Merry Christmas is back at the White House

[jayjayj 571]

3 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Is it tough being a Christian in the UAE?

Not really.  There are a few churches here.  Christians can openly practice their faith.  This is probably the best country in the Middle East in that regard.

[Dashinka 24,793]

26 minutes ago, Steeleballz said:

 

   To all Christians? How so?

It doesn’t have to be all Christians.  If just one Christian is offended it should be stopped.

[bcking 3,157]

2 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

It doesn’t have to be all Christians.  If just one Christian is offended it should be stopped.

So if only one veteran was offended by Trump's comment at the Veteran event, then his comment was offensive. Correct?

 

Just wanting to apply consistent standards for what is offensive and what is not.

 

You know...typical middle of the road behavior.

[yuna628 9,713]

I'll try and make it more simple for you guys. Jesus, and His Word is considered the authority on what it means to be a Christian. Over the course of His life, he remained a Jewish man and a practicing Jew. He was never Christian to begin with but sought to reconcile the Torah with a New Covenant as Savior (if you are Jewish you won't believe that and there are also many Christians who seem to feel that Jesus forgot all about Torah the moment he took His breath on Earth). The Apostles in fact, were by and large also not Christian by our definition. Both Jesus, and the Apostles had a heck of a time trying to get other 'branches' and 'churches' and people who were just 'claiming' to be ''Christ-followers'' in line and or revealing them for the charlatans that they were. They were adamant about having a moral responsibility to do so. They were downright angry about it. I could probably cite 100 passages highlighting that it is not merely enough to claim that one is a Christian, and even the act of doing so does not make one Christian (though modern-day Christians feel uncomfortable acknowledging those statements in their own Bibles because of the implication it may have in reflecting upon themselves). Both Jesus and his Apostles and even the Prophets of old, routinely warned of all sorts of persons they tended to lump into the group of False Prophets - which is not like what some 'self-identifying' Christians call themselves (non practicing)... but an entirely different animal. In fact we are called to point out those among us who claim to be Christian in a False Prophet sense and are contributing to the harm of it. There were a whole host of False Prophets then, or false Christians if you will. There remains sadly, even more in these times. I would never be foolish enough to call Donald Trump a Christian, that would be an affront and insult to the Lord. 

 

Christmas has little to do with Christ and it never did. When 'Christians' whip themselves into a furor over saying Merry Christmas, it kind of is hilarious. I've never been afraid to say Merry Christmas in my life - and Christmas has no religious bearing to me, but I do choose to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas (and many may celebrate all the different holidays at once!), so I would prefer to say Happy Holidays as a sign of respect to not assume what holiday they do or don't celebrate. Happy Holidays as a phrase is nothing new. It's been around since the 1800s. Traditionally it was used to represent the main trifecta - Thanksgiving, Xmas, and NYE - or a season from Nov to Jan. Merry Christmas was not meant to be used BEFORE the day of Christmas - rather as a  greeting it should be used on the actual day. We use Happy Holidays to also include other faiths now, of which there is nothing to be ashamed. It doesn't reduce Christmas in it's magical pie in the sky status, nor does it place a religion or non religion in front of the other.

[jayjayj 571]

16 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I'll try and make it more simple for you guys. Jesus, and His Word is considered the authority on what it means to be a Christian. Over the course of His life, he remained a Jewish man and a practicing Jew. He was never Christian to begin with but sought to reconcile the Torah with a New Covenant as Savior (if you are Jewish you won't believe that and there are also many Christians who seem to feel that Jesus forgot all about Torah the moment he took His breath on Earth). The Apostles in fact, were by and large also not Christian by our definition. Both Jesus, and the Apostles had a heck of a time trying to get other 'branches' and 'churches' and people who were just 'claiming' to be ''Christ-followers'' in line and or revealing them for the charlatans that they were. They were adamant about having a moral responsibility to do so. They were downright angry about it. I could probably cite 100 passages highlighting that it is not merely enough to claim that one is a Christian, and even the act of doing so does not make one Christian (though modern-day Christians feel uncomfortable acknowledging those statements in their own Bibles because of the implication it may have in reflecting upon themselves). Both Jesus and his Apostles and even the Prophets of old, routinely warned of all sorts of persons they tended to lump into the group of False Prophets - which is not like what some 'self-identifying' Christians call themselves (non practicing)... but an entirely different animal. In fact we are called to point out those among us who claim to be Christian in a False Prophet sense and are contributing to the harm of it. There were a whole host of False Prophets then, or false Christians if you will. There remains sadly, even more in these times. I would never be foolish enough to call Donald Trump a Christian, that would be an affront and insult to the Lord. 

 

Christmas has little to do with Christ and it never did. When 'Christians' whip themselves into a furor over saying Merry Christmas, it kind of is hilarious. I've never been afraid to say Merry Christmas in my life - and Christmas has no religious bearing to me, but I do choose to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates Christmas (and many may celebrate all the different holidays at once!), so I would prefer to say Happy Holidays as a sign of respect to not assume what holiday they do or don't celebrate. Happy Holidays as a phrase is nothing new. It's been around since the 1800s. Traditionally it was used to represent the main trifecta - Thanksgiving, Xmas, and NYE - or a season from Nov to Jan. Merry Christmas was not meant to be used BEFORE the day of Christmas - rather as a  greeting it should be used on the actual day. We use Happy Holidays to also include other faiths now, of which there is nothing to be ashamed. It doesn't reduce Christmas in it's magical pie in the sky status, nor does it place a religion or non religion in front of the other.

