Christmas??

[Beardo]

With all due respect,

Eid and Islamic traditions should be discussed in ISLAMIC public schools. The key word here being "islamic".
Just as Catholic holidays and traditions should be discussed in Catholic public schools if there is such a thing.
As far as just a traditional public school, I don't think any religious holiday should be singled out and celebrated unless they are willing to acknowledge them all. I don't have a problem with children learning about what other religions celebrate but to be forced to celebrate it also or be left out, I don't agree with that. Just my opinion.

I was born and bred in America, and I attended the public schools throughout elementary school (Grades k-6). We had special activities for St Patricks day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Presidents day, Martin Luther King's day, Drug Free Week, Halloween, and the list is endless. However, the days of Eid, Ramadan, etc were not typically discussed. It was only discussed one year by the teacher when my fellow Muslim sister in my class brought gifts and goodies for the entire class in the joy and light of Eid. That's when the teacher explained it a little.

I think it's only fair that if we do something special for Halloween or St Patricks Day (forget about Christmas and Easter) that something special be done for Eid as well. But then again, there were only a hand countable amount of Muslims in the entire school...

 

[Supreme]

No but my wife and her family went the year before I met her, She said it was a life changing expeirence, She also said it was the most awesome place she had ever been.

I used to be Roman Catholic and we went to a E, Orthodox Christmas service once........14 HUORS, let me say that again.....14 HOURRRRRRRRSSSSS! My legs were killing me, no sitting down.

They said it was the same in Bethlahem.;D

We are planning a trip to Italy. Greece, Turkey...then Egypt, Syria, Isriael and a couple others. It will take approx 3 months, and we end up back in Italy to see some family....They want to meet my wife I haven't been.

Being in Bethlehem for Christmas would be an awesome experience!

Come on lets go brother

God bless.

Indeed it would be. I intend to go in the next 10 years. I'll stay in Palestine though, because most foreign pilgrims to the church stay in Israel overnight, meaning Palestine only gets 5% of the profit.

Eid and Islamic traditions should be discussed in ISLAMIC public schools. The key word here being "islamic".
Just as Catholic holidays and traditions should be discussed in Catholic public schools if there is such a thing.
As far as just a traditional public school, I don't think any religious holiday should be singled out and celebrated unless they are willing to acknowledge them all. I don't have a problem with children learning about what other religions celebrate but to be forced to celebrate it also or be left out, I don't agree with that. Just my opinion.

And there was me, thinking Muslims didn't believe in secularism!

But yeah, totally agree.

Anyway, yesterday was smashing. I got a few nice presents, (a lovely, lovely watch, lovely top, new game and DVD boxset), went to church, had a lovely turkey for dinner, spent the day with my family watching Dr Who and Eastenders and ate lots of chocolate. Heaven on Earth.

 

[Joe98]

I agree completely and I could not have said it better. Christmas has very little to do with religion nowadays in my humble opinion.

I agree with that.

Christmas is about being especially nice to people

Its about helping the needy even more than usual.

Its about meeting with frinds and family you have not seen for a while.

It has nothing to do with religion.

As a result we Athiests can participate in Christmas and enjoy it. We Athiests are tolerant.

Muslims are said to be tolerant but cannot participate in a nice time of the year, in an event that has nothng to do with religion!
-

 

[zakirs]

I agree with that.

Christmas is about being especially nice to people

Its about helping the needy even more than usual.

Its about meeting with frinds and family you have not seen for a while.

It has nothing to do with religion.

As a result we Athiests can participate in Christmas and enjoy it. We Athiests are tolerant.

Muslims are said to be tolerant but cannot participate in a nice time of the year, in an event that has nothng to do with religion!
-

We don't participate in Xmas or other celebrations because we would not see christmas the same way as you.We celebrate the festivals which have connection with god but not with any or prophets. We don't even celebrate Prophet muhammed(Pbuh)'s birthday.

Being nice to people is not for only a single day but being close to family and being kind day in and day out is what matters.

Any way we have eid ul fitr and eid ul zuha for giving out gifts to the poor and family. We do relax on holidays ( who doesn't ) but we donot support throwing away the money for just a baseless tradition.

( Note: baseless refers to red santa and tree and all the blingy things people introduced )

 

[Grace Seeker]

I agree with that.

Christmas is about being especially nice to people

Its about helping the needy even more than usual.

Its about meeting with frinds and family you have not seen for a while.

It has nothing to do with religion.

As a result we Athiests can participate in Christmas and enjoy it. We Athiests are tolerant.

Muslims are said to be tolerant but cannot participate in a nice time of the year, in an event that has nothng to do with religion!
-

No. Christmas isn't about being nice to people or meeting with family and friends any more than it is about decorated trees or presents under them. These things that people continue to list are just the human trappings that have become ancillary parts of the celebration. Some of them are no doubt valuable in their own right. And some of them are about nothing more than commerce -- note that we are now being encouraged by the stores to exchange gifts on Easter, Valentine's Day, and no doubt soon Ground Hog's Day as well.

Christmas isn't even a celebration of Jesus' birthday -- we don't know when it was (1/365 chance it was on December 25), some people argue for Spring and others for fall depending on what elements of the story they choose to focus on.

