Reply #9: Oh cry me a bloody river. [View All]

What I don't understand--and I hope someone can explain this to me--is why bible-thumpers like Julie seem to think that being unable (either legally or socially) to cram their religious beliefs down everyone's throat is somehow discrimination. Why is it that a simple acknowledgement that, hey, other religions and cultures have their own beliefs and traditions about this time of year "downgrading Christmas?" I don't understand this masochistic need of theirs to cling to this completely fucking ridiculous victim complex. If the bible-thumpers are not the absolute center of the universe, they're being persecuted. :wtf:

You want to "feel weird"? Try planning a quiet period of reflection while your bible-thumping family keeps harping on that "Jesus is the reason for the season". Pagans, or anyone who isn't into the Christmas thing, are made to feel like we're complete freaks at this time of year. It has gotten better for Jews, with more awareness about Chanukah, but that's been hard fought and it still isn't completely accepted--my mom, an otherwise reasonable Christian, loses her damn mind around this time of year like clockwork and goes off whenever she sees a menorah ("they just made that up because they were jealous of Christmas and now they want to force it on everyone" --not seeing the almost comical irony of a Christian making a statement like this to a Pagan).

Look, if they feel their holiday is too commercialized that's one thing, and if they want to fight against that then good on them (I know lots of Pagans who are pretty disgusted by the bastardization of Samhain, one of the most sacred days of the year). But to demand that they be able to cram their traditions down everyone's throat is just fucking weak. I think it's wrong for explicitly Christian symbols to be singled out for disposal in things like public holiday displays, but at the same time they need to be aware that not everyone has those beliefs and that this time of year holds many different meanings for different cultures. Either diversity should be acknowledged or no one gets to display anything, IMO.