Path: utzoo!hoptoad!ihnp4!ucbvax!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpesoc1!hpcllla!hpcllak!norma
From: norma@hpcllak.HP.COM (Norma Pincus)
Newsgroups: alt.flame
Subject: Re: Re: Religion, Christmas parties, etc
Message-ID: <7500002@hpcllak.HP.COM>
Date: 31 Dec 87 00:22:31 GMT
References: <14173@oddjob.UChicago.EDU>
Organization: HP ITG/ISO Computer Language Lab
Lines: 42

Hmmm, let me see now:  "Christmas IS a religious holiday".  Seems to be
a rather definitive statement leaving no room for doubt, but shall we
look into it just for fun anyway?
Obviously Pooh believes it to be true, she said it.  Let's suppose, just
for the sake of argument, that the majority of Americans would agree
with it too.  Does that mean that if the majority says it's so, then 
it's so?
Yo, Pooh, what about me?  I'm not religious, and neither are my family
or most of my friends.  We celebrate Christmas, but there is nothing
remotely religious about our celebration.  Christmas is simply a time
to chop down a tree and put it in the living room, and raise your stress
level fighting crowds to buy presents for people you haven't thought about
since the last time you did this.
Let me repeat to make it clear:  Christmas is _NOT_ a religious holidal
to me.  And I resent you dogmatically foisting your view as if it was an
incontrovertable fact.
No matter what you or the majority thinks, those "Christian icons" are
no more religious to me than a STOP sign.  And I most strenuously object
to anyone trying to tell me that I'm being religiously intolerant for
puting up a STOP sign.
You, Pooh, suffer from the height of hypocrisy by guising your own
intolerance in a plea for tolerance.  You, as well as most of the other
principals in this "debate", can't seem to grasp the distinction between
your own perceptions/opinions and some sort of objective reality.
You are offended by displays of "religious trappings" because you see
them that way, not because they _are_ that (I repeat:  I see nothing
 _at all_ religious in Christmas trees, candy canes, Santa Claus, or 
any of the other Christmas icons).
Whatever happened to live and let live?  My Christmas tree doesn't
interfere with your rights or your enjoyment or celebration of Hanukkah.
I don't care if you put up your icons in the office or at the "holiday
party", why do you object to my putting up my (remember, to me they are
 _not religious_) icons?
I have to emphasize what has already been said:  How can you, out of one
side of your mouth chastise people for not wanting to change the stupid
name of the party, while out of the other side, you yourself make such
a big deal out of the stupid name?

Just call me:
  No Scrooge

P.S.  No email please, this account is borrowed.