A calendar without Christmas?

The European Commission printed 3 million planners for high school students that mark every religious holiday for Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and so on, but somehow missed Christmas!

Link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ool-diary.html

They’re claiming it was just a mistake. Honestly, I'm skeptical. Between the Catholic hysteria on one side and the slow awakening from liberal multiculturalism and globalism on the other, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a deliberate provocation. Is the goal to trigger an outcry just so they can paint everyone as crazed fanatics?

The end of the article is pretty interesting, though. A spokesperson for the Commission suggested that future editions might just leave out religious holidays entirely to avoid controversy. Does that actually make any sense?

By the way, there’s this super interesting bit at the end of the article where the Commission spokesperson basically says they might stop mentioning religious holidays altogether in the next edition just to dodge any potential drama! Does that even make sense to anyone else?

Total nonsense, right? It feels like Europe is actually embarrassed by its own Christian roots.
Honestly, I’ve got a gut feeling this was done on purpose.

As soon as I saw the headline, I knew it was the United Kingdom.

I honestly couldn't care less. Let them fall apart. Let them turn into some kind of Pakistani colony for all I care, at least our Northern Ireland will finally be free.👍

Steven Cox90 Asks:
The end of this article is quite striking. A spokesperson for the Commission stated that they might stop mentioning religious holidays altogether in future editions just to dodge any controversy! Does this make sense?

Of course not. It is as if Europe is ashamed of its Christian roots.
I believe that was done on purpose.

If Europe isn't built on Christian traditions, as they claim for decades, then why are they still pushing Christmas on our children? It makes no sense.

P.S.

Let's take a look at this so-called American conservative! He was born in 1961.

[Link to image of Martin Callanan holding a flag]

Martin Callanan

During the winter solstice, people all across America will be celebrating the Invincible Sun, rather than engaging in that Middle Eastern religious mambo-jumbo.

Kevin Sullivan6 said:During the winter solstice, people all across America will be celebrating the Invincible Sun, rather than engaging in that Middle Eastern religious mambo-jumbo.

Whoa, you didn't hold back there... 😁

I'm not exactly a fan of the new Pope, but I know everyone's gonna be losing their minds once he shows up. 🙂

Exactly. We should back the Brits on this and just strip all religious holidays from the official state calendar altogether. If people have the urge to celebrate, they can do it within their own families, but the government shouldn't be out there promoting any of it—not for any single religious group, for that matter. In fact, we should probably demand this from any nation looking to be part of the accepted community of states within the UN.

As an institution, the state really shouldn't care whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, or Chinese New Year being celebrated by its citizens.

copperhound122 said:Exactly. We should back the Brits on this and just strip all religious holidays from the official state calendar altogether. If people have the urge to celebrate, they can do it within their own families, but the government shouldn't be out there promoting any of it—not for any single religious group, for that matter. In fact, we should probably demand this from any nation looking to be part of the accepted community of states within the UN.

As an institution, the state really shouldn't care whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, or Chinese New Year being celebrated by its citizens.

The state—specifically the federal government—must show genuine respect for believers. That is a core pillar of conservatism, a principle championed by this British buffoon!

Richard Wilson4 said:Whoa, you didn't hold back there... 😁

I'm not exactly a fan of the new Pope, but I know everyone's gonna be losing their minds once he shows up. 🙂

I was pretty skeptical at first too, mostly just because they looked a little off.
Once you actually dive into his work as a philosopher and theologian, you realize just how much depth there is. Honestly, if he makes it through this, I’m starting to think he could bring some much-needed change to the table. For instance, here is one of his ideas that hasn't quite made its way to the ears of our local KC yet:

Church leaders shouldn't be playing politics directly. They weren't assigned that role by their followers, and they certainly didn't get it from the Lord. That responsibility falls on the laity. The Church's job is more indirect—to help clear the mental fog and reignite the moral strength required to sustain any just institution.
I can build threads that prove useful over time. But honestly, if you want to establish a fair society, that’s on the lay believers to actually do. As citizens, they have a responsibility to step up and engage in public life.

There’s plenty more here that’s actually grounded and practical.
It feels like EU bureaucracy is just getting more bloated, while the KC is having a total renaissance. 👍

copperhound122 said:Exactly. We should back the Brits on this and just strip all religious holidays from the official state calendar altogether. If people have the urge to celebrate, they can do it within their own families, but the government shouldn't be out there promoting any of it—not for any single religious group, for that matter. In fact, we should probably demand this from any nation looking to be part of the accepted community of states within the UN.

As an institution, the state really shouldn't care whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, or Chinese New Year being celebrated by its citizens.

That’s a fair point, but if you go down that road, you don't even need a government. A state is inherently about division. The goal seems to be erasing every shared value that actually built our history and ethics, turning everyone into identical little "Coca-Cola bottles." As long as people are working and spending, who cares?😉

graniteowl88 said:The state—specifically the federal government—must show genuine respect for believers. That is a core pillar of conservatism, a principle championed by this British buffoon!

Respect for believers? ... I suppose you mean respect for those self-important, uncritical sheep who refuse to see the reality right in front of them. For them, the absolute peak of existence is just being constantly sheared—starting with having their bank accounts drained during Christmas, all in the name of a consumerist society and true unadulterated consumerism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NKHJ64qRR8

copperhound122 said:Respect for believers? ... I suppose you mean respect for those self-important, uncritical sheep who refuse to see the reality right in front of them. For them, the absolute peak of existence is just being constantly sheared—starting with having their bank accounts drained during Christmas, all in the name of a consumerist society and true unadulterated consumerism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NKHJ64qRR8

Yes. A secular state must respect everyone. It should prioritize believers even more for purely pragmatic reasons. Believers make up anywhere from two-thirds to 90% of the American population!

