Comments on: Buddhist/Muslim Xmas? http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903 Minneapolis + St. Paul Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:23:37 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Elizabeth http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60243 Elizabeth Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:02:24 +0000 #comment-60243 You can't be atheist and agnostic at the same time.<br /> <br /> Atheist = you don't believe in any gods<br /> <br /> Agnostic = you don't believe the question of god or gods is knowable <br /> <br /> Speaking as an agnostic, learn your Greek roots and know what something means before you use it to describe yourself:<br /> <br /> a = not, without<br /> <br /> theos = God<br /> <br /> gnos = knowledge<br /> You can’t be atheist and agnostic at the same time.

Atheist = you don’t believe in any gods

Agnostic = you don’t believe the question of god or gods is knowable

Speaking as an agnostic, learn your Greek roots and know what something means before you use it to describe yourself:

a = not, without

theos = God

gnos = knowledge

]]> By: naysan http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60214 naysan Wed, 27 Dec 2006 01:46:35 +0000 #comment-60214 I was raised in a devout Baha'i household, and am now agnostic. Something I've realized over the past few years is that many Christians in this country don't really see the difference between being raised in a non-observant Christian family and being raised in an observant something other than Christian family, at least when it comes to Christmas.<br /> There have been so many times when friends, friends who are completely aware that I am in no way Christian, have been surprised that I don't do Christmas. Yes, it's a largely secularized holiday in America these days, but it's still <em>Christ</em>mas for most of us non-Christians.<br /> <br /> Don't get me wrong, the spirit of the holiday is all well and good (Peace and love right back at you, bro), but I still completely sympathize with the mother in the article. I was raised in a devout Baha’i household, and am now agnostic. Something I’ve realized over the past few years is that many Christians in this country don’t really see the difference between being raised in a non-observant Christian family and being raised in an observant something other than Christian family, at least when it comes to Christmas.
There have been so many times when friends, friends who are completely aware that I am in no way Christian, have been surprised that I don’t do Christmas. Yes, it’s a largely secularized holiday in America these days, but it’s still Christmas for most of us non-Christians.

Don’t get me wrong, the spirit of the holiday is all well and good (Peace and love right back at you, bro), but I still completely sympathize with the mother in the article.

]]> By: Ben Franklin http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60200 Ben Franklin Tue, 26 Dec 2006 23:20:46 +0000 #comment-60200 <em>My favorite holidays have always been those with NO links to religion.....Fourth of July and Thanksgiving....</em><br /> <br /> heh. flunked history, I see. those two have <em>everything</em> to do with religion. maybe you should latch onto st. valentine's day or halloween as your new favorite holiday. My favorite holidays have always been those with NO links to religion…..Fourth of July and Thanksgiving….

heh. flunked history, I see. those two have everything to do with religion. maybe you should latch onto st. valentine’s day or halloween as your new favorite holiday.

]]> By: Rebecca http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60185 Rebecca Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:43:56 +0000 #comment-60185 long live atheists!!! Happy New Year!<br /> <br /> As far as Christmas, I reached my breaking point this year...I'm just not going to do it next year. My favorite holidays have always been those with NO links to religion.....Fourth of July and Thanksgiving....which means giving thanks, not necessarily thanking some god.<br /> <br /> And thanks to no shopping on Christmas I had no breakfast today. %$#@#$% long live atheists!!! Happy New Year!

As far as Christmas, I reached my breaking point this year…I’m just not going to do it next year. My favorite holidays have always been those with NO links to religion…..Fourth of July and Thanksgiving….which means giving thanks, not necessarily thanking some god.

And thanks to no shopping on Christmas I had no breakfast today. %$#@#$%

]]> By: spike http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60146 spike Tue, 26 Dec 2006 05:13:45 +0000 #comment-60146 i'm chinese. i am an atheistic agnostic.<br /> i celebrate christmas in a non traditional fashion. its never been a religious thing in my family, much more of a celebration of the 'for the kids' sort of way. and once we grew up it became more of an excuse to exchange presents and such. especially once we physically moved apart as a family - so then i started spending christmas with other people's family's and learning that aspect. <br /> the last few years its been just a few days of rest and quiet relaxation for me. this year on christmas day i went out to have a huge chinese meal with two of my formerly jewish friends. (they're now athiest) we ate at Hong Kong Noodles in Stadium village. afterwards we felt like milkshakes so we hit up Little T's in uptown for some dessert. it was quite a fun day.<br /> i’m chinese. i am an atheistic agnostic.
i celebrate christmas in a non traditional fashion. its never been a religious thing in my family, much more of a celebration of the ‘for the kids’ sort of way. and once we grew up it became more of an excuse to exchange presents and such. especially once we physically moved apart as a family – so then i started spending christmas with other people’s family’s and learning that aspect.
the last few years its been just a few days of rest and quiet relaxation for me. this year on christmas day i went out to have a huge chinese meal with two of my formerly jewish friends. (they’re now athiest) we ate at Hong Kong Noodles in Stadium village. afterwards we felt like milkshakes so we hit up Little T’s in uptown for some dessert. it was quite a fun day.

]]> By: bobby_b http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60144 bobby_b Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:48:35 +0000 #comment-60144 "<em> . . .the Buddhist precepts (basically you promise to live by 10 rules for the rest of your life) . . .</em>"<br /> <br /> - - - <br /> <br /> Christians I know talk about promising to live by ten rules, too. What do you bet the two sets correspond almost one to one?<br /> <br /> . “ . . .the Buddhist precepts (basically you promise to live by 10 rules for the rest of your life) . . .“

- – -

Christians I know talk about promising to live by ten rules, too. What do you bet the two sets correspond almost one to one?

