Christmas?

[Barry]

Barry,



I mentioned this on the old forum...ETC

 :hattip

Excellent post, John.

[Baron von Lotsov]

Actually, I don't think that Christians should be allowed to celebrate Christmas. Not publicly at least.I used to like turning on the box and hearing a few carols but every time I did there was some dreary sod droning on about how we must remember the poor etc etc. And I would think fook off. I am poor and this is my annual blow out. It is amazing that Christmas has managed to survive Christianity

This is why you need more educated people to run churches. Churches of late are more like the nanny state. It's selective reading of the bible. I'm reliably informed that in Romans there is a bit that explains to the reader how drinking and being merry is a godly thing to do. That's what a good Christian is advised to do, e.g. throw a party, invite your mates around, or whatever. Of course we've always lived by this code, but I think it is one of those things that might have come from the bible millennia ago, then it became tradition and now the holier than thou wish to outlaw all fun.

[Borchester]

It was really for your own good. Just to remind you that as a poor man you were blessed.  

Matthew 19:24

'Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'

Fine. He can bless me the rest of the year. Right now I am getting quietly bottled and don't need some miserable git spoiling it for me.

[T00ts]

Actually, I don't think that Christians should be allowed to celebrate Christmas. Not publicly at least.I used to like turning on the box and hearing a few carols but every time I did there was some dreary sod droning on about how we must remember the poor etc etc. And I would think fook off. I am poor and this is my annual blow out. It is amazing that Christmas has managed to survive Christianity

It was really for your own good. Just to remind you that as a poor man you were blessed.  

Matthew 19:24

'Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'

[Borchester]

I was just wondering. Do those people who don't believe in God or that Jesus Christ is the Son of God still celebrate Christmas? I believe that they probably do but I wondered why.

Actually, I don't think that Christians should be allowed to celebrate Christmas. Not publicly at least.I used to like turning on the box and hearing a few carols but every time I did there was some dreary sod droning on about how we must remember the poor etc etc. And I would think fook off. I am poor and this is my annual blow out. It is amazing that Christmas has managed to survive Christianity

[Baron von Lotsov]

It was boring. Being made to go to church and listen to what was clearly pure fantasy week after week for years.



Fortunately apart from the odd wedding and funeral I'm able to avoid it. Honestly Christian funeral is just a tacky sales pitch for God. I go to hear about the person who died but instead end up having to listen to the vicar bang on about how allegedly awesome God is.

I remember on the James Whale show many years ago he interviewed some enterprising chap who rewrote the bible in the style of The Sun Newspaper. I'm wondering how he described it. "tacky sales pitch" - perhaps. However the substitute for all of this is Hollywood murders. They are more exciting. Mind you they leave me feeling sick. The traditional Christmas was far more beautiful and our local vicar was a really kind and well-meaning chap.

[johnofgwent]

Just as an aside, yesterday, in Birmingham, the sun set at 15:54, one minute later than Tuesday at 15:53, so the lighter evenings are already here. It's an anomaly, the days are still getting shorter until 22nd December, but the morning sunrises are getting later whilst the evening sunsets also get later.

It's not until January 3rd that the mornings will start to get lighter, by which time sunset will be at 16:06 having already gained 13 minutes of evening daylight.

Barry,



I mentioned this on the old forum



It is caused by the earth reaching the end of its orbit and starting to swing back round. The orbit is not a perfect circle and we are right now doing the equivalent of a hard right (or is it left) hander round druids at brands hatch.



As you have noticed, the natural and common sense progression that has gone on since september 22nd with the sun rising a little later each morning and setting a little earlier each night takes a liquid lunch break which started a week or so ago, courtesy of this non-circular orbit reaching the end of its tether... as you have noted, the problem does sort itself out as we start to move along..



Geostationary satellites hate this twitch in the earths path round the sun and actually depart from their orbit as the forces on them become unequal. If you are in Tonga and wish to place a ship to shore call to wish someone a merry christmas, forget it, the spot beams pointing down will lose focus as the bird is pulled off its normal position and needs to use fuel to regain station. But if you are stranded down an ice crevasse in north greenland, good news, you can send an SOS as the birds will for the next week cover two degrees of latitude more than they normally do, at a cost of signal to noise ratio across all latitudes.

[Ciaphas]

Why was it enough?

It was boring. Being made to go to church and listen to what was clearly pure fantasy week after week for years.



Fortunately apart from the odd wedding and funeral I'm able to avoid it. Honestly Christian funeral is just a tacky sales pitch for God. I go to hear about the person who died but instead end up having to listen to the vicar bang on about how allegedly awesome God is.

[Baron von Lotsov]

I don't really care about the Christan stuff, had enough of that as a kid.

Why was it enough?

[Ciaphas]

I was just wondering. Do those people who don't believe in God or that Jesus Christ is the Son of God still celebrate Christmas? I believe that they probably do but I wondered why.

Presents, food, booze, time off work, fun for the kids, and one of the few times my extended family gets together due to geographic distance.



I don't really care about the Christan stuff, had enough of that as a kid.

[Barry]

You sound like a remainer calculating the exact number of leave voters in Ashton under lyne who are aged between 21 and 39

Thank you.

I got the information from the "Time and Date" website, which is also BeelzeBub's "bible".  



Only 6 days to Christmas.

I saw this recently: Day 352 of the year 2019 and still not used my gym membership.

[DeppityDawg]

Just as an aside, yesterday, in Birmingham, the sun set at 15:54, one minute later than Tuesday at 15:53, so the lighter evenings are already here. It's an anomaly, the days are still getting shorter until 22nd December, but the morning sunrises are getting later whilst the evening sunsets also get later.

It's not until January 3rd that the mornings will start to get lighter, by which time sunset will be at 16:06 having already gained 13 minutes of evening daylight.

You sound like a remainer calculating the exact number of leave voters in Ashton under lyne who are aged between 21 and 39

[T00ts]

Just as an aside, yesterday, in Birmingham, the sun set at 15:54, one minute later than Tuesday at 15:53, so the lighter evenings are already here. It's an anomaly, the days are still getting shorter until 22nd December, but the morning sunrises are getting later whilst the evening sunsets also get later.

It's not until January 3rd that the mornings will start to get lighter, by which time sunset will be at 16:06 having already gained 13 minutes of evening daylight.

Oh yes! Bring it on! This Winter has already been too long and too dark for me.

[Barry]

Just as an aside, yesterday, in Birmingham, the sun set at 15:54, one minute later than Tuesday at 15:53, so the lighter evenings are already here. It's an anomaly, the days are still getting shorter until 22nd December, but the morning sunrises are getting later whilst the evening sunsets also get later.

It's not until January 3rd that the mornings will start to get lighter, by which time sunset will be at 16:06 having already gained 13 minutes of evening daylight.

[T00ts]

The shortest day, the death of the old sun and transit through the heart of darkness when all life is withdrawn from the earth itself.



What a special time, to remember to reflect and to consider. The day that the sun started to come back has always been special on these Islands and its not hard to see why. The Mid Winter Solstace is so far more profound than the Midsummer.



If you strip away the Middle Eastern Imports and the mindless consumerism and just think about it as in these terms, you really do get the most powerful link to the soul of your every ancestor that has ever wandered these parts.



For me, this is special.

How beautifully put.  :hattip