It is a celebration of the fact that God's Messiah (i.e. the Christ) has come and been born in the world as God's gift to humankind and that by him God has reconciled the world to himself. And so, the angels announced this as good news to the nearby shepherds, and Matthew records that in the course of time even pagan wisemen came to honor him. But the world into which he came, largely ignored him at the time and remained oblivious to this great work of God. It still is if they think it is about the date or the celebration, the gifts people exchange between one another, or even the elevation of human kindness. It is a story of God's love for a world lost in darkness and how that darkness is never greater than the love of God who comes to recuse us out of it and redeem us for his own purposes. Miss that and focus on something other than the incarnation of God with us, and you are celebrating something other than Christmas. Go ahead and object to or praise that other human-invented celebration all you want. But it isn't Christmas that you are either praising or objecting to if you've left Christ out of the picture.

 

[Italianguy]

No. Christmas isn't about being nice to people or meeting with family and friends any more than it is about decorated trees or presents under them. These things that people continue to list are just the human trappings that have become ancillary parts of the celebration. Some of them are no doubt valuable in their own right. And some of them are about nothing more than commerce -- note that we are now being encouraged by the stores to exchange gifts on Easter, Valentine's Day, and no doubt soon Ground Hog's Day as well.

Christmas isn't even a celebration of Jesus' birthday -- we don't know when it was (1/365 chance it was on December 25), some people argue for Spring and others for fall depending on what elements of the story they choose to focus on.

It is a celebration of the fact that God's Messiah (i.e. the Christ) has come and been born in the world as God's gift to humankind and that by him God has reconciled the world to himself. And so, the angels announced this as good news to the nearby shepherds, and Matthew records that in the course of time even pagan wisemen came to honor him. But the world into which he came, largely ignored him at the time and remained oblivious to this great work of God. It still is if they think it is about the date or the celebration, the gifts people exchange between one another, or even the elevation of human kindness. It is a story of God's love for a world lost in darkness and how that darkness is never greater than the love of God who comes to recuse us out of it and redeem us for his own purposes. Miss that and focus on something other than the incarnation of God with us, and you are celebrating something other than Christmas. Go ahead and object to or praise that other human-invented celebration all you want. But it isn't Christmas that you are either praising or objecting to if you've left Christ out of the picture.

Thank you! Very good answer.....Merry Christmas and God bless.

 

[Donia]

I was born and bred in America, and I attended the public schools throughout elementary school (Grades k-6). We had special activities for St Patricks day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Presidents day, Martin Luther King's day, Drug Free Week, Halloween, and the list is endless. However, the days of Eid, Ramadan, etc were not typically discussed. It was only discussed one year by the teacher when my fellow Muslim sister in my class brought gifts and goodies for the entire class in the joy and light of Eid. That's when the teacher explained it a little.

I think it's only fair that if we do something special for Halloween or St Patricks Day (forget about Christmas and Easter) that something special be done for Eid as well. But then again, there were only a hand countable amount of Muslims in the entire school...

I agree with you.
I had similar experiences growing up. I even remember learning about Hanukah a little but Eid was never even mentioned. At least at the schools I attended.

 

[Donia]

I agree with that.

Christmas is about being especially nice to people

Its about helping the needy even more than usual.

Its about meeting with frinds and family you have not seen for a while.

It has nothing to do with religion.

As a result we Athiests can participate in Christmas and enjoy it. We Athiests are tolerant.

Muslims are said to be tolerant but cannot participate in a nice time of the year, in an event that has nothng to do with religion!
-

By my statement, I meant that Christmas is allegedly a Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Astaghfurillah.
BUT that is not what the focus is on anymore. As you said, there are people who aren't even Christians that celebrate Christmas now because they think it stands for something else completely.
The religious aspect is not the major part of the holiday anymore. It is more about gifts and such.

 

[جوري]

year, in an event that has nothng to do with religion!
-

Tolerance doesn't mean acceptance or espousal of pagan ideas.. and you are right, we want nothing to do with this pagan practice.. It is 3ashoora tomorrow! for the life of me I can't understand why we are still discussing a pagan holiday that occurred soon to be two days ago, when we have an existing celebration of which undoubtedly you know nothing of and will not partake in! hypocrisy?

if you don't like Muslims or the way they conduct their affairs, you are always free to join an atheist or a christian forum!

all the best

 

[Joe98]

Tolerance doesn't mean acceptance or espousal of pagan ideas.. ...

all the best

Those ideas in particulair being:

Peace on earth and goodwill to all men

Help the poor even more so than in the rest of the year.

Meet up with friends and relatives and friends not seen for a while.

Pagan! Pagan! Pagan!

all the best

-

 

[جوري]

Those ideas in particulair being:

Peace on earth and goodwill to all men

Ideas should be put into practice.. in other words good will toward man not just to get you to make a purchase at walmart but to stop dropping bombs on folks overseas.

Help the poor even more so than in the rest of the year.

That would be lovely indeed, except charity isn't mandatory in christianity so I don't see how feeding folks for one night and then tossing them out on the street is of help?

Meet up with friends and relatives and friends not seen for a while.

Yes selat ar'rahim would be nice again all year not just when you are expecting a cheap china made gift in return!

Pagan! Pagan! Pagan!

Unfortunate isn't it? you can run that phony crap by someone who would like to buy into it-- I can't be made to feel guilty over lip service!

all the best

Indeed!

 

[Woodrow]

I do believe this has outlived any purpose.

:threadclo: