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____/ Gregory Shearman on Saturday 02 Jul 2011 09:59 : \____
> On 2011-07-01, Homer <usenet@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:
>>> ____/ Homer on Friday 01 Jul 2011 21:58 : \____
>>>> Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:
>>
>>> He is hostile toward people who /preach/
>>
>> You mean like he preaches atheism?
>
> Heh heh.
>
> I *hate* proselytizers... y'know, the *Ballmer* type!
>
> If you believe something then *live* it... show yourself as a perfect
> example of your philosophy!
>
>> It's symbolism representative of one's beliefs, a source of joy for
>> people the world over, and the focal point for teaching ethical values,
>> regardless of its historical validity. And dismissing it as fictitious
>> is presumptuous, unless you claim to have unequivocal proof to the
>> contrary. Even characters like Santa Claus (Sinterklaas) has origins in
>> historical fact (Saint Nicholas of Myra), and more importantly this
>> "fiction" teaches children the value of giving ... something I'd have
>> thought you'd find praiseworthy. There's nothing even remotely insidious
>> about any of it.
>
> I agree that the gift-giving message is good, but the deception of
> children to believe someone *else* delivers gifts to them is a little
> wrong. It leaves children susceptible to other *deceptions* such as the
> big man in the sky watching over you....
>
> Don't get me wrong, I participated in the deception with my own two
> children and they grew up fine (and are atheists). I think it's far
> better for children to "fit in", than to insist on the brutal truth.
>
>> Would you snatch a toy away from a child on Christmas day, lecture him
>> about Santa being nothing but creationist propaganda, accuse his parents
>> of being liars, then call social services and the police to have them
>> arrested and the child placed in care?
>>
>> Sounds rather Stalinist to me.
>
> Sounds insane. Leave people to their reasonably harmless deceptions.
> There are far worse things in life. Concentrate on eliminating *them*.
>
>> I'm not a Christian, but I celebrate Christmas nonetheless, because I
>> revere principles that extend beyond mere religion. I certainly don't
>> feel the urge to attack Christians ... at Christmas or any other time of
>> year.
>
> I'm not fond of Easter. All the fertility symbolism is so obviously from
> an earlier pagan celebration of Spring renewal in the Northerntha
> Hemisphere. I usually work right through it.
>
> Actually I believe that Christmas is also another pagan festival that
> has been hijacked by the Christians. The 25th December is suspiciously
> just past the northern hemisphere winter solstice. Surely the return of
> the sun would be cause for celebration in a less scientific time.
Many religious are derived from admiration for the Sun, which brings us energy
that turns into food (which we digest for energy).The sun is, in a sense, our true god.
It's a festival of astronomy really.
- --
~~ Best of wishes
Dr. Roy S. Schestowitz (Ph.D. Medical Biophysics), Imaging Researcher
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU/Linux administration | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Editor @ http://techrights.org & Broadcaster @ http://bytesmedia.co.uk/
GPL-licensed 3-D Othello @ http://othellomaster.com
Non-profit search engine proposal @ http://iuron.com
Contact E-mail address (direct): s at schestowitz dot com
Contact Internet phone (SIP): schestowitz@xxxxxxxxx (24/7)
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