Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Row as Christmas lights renamed

BBC NEWS (article)


A decision to call Christmas lights "Winter Lights" in south London has been condemned as showing a "total lack of respect" for Christians.
Mr Gentry, a Conservative member of the joint Lib Dem-Tory controlled borough, told the BBC it went against efforts to promote respect for all faiths.
"The idea that, in some way, the religious festival of Christmas is offensive to others is just daft - I have never heard a single person who's said that."


Good to hear.

5 comments:

Aaron Brown said...

People are way too sensitive about this stuff. Last time I looked it's Christmas that the county has listed as a holiday on December 25th, so call it Christmas.

Do I care? No. Did they asked if it offended me, or just assumed it does?

I knew this world was getting a little too P.C. when it started calling snowmen, snowpersons.

newgen said...

they're not snowpersons. they're people of the thermally-challenged persuasion.

Blessum Yellowstone Trip said...

Ironically though, Christmas lights have only been adopted by the Christians and are really a pagan tradition. If you remember the joys of Latin class, you'll recall that the Pagans (in particular the Celts) used to burn trees and that the lights were taken as an assimilation of religious practices.

Ookami Snow said...

Christians have not really adopted Christmas lights. America has for xmas... which isn't really the same thing.

(Christmas lights are not an important part of the religious service, where as they are an integral part of the secular holiday.)

Blessum Yellowstone Trip said...

Actually that's not true, while it may not be important part of all Christian denominations it is certainly a part of some. Take Catholicism for one (the original Christian church). They make the candle lights on the tree somewhat a part of the mass and the tradition (varying by individual church). They also celebrate St. Lucia's day which involves lights on the wreath of St. Lucia's head. Perhaps many churches have dropped it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't adopted by Christians.