Capitol Hill Blue Forums Hot Topics & Breaking News The RoundTable Round Table for Christmas Day, 2009

Ag...

IMO, since several different types of religious observances have managed to pack themselves into the end of the year, why not consolidate them all and not call any of them anything? The original one (as far as I know...though my research has been meager) is the celebration of the winter solstice. The shortest day brings the year to an end. So why not celebrate that and the prospect of rebirth? Simple and peaceful. Just a thought.

I do believe in God, BTW. But not in some judgmental guy flying around the sky singling out people to punish. That makes no sense. My thought is...God is part of everyone. God is the part of us that is infinite, indestructible, mysterious and too rarely recognized. The God in us is exquisitely sensitive to all forms of life...and would hurt none of them.

I'm not pimping religion and I hope that everyone will know that.

I like the Hindu/Buddhist, "Namaste". It means I see God in you or there abouts. It is the recognition of "God" in all beings.

I realize that saying "Namaste" would greatly offend some people. I also like the greeting I recently saw in the movie "Avatar". The greeting was - "I see you" and according to the movie it mean,t "I see all that is God in you".

As to the definition of "God", hahahahaha, go to any place of religion and privately ask for an individual definition and you will receive just as many definitions of "God". That's grand, I think. It's a beautiful thing that "God" could be a different thing for each person on earth. Wonderful, and I hope that one day we no longer feel compelled to kill people whose definitions are different than our own.

Just as several people have the same birthdays, certain holidays/days of celebration may fall together. As I am a person of faith, I prefer the separate holidays instead of some generic nothingness. When it is Christmas, I'll say "Merry Christmas", when it is Winter Solstice, I'll say "Happy Winter Solstice". That goes for Chanukkah, Passover Ramadan, and whatever other holidays that come along. Other holidays not in my particular faith do not offend me. But denigration of any faith or non-faith does.

I like that very much, Mick!

Amen, Mick. Good words!

Lovely, Phil.
I especially love the "cheesy" Buffet song. There really is something cheesy about most of us down here .
Christmas celebration with my girls et al the last two days proved it.
I wish you could have seen us dancing to the Just Dance WII game. Oh gawd!

RIP James Brown.
I agree with you there too, Mick.

In the meantime, a local musician, Vic Chesnutt is in a coma since yesterday. There were strong rumors nationwide that he had passed but isn't confirmed and in fac the AJC pulled that report so we're hoping he pulls through.
What a loss that would be.

Thanks Olyve. The discovery I like most is the Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira

You all have gotten me thinking in many different directions. None of them bad.

My biggest problem with holiday celebrations is that they often get away from what they're about. The trappings bother me. If the observance and celebration are about peace, shared joy and good will toward all living creatures, I'm all for it, regardless of what the religion calls itself. Unfortunately, more than any other holiday, much of Christmas has gotten obscured by commercialism.

I was raised Lutheran, but gave secular religion up decades ago. However, to a certain extent, I'm guilty of getting caught up in the trappings of Christmas...and I guess that's a problem for me....because I still do believe in the value of the basic Christian teachings.

I'm off now for a few hours with the grandkiddies.

Me too Naomi, but I've found the basic Buddhist teachings to be even more enlightening. It's been many years since I attached any religion to Christmas, but it's also been many years since I was a practicing Christian. This celebration is older than Christ, older than Buddha, almost as old as man himself. The ancient Germanic Pagans called it Yuletide, the Druids: Alban Arthan, the Kurds: Şeva Zistanê. Old Man Winter became Kris Kringle became Saint Nicholas, together we celebrate the Rebirth of the Sun!

About to go to a family Christmas gathering, so a Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noel, Feliz Natale, Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun, Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad, Froehliche Weihnachten, Baradin ki shubh kamnaaye, Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto, Maligayan Pasko, Chuc Mung Giang Sinh TO ALL!

The nicest present to me this year was a photo from my former BF now BFF that I put up on the RR photo page. Did I really ever look that good? Wish I thought so then.

Have a great day. A beautiful 65 here today.

Hottie!!!
That's all I've got to say about it, Phil.
Awesome photo.

I tried listening to the Brazilian music too and got some of it but for some reason I'm having a little trouble with some clickies these days.

It's been a really long time since I connected any religion to Christmas either other than to just enjoy the joy and fun of family. We are totally goofy when we get together.
And we've got a new soon to be member of the family coming in. We put him through his initiation period.
He's marrying my youngest daughter, Nickie (Tiger Year).

Have fun everybody. We're back from our big 2 day adventure at my daughter's house so it's a quiet recovery night for us.
I think I hear Jurassic Park on tv downstairs. That was always a favorite of ours.