32 PM | #69 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
14th November 2012, 02:35 PM | #70 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
14th November 2012, 02:40 PM | #71 |
Agave Wine Connoisseur
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Just past ' Resume Speed ' .
Posts: 19,277
|
The ostentatious crap like the Mercedes, Santa Claus adds really piss me off..
Baby Jesus must be rolling in his grave... No - wait.... |
__________________
Maybe later.... |
|
15th November 2012, 10:54 AM | #72 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 58,581
|
|
15th November 2012, 11:00 AM | #73 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 58,581
|
|
15th November 2012, 01:42 PM | #74 |
Poisoned Waffles
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Monkey
Posts: 68,744
|
Santa would never drive a Mercedes. His wings would never fit inside, even folded. And his talons, perfectly adapted for ripping flesh and crushing skulls, would have difficulty with gearshifts and steering wheels. No, there is simply no vehicle better suited for Santa's transport than his own indestructible reptilian body. Remember that old carol, "In the Vast Shadow of His Wings Is Death and Fire "? I love Xmas.
|
__________________
You added nothing to that conversation, Barbara. |
|
16th November 2012, 12:28 AM | #75 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
16th November 2012, 12:30 AM | #76 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2001
Posts: 21,382
|
|
17th November 2012, 02:59 PM | #77 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,624
|
Christmas should be in the summer. Summer doesn't have any good long holidays. I'd rather have my X-mas vacation when it's warm outside (in Cali). Wasn't Jesus supposedly born more toward summer anyways?
|
17th November 2012, 03:18 PM | #78 |
Guest
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 111
|
I'm making cards for people. Who needs lots of bulky stuff crowding the living space until you can't walk without tripping over crappy plastic baubles?
|
17th November 2012, 03:33 PM | #79 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 28,766
|
|
17th November 2012, 06:25 PM | #80 |
post-pre-born
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Posts: 25,183
|
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|