Merry Christmas and Happy Channakuh. All you God-hating lefties, atheists, and Satanists can go jump in front of a train...

must read

Happy Saturnalia everybody!

Now there's the spirit of Christmas, Mark and Keefer! One so filled with hate and revulsion for those who don't believe as he does that he has a panic attack and runs from the mall when he sees Santa Claus. The other who's Christmas wish is for left wingers to kill themselves. Real nice. Perhaps you two little elves would feel better if you packed a truck with fertilizer and blew up a shopping mall full of those dirty, liberal, capitalist consumers.

Merry Christmas to you too!

the joy of the season isn't presents, music, parties, friends and family gathering together, etc: the joy of the season is that we have a Saviour.

That's absolutely right, it's only about a savior, and it's not about gifts. And you're going to back that up by not giving gifts, right? You were just there at the mall to scope out the War?

"Talk about Christ and His Incarnation and what it means to you - in a gentle, loving spirit, get into the face of the secularists and don't let them forget that this our holiday, and they are participating in it because they love what we have, not because they have a right to use it any way they like. And don't be afraid of offending Jews, Moslems, Hindus, etc - people who genuinely follow these faiths cannot possibly be offended by overt manifestations of our faith."

I'm not sure I understand what the point of this post is. Which secularists do you recommend "getting into the face of?" Wal-Mart? The Better Business Bureau? How do you propose complaining about this? Do you think anyone is going to listen?

Just because non-believers (and believers) enjoy a secular side of Christmas does not mean that they have to listen to some right-wing nut job complain about scantily-dressed elves. You can complain about nothing all you want; every non-Christian and most Christians in this country are going to shake their heads and walk right along.

Gar Wood

Ha ha...it didn't take long for the pagans to chime in. The only fertilizer God may blow up has a name on the package...'extramedium'. There is a culture war..and the secularists want our traditions to distort for their own. It won't happen, try as they might. The hate is on your side extraM...our hate is righteous hate for slime like you. You can twist our words wanting peace, but the majority will just ignore you for the little bug you are...and the heavens would rejoice as a very small evil is put aside. You are quite like a modern Palestinian...poor, slovenly, wanting a handout, enraged at his plight, seeking revenge on others; so hate filled that he is blind to his own death. And willing to portray himself as the victim while trying to destroy the civilized and righteous among us. You are likely pro abortion and advocate pecker choice too....take stock now, you are not likely to get a deathbed conversion....your punishment awaits you.

Gar,

All of them - this isn't a secular holiday; it is a Christian holidy, and we celebrate it with a day off in the United States because MOST OF US ARE CHRISTIAN, and always have been.

This is a religious holiday, and to attempt to take the religious element out of it for fear of allegedly offending people of other faiths, or no faiths at all, is just plain and simple stupid...and only a secualarist dimwit who is simply afraid of religion could ever have thought of trying.

Wow! The Christians who post here are one scary bunch of believers. Where is all that love, compassion and caring that Jesus wanted His followers to pass on?

It's not some sort of boogey man - the "secularists" - that have added a secularist background to Christmas. Many of the traditions associated with secular Christmas were part of the pagan festivities associated with the Solistice that the Christians incorporated to ease the spreading of their religion. In other words, Christians have been more responsible with the secular association of their holiday than anyone else.

I agree that the absurd consumerism associated with Christmas is borderline heretical. But yelling in the faces of atheists, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus, for enjoying the secular aspects of Christmas has nothing to do with the rampant consumerism that the overwhelming majority of loyal, believing Christians engage in during the holidays.

Gar Wood

There is no war on Christmas. As with every other year in America, we are all free to celebrate the birth of Christ. Just as the Jewish Americans are free to celebrate the miracle of Channukkah. Just as Muslims are free, during that time, to fast for Ramadan.

Just because we're on a mission to kill Islamic terrorists doesn't mean there is a war on Ramadan and just because America has a well established separation of church and state doesn't mean there's a war on Christmas.

When the government starts monitoring homes to make sure no one talks about Jesus, then Mark and Matt can justify their ridiculous hand-wringing.

To the Canadian who asked about the All Loving Christians out there.
There's a wrist band folks wear here in America that says "What would Jesus do?"
You see there are those that paint us Christians as bigots, haters, unmerciful if we do not agree with their ideologies, then they bring Jesus into their darkness of thinking.
Friend, it's sad that you want to drag the Only Begotten Son of Almighty God into your ideas and logic.
First of all, Jesus said that he Came to Save the World. John 3:16.
Jesus came to save not to agree with those that committed acts of agression against the word of the law.
Jesus said not to commit acts of abomination, acts of hatred, acts of sodomy and others which are recorded in the book of the Revelation.
Jesus said that NOBODY would enter the kingdom of heaven with this thought process.
If we commit sin we are of the devil.
So don't think that the Son of God will excuse you by His Love for the World.
Just the opposite. He came to save the world and because the world lies in darkness, which is:
I'll name a few of the things. Homosexuality, Greed, Lust, Idolatry,Backbiting, Gossip, Hatred against those who do good, some call it JiHad (Holy War).
Jesus said he came to bring peace yet at the same time to bring a sword.
His word is powerful than any two edged sword any man puts forth.
Christmas is Christmas because of Jesus Christ.
FOR NO OTHER EARTHLY REASON OR REASONING OF MAN.
Christmas is just the same today as 2,000 years ago when wise men sought after him.
They sought after the ONLY one who could give eternal life and give it more ABUNDANTLY, and
most importantly that HE is THE ONLY WAY to Heaven. There is NO OTHER.
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, and no man cometh unto the father but through me. (Jesus Christ-the Son of Almighty God (Yah-weh).
You want real life, you want to be a real man or woman. Then accept HIM this season and you can have joy, peace, through Christ Our Lord.
To many he's God, to many he's king, to many he's the lamb, to many he's the great shepherd, but to me he IS LORD. (PRAISE HIS HOLY NAME FOREVER AND EVER.)
This is What Christmas is All About.
Yes Canadian writer and Mr. Garwood, Christ loves you but your acts CAN condemn you.
Christ condemns nobody, but he who does SIN, is CONDEMNED ALREADY.

Jeremiah,

Just because I don't give a church sermon on every post does not mean that I am not a Christian. Please do not make assumptions about my beliefs.

My post says nothing anti-Christian. Re-read it and then get back to me if you care.

Gar Wood

I really love to see this new semantics war that the radical extremist rightwingers are not-so-subtly engaging in.

"Democrat" party.

"Moslem"

It's kinda cute that that's all they've got left in the tank.

Mr. Garwood,
I apologize that you didn't understand my post.
I did not say you or anybody else was not a Christian.
My friend I was only quoting what the scriptures say and I post my posts (no pun intended) upon the foundation in which I believe in. The WORD OF GOD.
So don't take offense to what I say, rather take action on What the Word of God says.

Jeremiah-

Judge not lest ye be judged.

You, sir, are also a sinner. You, sir, commit sins, because you are a human. You, sir, are no better than Canadian Observer or Gar or me or Mark or anyone here. You are not highly skilled in communications, that's for sure. What you are is hubristically pious.

You, sir, are a sinner. We all are. You have stated that you believe no Christian can vote for a Democrat. You, sir, will stand in His presence and be judged for your hatred of those who do not share your political views. Where in the Bible is there an endorsement of the GOP?

Remember, Jesus didn't ride no elephants, baby.

Save your sermons, J-Man. You HAVE stated that people here are not "true believers" if they condemn Bush. That, sir, is sinful of you because it is an action based in lies.

The baby, Jesus, who was born in a manger so long ago, grew to be a loving liberal individual preaching tolerance, freedom from bigotry & prejudice and love for His fellowmen.

He was NOT a kick-ass Conservative.

The self styled Christians who demonize all
who don't agree with their ideology ought to
remember Mark Twains words:
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it and remove all doubt from it.
But they won't get it.

Since I buy Christmas gifts and not "holiday" gifts I don't spend money at stores that doen't recognize Christmas. In capitalism you vote with dollars. Best Buy doesn't like Chrismas? Buy at Circuit City.

Send messages to corporations by altering your spending habits.

The main problem that I see with the modern Conservative movement has quite conveniently made itself obvious here...

Nevermind that Mark went to the mall in order to take part in the consumerism of Christmas, he cares more that other people are celebrating the season without celebrating Jesus...

In fact, from my meager experience in studying the Bible, a unifying theme that I found throughout was that of individual responsibility. The individual has to accept Jesus, the individual has to act righteously. Noone can accept Jesus for you, and noone can act rightously for you.

Saying that, being the individual responsibility, does it not violate that spirit of personal responsibility to enforce righteous behaviour externally?

People like Mark and Jeremiah need to focus on their own personal salvation, instead of that of others.

Now, back to Christmas. You don't need to be concerned whether or not secularists are enjoying a Jesus-free Christmas. You don't need to be a Christian to celebrate giving and all that is good with mankind, just like you don't need to be a Christian to take Sundays off of work. My celebrating of a secular christmas has no effect on your celebration of Christmas. When it comes down to it, what I believe and celebrate shouldn't really affect what you believe and celebrate... if it does, then your faith isn't as strong you think it is...

CO and Gar,

And there's a couple more annoying bits of secularist content-emptying: the story that Christmas is just a modified pagan celebration and Christ merely preached a "be nice" morality.

Christmas is celebrated not because pagans celebrated a festival in the early winter, but because Jesus was born - in fact, so important was this particular birth it was decided in the by and by that the number of years in our calendar should reflect the birth. Secularists are trying very hard to get everyone to accept CE and BCE - stupid phrasing in every sense of the word. CE standing for "common era" - common to what, pray tell? Moslems have a different number of years, so do Hindus, so do Shintoists...the only year 2006 is common to is Anno Domini: The Year of Our Lord.

And Our Lord did not come here just to tell you to be nice - he came here with a sword, to divide the people of the world between those who will accept God and be saved, and those who will reject Him and be damned.

I am to love you - but loving you doesn't mean being nicey-nice and not condemning what is wrong or attempting to correct it. In fact, love is a hard thing....God loves me very much, and so I am constantly tested and tempered because God knows what is best for me. He's not some kindly grandfather who never has a cross word for anyone. He wants very specific things from us, because He knows what we're made for and what is best for us.

Georgia,

Actually, I went to the mall because my wife had to return a purse which her daughter had given her which turned out to have some scratches on the handle. Other than that, I never would have set foot in that mall this year.

Now, have I bought gifts? Of course I have - Christmas gifts, given in love to those I love in order to celebrate the greatest gift of all, the Incarnation of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He was given to us by God so that we may live forever.

You may celebrate Christmas in any way you want - but we Christians are going to celebrate it as Christians...and as there are far more of us than any other type of people in America, Christmas shall be, once again, an overtly Christian holiday.

I'm serious about this - and I think my fellow Christians are all pretty much on the same page here: we're tired of having our religious celebration relegated to second-class status as a bunch of secularists try to make our holy day a day of economics, political correctness and a subtle anti-Christian message.

Mr. Meachem,

How can anyone, after knowing the truth, and at the same time are aware of the dangerous consequences of the destructive agendas of the democrats, be totally in favor of voting for them????

The way I see it, that puts any professed Christian into question. I mean just to think that Christians of all people would vote for Abortion?, Take out the Christmas message? (that is what Christians live for), Sodomized marriages?, destroyed family? and [parenthood] ( FamilyFYI: is what makes Christmas all the more special). and a whole list of things unnatural to Christians. How could any Christian be in favor of those things?

That, sir, is sinful of you because it is an action based in lies.

You mean the President? Hey look, The President has never lied to the American people, he is an honest and God fearing man, who cares about the good people of United States of America, who understands the threat by Islamist nuts, Muslim nuts, and God help us, you democrats (aka liberals) who wish there is no Christmas.

side note: I don't know how many times you've been banned already DougW, but I think you are due up for another banning, this is about the third time, and should stand as, three strikes and your OUT!
..................................................

Mark,

Another wonderful testimony!

Two thumbs up!!

:)

Jeremiah

This isn't the first time I've heard that "Jesus was a Liberal," but this is the first time I've responded to it. It is difficult for me to grasp Jesus being a Liberal like what we have today. He preached that those who did not believe in Him would face eternal punishment; that doesn't sound like modern liberalism's "tolerance." He rescued the woman caught in adultery, but didn't give her an Oprah hug, telling her it was OK; "Go and sin no more" was the command. Jesus also performed all His miracles without a government program, and without raising taxes.

"I'm serious about this - and I think my fellow Christians are all pretty much on the same page here: we're tired of having our religious celebration relegated to second-class status as a bunch of secularists try to make our holy day a day of economics, political correctness and a subtle anti-Christian message."

Mark,

Why is it the so-called secularists' fault that so many Christians decide to celebrate Christmas with commercialism? You have danced around this point. You also have not refuted my point that early Christians (specifically Sextus Julius Africanus) assigned the traditional date of Jesus's birth to coincide with pagan winter holidays, the traditions of which many Christians and non-Christians continue to practice today.

I agree that commercialism dilutes the sanctity of Christmas. The problem will not be solved until Christians, who compose 80% of the American population, realize this. Yet for some reason it is more convenient for you to blame atheists and non-Christian religious groups for mooching off of the ceremony, which as I have established have secular roots actually as a result of Christians.

Gar Wood

Greg-O,

Jesus wasn't a liberal or a conservative. I would say he was both of a cultural and economic populist, which would put him square between how both parties stand today. At the same time that he preached morality, he preached radical economic redistribution policies that would make both Democrats and Republicans squirm.

Gar Wood

" God help us, you democrats (aka liberals) who wish there is no Christmas"

Jeremiah-

I am a Christian. You assert that those who vote against warmongering, war profiteering, segregation, racism and other despicable things cannot be Christians. Then, you further lie - a favorite pastime of righties - and say that Democrats wish there was no Christmas.

I would like to see proof of this.

I don't know who you think I am, but it seems plausible that there might be more than one person in the world that finds your rhetoric hateful, exclusionary and just plain anti-Christian.

I don't know who you think I am, but it seems plausible that there might be more than one person in the world that finds your rhetoric hateful, exclusionary and just plain anti-Christian.

LOL! You're not fooling anyone, Dougie!

I would like to see proof of this.

First off, liberals don't want to hear the words Christmas anymore, they would rather hear some absurd word with no meaning, in effect "holiday" instead of the traditionally and much more meaningful words "Merry Christmas" right? right.

