Turkey Day Aftermath

tistheseasontobejolly
With Turkey Day next week, the Christmas season is in full swing. And so is the whining about the "War on Christmas".
Growing up, Christmas was great. The gift giving, the parties, the good cheer was great. There was a strong Christian element to it, but it was easy to ignore in the merriment. Sad to say, those days are over.
Some are not happy that Christmas is partially about the "Birth of Jesus". There is a reason for the quotes, but we will get there in a minute. No, the noise machines want it to be ALL about Jesus, which has never been the case.
True, the lawsuit happy secular crowd has a part in this. Municipal displays of Jesus Whoopee are easy to ignore, but some want them eliminated. And now the Jesus Only crowd is fighting back, and those who just want to enjoy the holidays are caught in the crossfire.
But is it really the Birthday of Jesus? There is one chance in 365 that it is. The scholars say that Jesus was most likely born in the spring. Now look at the time of our celebration...three days after the winter solstice. The solstice was a time of pagan celebrations in Rome, and the holiday was used as a festival for the "Birth of Jesus". The end of the year, a time when the year’s growth is at a low point, but ready to come back in the spring. One could even say that the spring celebration of Easter is about this renewal.
And, if we know the exact day Jesus was born on, why is Easter a different day every year?
Did Joseph think it was his kid?
Lets bring back Christmas like it used to be. If the Jesus Worshippers want to scream about their buddy, they can. If others want to shop and eat, they can. Let there be peace on earth and good will towards men.



maybethiswillshutsomeoneup
The news from Iran is that Makwan Moloudzadeh will not be executed.
This is good news on the surface. I still suspect there is more to this that we don't know. I certainly hope that Mr. Moloudzadeh is not abducted by an anonymous death squad, rather than a public execution.
Now, as to "don't you look foolish right about now." No, I don't. I have written extensively about this, and have shed what light I can on the subject. Of course, the person who made this statement doesn't read this blog.
I would prefer to look foolish and have one less victim to homophobic capital punishment, if that is the choice. Foolishness in the blogosphere is in ample supply.