What's wrong with "Merry Christmas"?

[Geoff Bannister]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)" <catlady at ...> 
wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
> <gbannister10@> wrote:
>  
> > above), there are also problem with Buddhist and Hindu governments 
> 
> IIRC, it's non-governmental Hindu nationalists who burn Christians
> alive in their cars (and burn Muslims alive in their homes); the
> government officials elected by the Hindu nationalists 'merely' refuse
> to prosecute the murderers.

Geoff:
Which, to me, makes them guilty by default.

Geoff (earlier):
> > Hence, I like to feel that we can "own" our festivals without folk 
> > who are outside Christianity apparently trying to dilute our belief

Catlady:
> It seems to me that there is a contradiction between religionists
> owning their religion's festival and sharing it with 96% of the
> population. People who don't believe in Christianity or don't care
> about Christiantity but none the less wish everyone 'Happy Christmas'
> and put up decorations of creches and candles and give presents and
> attend Christmas Eve midnight mass either enjoy it for non-religious
> reasons or resent being forced to participate in it. It seems to me
> that both enjoying it for non-religious reasons and resenting it
> dilute your religious holiday. I don't understand why a Supreme Court
> ruling that a creche is just as secular a seasonal decoration as a
> plastic snowman is considered to be keeping Christmas religious.

Geoff:
I think this harks back to the US versus UK divide I mentioned in message 
34657.

There is a large proportion of the UK population who nominally claim to 
be Christian and generally do nothing but who turn out in large numbers 
for Christmas Eve late night services and Christmas morning services which 
often do not include Communion - and I'm not speaking of Catholics going 
to midnight mass who may feel that it is essential for the good of their soul.