And to add to what Mark has said...Liberals want to set up IDOLS(Santa Claus,Toys,material things) in place of Jesus Christ the Only Begotten Son of God!

Liberals want there to be no nativity scenes in public places, which remind people of the significance of the true meaning of Christmas!

And what about road-side crosses? Yes them too, Liberals want them taken down too, What does the Cross represent? It represents Jesus promise to every person who see it, that he is coming back again, just as he has said!

Prayer, Pledge of allegiance, in schools, Yes that too, Liberals want no mention of God's name in schools!

Christmas trees with the star on top - yes that too, Liberals want no resemblance of the North Star which led the wise men to where Jesus is, In effect, a message with Jesus in it!!

Liberals hate Jesus!

Is that enough proof? or do you need more...

Jeremiah

You may celebrate Christmas in any way you want - but we Christians are going to celebrate it as Christians...and as there are far more of us than any other type of people in America, Christmas shall be, once again, an overtly Christian holiday.

Keep Christmas in your way, and I'll keep it in mine...

Actually, that is the way that our country is supposed to work, now that I think of it. People are free to express their religious views, or lack there of, without interference. I support any Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Satanist, or any other person of faith who wishes to put up religious stuff on their property, and I support their ability and right to preach their faith, thus is our First Amendment.

However, you don't have the right to impose your way of celebrating a holiday on to me. If you want to spend Christmas Eve in Church, then you are more than welcome to. If a Satanist wants to celebrate Christmas (ironic that he would, though) by praying to an inverted cross, then that is his right as well. If I want to drink Egg Nog with my family while watching A Christmas Story on TBS, then that is my perogative. The way that I, or the ironic Satanist, or Wal-Mart choose to celebrate the Holidays should not really affect how you celebrate Christmas.

It is ridiculous to be offended by the Religious Aspect of a Holiday, but it is also quite silly to get offended by someone celebrating the holidays without Jesus.

Besides, if you take the extra time to make sure that everyone knows how "Christian" your Christmas is, then you have ceased to celebrate Christ and started to celebrate your pride and hubris.

Jeremiah-

I realize that you may not understand the meaning of the word "proof" any more than you likely know the definition of the word "begotten."

At any rate, you didn't give any proof. In fact, I know of a case where some liberals who own private property have a display of crosses representing dead American soldiers in Iraq and conservative groups have tried to have them removed.

You have been brainwashed by whatever snake-handler you get preached to every week and have such a low level of education that you do not seek truth on anything. You want to believe that everyone who disagrees with you hates Jesus and it just isn't the case.

My name is Gavin. Please learn to use it.

stop destroying my country all of you

Georgia,

Jeremiah hit upon it - we Christians are going to get the roadside crosses back, there will be Nativity scenes at City Hall...and there will be, in the by and by, prayer in the schools. All that happened at that mall the other day was to bring home to me just how lousy the secularists have made not just Christmas, but everything.

Gar,

Yeah, whatever - Christmas is Christmas, not a pagan celebration. You can pick any day of the year you'd like and probably find some pagan celebration which was done on the same day.

"All that happened at that mall the other day was to bring home to me just how lousy the secularists have made not just Christmas, but everything."

Everything is America is lousy, and it's because of the secularists?

Mark, you have become progressively more dark and negative in your posts since the election. Mark my words, these daily feelings of hatred toward others are going to kill you long before your time. You should think about taking a real break from blogging and politics and get your head back together.

Jeremiah seems to be a lost soul. Using the scriptures as ammunition, he lashes out in anger and ignorance at anything that does not conform to his twisted logic. Instead of chastising him, should we not, as fellow human beings, be offering our love and support.

Liberals hate Jesus!

Heh... that's a laughable statement.

I'll leave out a critique of the massive fallacy there to hit at the meat of that argument one piece of "evidence" at a time.

Does wanting mention of God in schools equate to hating Jesus?

Not really, many people, including a good number of Christians, believe that schools should be religiously neutral, neither speaking against or on behalf of any particular religion. It doesn't mean that they hate Jesus... it just means that they want their children's religious instruction to occur at home, not at school.

Does not wanting Nativity Scenes in Public Places mean that one hates Jesus?

Again, not necessarily. (this also goes for all of the other religious symbols that are shown in public) I don't know about other people, but here is how I see it... The government is supposed to be religiously neutral, so I don't want government money to pay for the display of religious monuments on government property. Now, if people want to pay for their own religious monuments on their own property, then they are more than welcome to do so... just don't expect me to pay for it.

Random

Now, I believe that Mark made the argument earlier that Santa was, in fact, a Christian figure (by virtue of his being a Saint). He has come to represent to spirit of giving, which I don't really find to be too incredibly anti-christian. If you think that he is an idol, maybe you can ask the Pope to rescend his sainthood.

I don't really know people who worship toys either, but to say that toys are a liberal incarnation borders on insanity.

Now, I do admit that many people worship the almighty dollar, but capitalists do hold material things in somewhat of a high esteem. Now, are you a socialist, or just a hypocrite?