Great opinionated write-up.

 

Trump identifies as a Christian.  His wife is a practicing Catholic.  They celebrate Christmas.  They send out a family Christmas card.  

 

Are they not allowed to do that?

 

You're now attacking Christians who don't worship "properly", according to how you say they should - very discriminatory on your part.  I guess I have to self-identify as something else now.  Do you attack people of other faiths who make false claims of belonging or is your rage reserved only for false Christians?

Edited November 29, 2017 by jayjayj

[Dunngary 37]

In related news, after inventing Christmas, Trump will also invent New Year and summer. More seasons to come, yet to be named.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

27 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

It doesn’t have to be all Christians.  If just one Christian is offended it should be stopped.

 

      Offended by what? LOL.  You guys have gone around in circles so many times, I bet you don't even know what you are talking about anymore.

[yuna628 9,713]

14 minutes ago, jayjayj said:

Great opinionated write-up.

 

Trump identifies as a Christian.  His wife is a practicing Catholic.  They celebrate Christmas.  They send out a family Christmas card.  

 

Are they not allowed to do that?

 

You're now attacking Christians who don't worship "properly", according to how you say they should - very discriminatory on your part.  I guess I have to self-identify as something else now.  Do you attack people of other faiths who make false claims of belonging or it your rage reserved only for false Christians?

But to whom is that family Christmas card going to? Do they only send it to those who actually celebrate Christmas? A president is supposed to represent all of us, yes?

 

I have no 'rage' towards those who self-identify as Christian. But Trump claiming he is a Christian and people believing in such 'alternative facts' is everything Jesus warned about. We have a Biblical responsibility not to sit on our hands and allow that a pass. Paul and Peter went even further.. they weren't willing to mince words when it came to truth. There were many within and outside the church who warned Trump was as far removed from Christianity as a cactus... it is much the same as Roy Moore, and a plethora of mega-preachers of the day that Trump associates with... let alone one of his major mentors, another charlatan it would take too long to discuss. But there is a purpose for everyone... if anything Trump's example helps to expose the false hypocrites for whom they are. Showing how faith without works is dead... and how dead faith is a cancer to Christianity and the morality of this country.

Edited November 29, 2017 by yuna628

[Dunngary 37]

Melania is not a practicing Catholic. She married a divorced man. Trump never annulled his previous marriages.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I think I got the MDL button

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

What is so funny or maybe sad about all this is, Obama identified as a Christian and anyone who dared question that was, labeled a right wing conspiracy theory nut job , by the MDL.

 

Another fiendishly clever web I spun to expose the lavish and outrageous hypocrisy of the MDL

 

It's really fun to watch them fall on their swords and spill the entrails of hypocrisy all over this place.

[bcking 3,157]

9 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

What is so funny or maybe sad about all this is, Obama identified as a Christian and anyone who dared question that was, labeled a right wing conspiracy theory nut job , by the MDL.

 

Another fiendishly clever web I spun to expose the lavish and outrageous hypocrisy of the MDL

 

It's really fun to watch them fall on their swords and spill the entrails of hypocrisy all over this place.

The floor is already littered with hypocrisy by those who blindly defend Trump regardless of his actions.

 

I slip on the pools of hypocrisy in at least every other thread here.

 

It is tricky for me trying to stay in the middle of the road, and apply consistent standards regardless of political views. Doing that highlights so many examples of hypocrisy here on both sides.

 

It's hard to see how broad the hypocrisy is without sticking to the middle of the road, so I don't judge people for not realizing it.

Edited November 29, 2017 by bcking

[yuna628 9,713]

7 minutes ago, bcking said:

The floor is already littered with hypocrisy by those who blindly defend Trump regardless of his actions.

 

I slip on the pools of hypocrisy in at least every other thread here.

 

If is tricky for me trying to stay in the middle of the road, and apply consistent standards regardless of political views. Doing that highlights so many examples of hypocrisy here.

Remember claiming to drive in the middle of the road is rather dangerous. It means you're on the double yellow... a common problem that results in extreme swerving and rollover... of which NB is very familiar with.

[bcking 3,157]

2 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Remember claiming to drive in the middle of the road is rather dangerous. It means you're on the double yellow... a common problem that results in extreme swerving and rollover... of which NB is very familiar with.

One of the things I try to do consistently here is apply standards and expectations that are set for one topic evenly across the board for all similar topics.

 

There is a lot of "selective application" of opinions and standards here, on all sides.

 

The best we can do is each create a set of standards that we live by and apply everything evenly against those standards. Applying them to only certain topics is a very common form of hypocrisy that happens all the time.

 

I'm no means perfect, but I do my best to stay in the middle. It helps me see things more clearly.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

48 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

What is so funny or maybe sad about all this is, Obama identified as a Christian and anyone who dared question that was, labeled a right wing conspiracy theory nut job , by the MDL.

 

Another fiendishly clever web I spun to expose the lavish and outrageous hypocrisy of the MDL

 

It's really fun to watch them fall on their swords and spill the entrails of hypocrisy all over this place.

 

  If you had said hypocrisy one more time it would have been a hat trick.