.

]]> By: zenrhino http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60142 zenrhino Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:40:03 +0000 #comment-60142 <em><strong>That's the 1st time Fishman's & Holy Land have been mentioned in the same paragraph</strong>...one is devoutly pro-Israel, and the other would like to see it wiped off of the map.</em><br /> <br /> The guy who convinced me to take the Buddhist precepts (basically you promise to live by 10 rules for the rest of your life) is an orthodox jew who teaches at Yeshiva U. <br /> <br /> Maybe the juxtaposition isn't coincidence. ;)<br /> <br /> That’s the 1st time Fishman’s & Holy Land have been mentioned in the same paragraph…one is devoutly pro-Israel, and the other would like to see it wiped off of the map.

The guy who convinced me to take the Buddhist precepts (basically you promise to live by 10 rules for the rest of your life) is an orthodox jew who teaches at Yeshiva U.

Maybe the juxtaposition isn’t coincidence. ;)

]]> By: Johnmsp http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60139 Johnmsp Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:18:45 +0000 #comment-60139 Christmas has become a consumer holiday. It drives sales. Whats not to love about it. The tacky lights on your property. The gifts. The tree with more lights. A day off from work. It's all in good fun. It helps businesses. However it would be nice if there were some stores open. Christmas has become a consumer holiday. It drives sales. Whats not to love about it. The tacky lights on your property. The gifts. The tree with more lights. A day off from work. It’s all in good fun. It helps businesses. However it would be nice if there were some stores open.

]]> By: bobby_b http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60138 bobby_b Tue, 26 Dec 2006 03:53:01 +0000 #comment-60138 I'm an atheist, or maybe more exactly, since I really don't care if there's a gawd or not, I'm an agnostic. And I really like Christmas.<br /> <br /> In between the hype and the sales and the stress, and the growing conflict between what has for centuries been a de facto Christian state and the new combined growing presence of non-Christians and a growing ability to proclaim one's non-Christianity without fear of internal banishment and exile, it still does come through that the celebration of Christmas is, at root, a celebration of the combined first principles of forgiveness and the Golden Rule. <br /> <br /> The historical Jesus (true or not) taught that we should govern our treatment of others by looking to how we would like to be treated in similar situations. As a moral basis, this has a stunning simplicity and an inarguable validity. Were I a pessimist, I'd now speak of how seldom this is attained in his name, but the optimist in me sees that, in a tough world, it's admirable and hope-giving that such a message continues to be the aspiration of Christianity.<br /> <br /> And so Christmas, to me, becomes a statement that at least we're trying.<br /> <br /> Merry Christmas, all. <br /> <br /> . I’m an atheist, or maybe more exactly, since I really don’t care if there’s a gawd or not, I’m an agnostic. And I really like Christmas.

In between the hype and the sales and the stress, and the growing conflict between what has for centuries been a de facto Christian state and the new combined growing presence of non-Christians and a growing ability to proclaim one’s non-Christianity without fear of internal banishment and exile, it still does come through that the celebration of Christmas is, at root, a celebration of the combined first principles of forgiveness and the Golden Rule.

The historical Jesus (true or not) taught that we should govern our treatment of others by looking to how we would like to be treated in similar situations. As a moral basis, this has a stunning simplicity and an inarguable validity. Were I a pessimist, I’d now speak of how seldom this is attained in his name, but the optimist in me sees that, in a tough world, it’s admirable and hope-giving that such a message continues to be the aspiration of Christianity.

And so Christmas, to me, becomes a statement that at least we’re trying.

Merry Christmas, all.

.

]]> By: grote http://www.secretsofthecity.com/mnspeak/9903#comment-60137 grote Tue, 26 Dec 2006 03:26:24 +0000 #comment-60137 That's the 1st time Fishman's & Holy Land have been mentioned in the same paragraph...one is devoutly pro-Israel, and the other would like to see it wiped off of the map.<br /> <br /> This Jew cebrated X-mas weekend in a Rabbi's home in St. Louis...I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to have a kosher house. That led to a 9 hour X-mas day drive back from the STL with 2 screaming kids and an exhausted wife, which I just followed with Quang's delicious grilled chicken & sticky rice salad and chased with a bath, some Tylenol 3 and a glass of Oban. <br /> <br /> Every time someone wished us a Merry Christmas throughout the weekend, my 5 y/o son would matter-of-factly would say "I'm Jewish...I don't celebrate Christmas". It seemed sweet until he did it @ a truck stop 3 miles off the highway in NE Missouri and every yokel turned to see if we had horns. That’s the 1st time Fishman’s & Holy Land have been mentioned in the same paragraph…one is devoutly pro-Israel, and the other would like to see it wiped off of the map.

This Jew cebrated X-mas weekend in a Rabbi’s home in St. Louis…I forgot what a pain in the ass it is to have a kosher house. That led to a 9 hour X-mas day drive back from the STL with 2 screaming kids and an exhausted wife, which I just followed with Quang’s delicious grilled chicken & sticky rice salad and chased with a bath, some Tylenol 3 and a glass of Oban.

Every time someone wished us a Merry Christmas throughout the weekend, my 5 y/o son would matter-of-factly would say “I’m Jewish…I don’t celebrate Christmas”. It seemed sweet until he did it @ a truck stop 3 miles off the highway in NE Missouri and every yokel turned to see if we had horns.

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