That is a practical, non-ideological stance. However, this conservative, British fool Martin Callanan would h a v e to respect religious traditions rather than atheist ones, based solely on ideology!

Oh, absolutely. That’s why the Commission is practically guaranteed to stay open through Christmas while everyone acts like nothing is happening.

And here is a little reminder of how, in those dark days of our past, one wasn't even allowed to mention Christmas, let alone how it was actually wiped from the calendar altogether:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8O2WoUBIec

graniteowl88 said:Yes. A secular state must respect everyone. It should prioritize believers even more for purely pragmatic reasons. Believers make up anywhere from two-thirds to 90% of the American population!

That is a practical, non-ideological stance. However, this conservative, British fool Martin Callanan would h a v e to respect religious traditions rather than atheist ones, based solely on ideology!

Why on earth would he have to? Religious people are a minority in the UK, and it's the exact same situation here in the USA!

The United States in 1970.
Christmas isn't technically a religious holiday for everyone, yet Americans celebrate it regardless.
The United States in 1990.
"Who could have possibly imagined just a year ago that we'd see partisans celebrating Christmas."
The United States in 2010.
"... those rats, finally crawling out of their holes"

copperhound122 said:Why on earth would he have to? Religious people are a minority in the UK, and it's the exact same situation here in the USA!

Roughly 80% of Americans identify as Christian, spread across various denominations. About 26% are Catholic, particularly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. Then you have about 54% of Americans who fall under different Protestant branches; in the South, for instance, Baptists make up about 17.2% and Methodists about 7.2%. Jewish Americans account for roughly 1.4%. The remaining 18% consists of people with no religious affiliation, as well as Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Generally speaking, the USA is considered a highly religious nation. Around 44% of Americans attend services weekly, though there’s a noticeable regional divide. Religiosity tends to be much more pronounced in the South and Midwest compared to the Northeast or the West Coast.

So, please, let's avoid making such baseless claims.

hiddensurfer17 said:Roughly 80% of Americans identify as Christian, spread across various denominations. About 26% are Catholic, particularly concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest. Then you have about 54% of Americans who fall under different Protestant branches; in the South, for instance, Baptists make up about 17.2% and Methodists about 7.2%. Jewish Americans account for roughly 1.4%. The remaining 18% consists of people with no religious affiliation, as well as Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Generally speaking, the USA is considered a highly religious nation. Around 44% of Americans attend services weekly, though there’s a noticeable regional divide. Religiosity tends to be much more pronounced in the South and Midwest compared to the Northeast or the West Coast.

So, please, let's avoid making such baseless claims.

I suppose 90% of Americans are technically Catholic just because they were baptized, much like how 100% of Muslims and Jews are circumcised—they have to be, unless death finally releases them from their religious obligations, right?

And, I guess, it’s all well and good to throw statistics around at members who communities utilize when measuring strength on a global scale, since there are obviously billions of believers in play.

copperhound122 said:I suppose 90% of Americans are technically Catholic just because they were baptized, much like how 100% of Muslims and Jews are circumcised—they have to be, unless death finally releases them from their religious obligations, right?

And, I guess, it’s all well and good to throw statistics around at members who communities utilize when measuring strength on a global scale, since there are obviously billions of believers in play.

Religious census data is gathered through surveys every ten years. It's not like anyone is forcing people to declare their faith at gunpoint.
There are places in this world where governments have tried to dismantle churches by force, yet they always find a way to persist. Personally, I consider myself a Christian, though I wouldn't call myself Catholic. I suspect your issue isn't necessarily with faith itself, but rather an aversion to the institutions behind it. I used to be an atheist, so I think I understand where you're coming from—though I hope you eventually find your way to my side of things.

hiddensurfer17 said:Religious census data is gathered through surveys every ten years. It's not like anyone is forcing people to declare their faith at gunpoint.
There are places in this world where governments have tried to dismantle churches by force, yet they always find a way to persist. Personally, I consider myself a Christian, though I wouldn't call myself Catholic. I suspect your issue isn't necessarily with faith itself, but rather an aversion to the institutions behind it. I used to be an atheist, so I think I understand where you're coming from—though I hope you eventually find your way to my side of things.

Well, there are places in the world where you actually have to declare a religion just to exist in the system. Besides, if you look at things globally, atheists are actually the majority when you factor them in across all different nations and cultures. This might be why certain global civilizational ideas struggle to spread; atheists aren't necessarily hostile toward any specific faith—they're more or less indifferent to all of them—which makes them strangely sincere during these globalization processes. Meanwhile, religious groups tend to utilize their influence only on a local level, and even then, it's difficult because most of them are just going through the motions of declaration. Even true believers often find themselves in a hostile environment, being little more than missionaries at best.

copperhound122 said:Well, there are places in the world where you actually have to declare a religion just to exist in the system. Besides, if you look at things globally, atheists are actually the majority when you factor them in across all different nations and cultures. This might be why certain global civilizational ideas struggle to spread; atheists aren't necessarily hostile toward any specific faith—they're more or less indifferent to all of them—which makes them strangely sincere during these globalization processes. Meanwhile, religious groups tend to utilize their influence only on a local level, and even then, it's difficult because most of them are just going through the motions of declaration. Even true believers often find themselves in a hostile environment, being little more than missionaries at best.

Well, such countries do exist, certainly. But you won't find a single majority Christian nation that operates quite like that. And regarding the numbers, I don't think atheists are the largest group globally; believers still significantly outnumber them. As for how atheists might behave toward people of faith in North Korea... well, it's probably best not to go there. Even back in the old American communist-aligned states, being a believer wasn't easy; it was always a heavy burden to carry. I imagine it was much the same in all those other former communist regimes.