CO-

You're right. But I think others have tried to engage Jeremiah in the past and gotten nowhere.

Doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying.

extra,

Thank you, I'll take it underadvisement...but until I come to a firm conclusion on whether I'll take a sabbatical from politics, I'll continue to bash those who have made a hash out of our world.

Gavin and CO,

Jeremiah is just bearing enthusiastic witness to you...the really cool thing about it is that it is now up to the Holy Spirit to do the heavy lifting...you've gotten the word, and now as time goes on you'll be ever more pressed to make that choice. You both seem clever enough to make the right choice, though it could take some years before enlightenment comes to you.

Mark,

For the third time, why is it the so-called secularists' fault that so many Christians decide to celebrate Christmas with commercialism?

Gar Wood

Mark-

I have already been born again in Christ. Yet I did not vote for the so-called holy man Bush. Why can extremists like Jeremiah and yourself not accept that liberalism and Christianity are not incompatible? You are so consumed with your hatred for your political opponents that you neglect to show kindness to your Christian brethren.

Georgia Frawg,

What you fail to realize is, is that the United States of America is a Christian Nation, We were founded on Christian principles!

So it holds, We will preserve that tradition to the best of our abilities.

Just because you and a hand full of others in a tiny minority want to do away with Christmas, does'nt mean you are going to get away with it!

Jeremiah

JOY TO THE WORLD. THE *LORD* IS COME!
LET EARTH RECEIVE HER KING:
LET EVERY HEART PREPARE HIM ROOM.
AND HEAVEN AND NATURE SING.

Merry Christmas to ALL!

Jeremiah

Let Earth receive her king, and let Jeremiah receive a copy of the Constitution so he can learn about America.

Jeremiah-

Go over my comments... Did I ever say that I wanted to do away with Christmas?

Man... that doesn't even qualify as a straw man...

Now, I don't know about you, but I think that our government is laid out in the Constitution. Now, there is no mention of Jesus, God, a Creator, or anything else of the sort in that document. There is, however, a mention of religion in the Bill of Rights (that the government doesn't have a place in it, and vice versa). So... there is no christianity in the formation of our government. Say what you want, but the government that was founded by that document is a secular one.

If the government should be able spend my money on religious monuments and school prayers, then I should have the option to with hold my taxes and not pay for it.

Gavin,

That is a good start - now you just have to learn that, indeed, liberalism and Christianity are incompatible. Liberalism is based on the concept that men are fundamentally good and we only need reform our institutions in order to reform mankind...Christianity states that men are fundamentally evil, and the only way to reform institutions is to reform men.

Gar,

Huh? Your question makes no sense - I'm talking about the enforced de-Christianisation of Christmas...the lawsuits to ban Nativity scenes, the demands of PC that we don't say "Christmas" or mention the birth of Our Lord. That sort of thing - that some Christians have been sucked into the vortex of anti-Christian "holiday" nonsense is just part of the way things are...some people fall short.

The founding fathers were a smart bunch of cookies. They knew religion, be it Christian, or any other, had no business in the political realm.
One's religion is a personal matter and should in no way, shape or form be used in the running of a nation's government.

Mark,

Did you actually even write your initial post? The post attributed to you makes no mention of lawsuits or nativity scenes, it complains about the overcommercialization of Christmas. In fact you specifically say that the war about Christmas is NOT about saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays" - it's about commercialization.

To quote:
"A swirl of people surging from store to store, buying over priced goods that no one really needs - and parents bringing their kids to this insipid show where it is explained to them that if they'll just give presents from time to time, they'll have all the moral excellence they'll ever need.

Why should I be concerned with this? What business is it of mine, after all, what people and merchants choose to do over the holiday season? Well, I'm concerned with it because the war against Christmas isn't about whether or not we should say "Merry Christmas", nor is it really about whether or not we'll have a Nativity scene at city hall - no, the war against Christmas is the frontal assault against the content of Christmas and, in a larger sphere, the assault against the content of all transcendent things."

Gar Wood

Gar,

No, my post is about the taking out of Christmas its Christian content. I just looked at it again, and it seems pretty straightforward to me.

Mark,

Fair enough. I thought there was something deeper in there than the usual talking points that we have to endure every year.

Season's Greetings,
Gar Wood

Mark

If, as a Christian, you keep Christ in your Christmas, why should you worry about others who do not? Your beliefs are your own and are valid, as is true for everyone else. We are happy that you have found something that gives you comfort but to condemn those who do not share your religion & faith, well that's just wrong.

Mark said:

And Our Lord did not come here just to tell you to be nice - he came here with a sword, to divide the people of the world between those who will accept God and be saved

Thanks for quoting part of such an exemplary piece of scripture. I am a little disappointed that you left out W's and my favorite part:

For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

That's the part that people like you and me get our Family Values from.

Mark-

Your entire premise of what liberalism is is fallacious. You're setting up this circular argument that allows you to demonize your political opponents by attacking them on the deepestlevel for many, which is their faith.

Suffice it to say, speaking like this will not advance your cause or your career. I don't know what house decided you were a professional writer, and I don't know who believes there is money to be made talking about Democratic corruption when the GOP's corruption has been the center of American politics for at least the last 6-12 years.

At any rate, things aren't likely to go well for you in that regard. The days of Ann Coulter-esque ad hominems and straw men are over. You might have made a nice dime or two in 2002, but there's a new day in America. And if the Democrats don't screw the country up once they take over in 2007 and possibly 2007 with a President Obama, your work will seem like more of a farce.

If farce is what you're going for, Annie C. does it with a little more flair. I'm sure she gives lessons.

Some of the Iraq War architects that Jeremiah wrings his hands over in praise for their actions are people who reject Christ. Yet, he votes for thier cronies and tells people like myself that we do not love Christ. Wolfowitz, Perle, Elliot Abrams all reject Christ's divinity. Yet Jeremiah aligns himself more with them over a bloody war that kills Iraqi babies than he does with American Democrats. Jeremiah and Mark Noonan will fret and cry over a fake war against Christmas. But even when asked repeatedly, they will not comment on the tragedy of innocent lives lost in Iraq. Babies who never got the chance to live do not cause tears to Mark and Jeremiah and Matt. The president says the number is 30,000 or so, and the high end estimate is 600,000. Even if it is the low number, they have no sadness for these deaths and the lack of humanity they show towards these people shouts louder than any hubristic piety they can muster.

I have read all these comments and did not find any mention of the ACLU, that anti-American outfit that has been leading the fight against everything Christian. So, everyone that wants to keep CHRIST in Christmas,lets have a little fun. Send the ACLU a CHRISTMAS CARD. As they are working so very hard to get rid of the "CHRISTMAS" part of this holiday, we should all send them a nice, CHRISTIAN, card to brighten up their dark, sad, little world. Make sure it says "Merry Christmas" on it. Here's the address, just don't be rude or crude:
ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

Two tons of Christmas cards would freeze their operations. Put your card in a business type envelope rather than the envelope that comes with the card, maybe even put a penny inside and mark "Contribution inclosed" on the outside. That way they will be sure to open it.

Also, be sure to tell them that there is no such thing as a Holiday Tree....It's a CHRISTMAS TREE, even in the fields.

not only does the Constitution protect us from an abusive government, but it, and indeed the very nature of our republican form of government protects us, the minority from an abusive majority (Christians like Jeremiah who do not understand that our country was not founded on mob rule)

I get fulfilled from Jeremiahs preaching. As I stick out my tarnished hand to the sky, I can feel the work of the Lord as I read Jeremiahs posts. Heal me. Smite the demon from me. Preach to me. Yes, I'm re-reading your posts Jeremiah and can feel the spirit start to flow through me. Be gone evil demons. Preach to me Jeremiah! Yes, yes, that's it, as I read his posts over and over again I can feel his love for me and the other sinners. You love me. I know it. You only want the best for me. To see the light! Be gone evil democratic demons. Begone EVIL liberal demons. I cast you out. Thank you Jeremiah. Thank you.

Decidenator,

If only you had a slight knowledge of the scriptures you quote.

What is the Sword?

The Sword Jesus Christ brings, is the Sword of Conviction, and it will pierce every heart, mind, and soul, that includes you also.

When you come under this conviction, It is at that point you will find that you are under immense strain and will be faced with a choice to either accept Jesus into your heart and life and be with Him in Heaven for ever and ever, or choose not to accept Him, and be eternally lost in a devils Hell dying in torment forever.

Ok, after you have made this critical step in your decision concerning your convicitions, IF you choose to follow Jesus and be a happier person, then those around you will turn against you for making that step of faith, causing a seperation, whoever that may be, for some it will be as the bible says, mother against daughter, father against son, vica versa follow? In effect it divides the wheat from the chaff.

So you see, The SWORD that Jesus talks about is, THE SWORD OF CONVICTION and it is a very powerful conviction, and keep in mind it is what will determine your eternal destination.

One more thing, when God's conviction leaves you, then is when He has given up on you, at that point, there is no chance of redemption left, no atonement is left, only damnation, and that is why it is SO very important that you listen to what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell you, because God cares for you, and He wants what is best for you.

Jeremiah

Gavin,

We have great confidence in the book - and the only reason GOP corruption has been front and center is because a complaint MSM has seen to it that anything that even hints of GOP malfeasance is put on the front page, while rock-solid proof of Democratic corruption is relegated to page A-38.

Our book is massively sourced, and the title "Caucus of Corruption" is entirely apt - no "un-named sources" for us, you see?

And as for liberalism being incompatible with Christianity - like this:

If you take old-line liberalism with its resolute faith in absolutely free markets, then that is anethema to Christianity because we are our brother's keeper, and must make a decent provision for the poor, even if it costs us some economic growth.

On the other hand, if you are a modern liberal, then you cannot reconcile gay marriage, abortion, pornography, and the welfare State with Christianity.

Christianity isn't politically consevative - indeed, Christianity makes no real determination on what sort of government a people shall have, as long as the laws are just and the Church is free to exercise the Christian religion. But Christianity is definitively and without a doubt socially conservative.

Jeremiah,

I think that Decide has it correct - that, at any rate, is how I view the passage.

Remember, we are hated in this world because we adhere to Our Lord, just as He said we would. This life is all about what we choose - to turn towards God, or turn away from Him...and those who turn away will be cut out of the Body as if they were cloven by a sword.

Mark,

Yes, I agree. I was just adding that, there is a good deal of conviction that goes along with the meaning of that particular passage of Scripture.

I have'nt seen Decide around here much, I may have mistook him for a leftie, If so? I Sincerely and Humbly apologize. :)

Jeremiah

Mark,

In regards to your reponse to Gavin. You can make an analogous argument about conservatism. Old-fashioned Goldwater conservatism, which was libertarian, and socially permissive. Presumably Jesus would be against the stuff entailed in that: reproductive rights, women's rights, etc.

Modern conservatism, with its belief in the unfettered free market, cannot easily be reconciled with Jesus's teachings. Some have recently argued that Jesus wanted his followers to get rich, but His literal statements contradict that.

As I said earlier, Jesus today would be neither a Democrat nor a Republican because He was both an economic and a cultural populist.

Gar Wood

Gar,

I would put it more in terms of Jesus being the only begotten Son of God who came down to tell us what we need to do to live - and live in the most real sense possible.

It is easy to over-interpret any particular statement of Our Lord - some, for instance, would say that Jesus telling the rich man to sell all he has and give it to the poor was a command that none of us should be rich...but if the rich man is to sell all he has, then someone has to buy it, and that person would likely be rich. My view, and any real theologians out there are free to correct me as necessary, is that Jesus fully understood how much that particular rich man loved his goods and thus how very important it was that he free himself from that slavery. Jesus said it was difficult for the rich to get into heaven - but He didn't say it was impossible. A man could be as rich as Bill Gates, but as long as he understands what his wealth is for, and how fundamentally unimportant it is, I think he'd have no problem following the Lord.

You'll get no argument from me about the baleful affects of the entirely unfettered free market - no Christian, in my view, can be in favor of that because men are wicked, and thus a completely free market would end up being a device where the corrupt few take advantage of the many. On the other hand, because men are wicked we are also not equipped to tell a man just what he should do with his assets, so a free market is best - and for the same reason that democracy is best: the more spread around power is, the less likely it is that it will become the tool of evil men.

Also in my view, all Christians must keep in mind a proper perspective on things. The first thing to remember is that we're all going to die - and this translates in my mind into being less concerned with how to make a person wealthy and long-lived, but very much concerned that people have the best shot possible at redemption. If I could either cure cancer, or ban abortion, I'd ban abortion - and not so much becaue of the death involved (after all, by deciding not to cure cancer, a great number of people will die), but because the act of abortion is a very large step towards damnation for the person having it, the person performing it, and all of those who have talked themselves into thinking that an abortion is something other than an unrelieved evil.

I could go on and on in this - but I think I'll save it as it gives me a great idea for a religion thread for next weekend (stick around long enough and you'll see that most every weekend I put up something which steps away from the purely political).

It seems every year the War on Christmas starts a little earlier....

Mark,

Out of all the talking points you could be parroting from Fox News, you're bitching about a non issue like whether or not Wal*Mart chooses to say Merry Christmans or not? Dude, on a scale of 1-10, this story would be a two at best of issues that the American people don't give a rat's ass about. Get a grip.

Jeremiah,

After reading your mini-sermons/hate rants that you're either one of the following:

a. you're Christian lunatic who's swallowed too much of Pat Robertson's 700 Club crap or

b. you're a fraud using Jesus and Christianity to spew your hatred of evryone that doesn't share your twisted belief system.

Personally, it's both.

Either way dude, you need to see a shrink and get right with some of your problems.

BTW: I am a Christian, but I can't stand the frauds who have made a mokery of Jesus's teachings of love and tolerance.

Mark,

What the heck do you expect at a SHOPPING MALL? If you're looking for spiritual guidance, don't go to the alter of American consumerism.

2 Peter 2:2 says,

"Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute."

Sounds a lot like teenage libbie, raker13, winnowhead, and a host of other Liberal teenagers.

But have no fear, they are just babies who are being brought up in the way of the hypocrite!

They are a by-product of our generation that are being taught by the Liberal teachers and professors. Sad!

Jeremiah

Winnow,

Please read the whole thread and the comments before commenting.

TL,

Really, you need to grow up a bit if you are going to comment on adult blogs. You're post is pretty much entirely a non-sequiter.

Mark, you surely understand by now that any post which deals with affronts to Christianity, and/or decency and/or common sense, is going to be met with righteous indignation by the Usual Suspects. I have to admit they have outdone themselves on this one---the Canadian Observer claiming special knowledge of the nature of Christ was priceless!

Suffice it to say that mindless consumerism and misguided "tolerance" are running rampant, and that some of us are offended by it. Now, being offended is supposed to be pretty strong stuff. But clearly it is only a meaningful term if one is offended by the Politically Correct things, such as crosses or mention of God. Being offended by paganism, hedonism, or crudeness does not carry the same weight. Being offended by seeing a nativity scene is obviously far more traumatic than being offended by pornography or profanity.

In other words, the so-called liberals, the awesomely illiberal Liberals, have hijacked the very concept of being offended, and decided it can only apply to those things THEY hate---mostly those hated symbols of religion (crosses, nativity scenes, copies of the Ten Commandments) and patriotism (that nasty old American flag showing up everywhere). But being offended by anything THEY do is simply incomprensible. How could any sane person be offended by THEM?

Their self-absorption is complete: theirs is a truly and totally Left-centric world, and the very idea that anyone finds them objectionable is simply beyond belief. So they must rush to their keyboards to explain in detail how deeply wrong you must be to not like them, or to not want to BE like them.

Almiranta,

Too true, I'm afraid - while they file scores of lawsuits, they yet claim there is no war on Christmas, or Christianity; say you're offended by the increasingly pornographic nature of popular culture, and they claim you're trying to oppress them.

In my view, it is the guilty conscience at work - God, I think, doesn't let a person get away with being entirely given over to evil, there is always that pluck at the soul, insistent and, to our leftwing friends, probably rather annoying...but it is calling them to repentence, and to understand just how horribly they've behaved...of course, some of them are very resistent to the promptings of God, and they turn increasingly nasty as they get pressed more and more to change...it should always be kept in mind that the really, really nasty comments don't make it on to the blog due to offensive language.

Here's my two cents... Merry Christmas IS politically correct for the season because they're "our" holy days, period! Jews have Hannukah and Muslims have Ramadan. If a Jew says Happy Hannukah to me I reciprocate, why, it's his holiday and I'm grateful he's nice enough to include me in his thoughts. I don't "feel" as much as he does saying it, but if it makes another "Mensch" feel good, then I'm all for it. I wish all my Jewish and Muslim friends a merry Christmas and why not? Frankly, if any of them were to be offended, they probably wouldn't be my friends because I'd have dismissed them as narrow minded. Mutual respect is a given, I don't serve my Jewish kosher friends chicken in a milk sauce and i don't serve my Muslim friends pork ribs. But they need to respect my need for my holy days as I respect theirs. "Politically correct" is a bloody joke in my opinion. If any Muslim wants to be politically correct around me, then in the words of Scrooge, he'd better not want to pick my pocket by asking for Christmas day off with pay, and he'd better not want double time on any other Christian holiday either. He can have a week off during Ramadan and I'll wish him a happy one. I've nothing against him sitting around all day eating nothing and repenting and they shouldn't have anything against me going to the Christmas party for a little wine, women and song. It's time for the religions of the world to stop ramming their morals and values down other people's throats. (George Bush, take note!!!) I've nothing against Jews celebrating Hannukah and since it falls around the same time, put the minora up, doesn't bother me. All this nonsense abut what people can and can't do to be "politically correct" is just pathetic. Complainers on all sides, get over yourselves. Happy holidays is for losers. If the Chinese can celebrate their new year weeks after me, I'm all for that, let's party!

The fact that Muslims and some others just want to starve, repent and keep their wives out of sight during their holy days is not going to pour water on my party. I'll not dress my wife in a Burhka and if they don't want to celebrate Christmas, don't, and don't ask for time off! Putting Muslims and the other religions to work at Christmas, and Christians to work on Muslim holy days will ensure that America runs smoothly for the respective religions during their respective holy days. Finally, Christmas trees are Pagan bloody symbols for heaven's sake. if CHRISTIANS have nothing against throwing one up and adopting it for a couple of weeks, despite its hedonistic roots, before mulching it to feed the spring plants, well, may God, Allah, Buddah, Krishna and any other interested Deity bless 'em all!

Now, anyone for a quick dip in the Ganges before we get off to the Bar Mitzvah after having corns weaved for the Kwanzaa B.B.Q on the way to midnight mass? Oh and on a personal note, George Bush sent out "Happy Holiday" cards this year after ramming his catholic faith down all our throats for 6 years. How "compassionately conservative" of him... or, what a difference an election loss makes!

Happy Holidays. This season is not about christmas, we are celebrating all the holidays during this time. All us "God-hating lefties" are just trying to spread happiness and not make assumptions about ones relious beliefs. So you guys can just be happy in your little worlds, oh and I LOOOOOOOVE satan.

I just don't have anything to say right now. I haven't been up to anything recently, but it's not important. I've just been sitting around waiting for something to happen, but shrug.