Post by Fayde on Dec 25, 2010 4:09:43 GMT -8
Not "happy holiday" nor any of the other politically correct garbage out there.
Is there a tree decorated in the mall? Is there Christmas lights on homes everywhere you go? Are there last minute shoppers trying to get good deals on junk they don't need? THEN ITS CHRISTMAS! Not "holiday".
You don't see anyone on Saint Patties day saying "Happy holiday!". No, you don't see anyone stepping on eggshells around the 4th of July because it may not be another's independence day, nor do you see any problems when you see a 7 year old kid walking around as Freddie Cruger. But Christmas? Oh no, you better be REAL politically correct.
As I write this, I have been told "merry Christmas" by 3 people ALL YEAR (aside from people I know, we're talking in-store employees). When I say "Merry Christmas", they just say "yeah, you too... jerk"
So, in a desperate rescue attempt, we're going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas for a moment.
Now, I am not stupid enough to believe that the birth of Jesus is the ONLY reason people celebrate the holiday. There is a lot of rich history latched on, and really backing it. However, there is evidence (just as much as the opposing argument) that Christmas as we know it IS a Christian holiday, made to commemorate the birth/life of Jesus.
Santa as we know him is a way for "other" people to celebrate this holiday without needed to be "Christian" or pay tribute to it's Christian roots. While there are somewhat solid historical evidence that someone LIKE Santa really existed, there is no direct evidence pointing in that direction.
Historically (read "The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel for more reference), even outside of the Bible, Jesus really walked the earth. Interestingly enough, many historians of the time Not "happy holiday" nor any of the other politically correct garbage out there.
Is there a tree decorated in the mall? Is there Christmas lights on homes everywhere you go? Are there last minute shoppers trying to get good deals on junk they don't need? THEN ITS CHRISTMAS! Not "holiday".
You don't see anyone on Saint Patties day saying "Happy holiday!". No, you don't see anyone stepping on eggshells around the 4th of July because it may not be another's independence day, nor do you see any problems when you see a 7 year old kid walking around as Freddie Cruger. But Christmas? Oh no, you better be REAL politically correct around that time.
As I write this, I have been told "merry Christmas" by 3 people ALL YEAR (aside from people I know, we're talking in-store employees). When I say "Merry Christmas", they just say "yeah, you too... jerk"
So, in a desperate rescue attempt, we're going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas for a moment.
Now, I am not stupid enough to believe that the birth of Jesus is the ONLY reason people celebrate the holiday. There is a lot of rich history latched on, and really backing it. However, there is evidence (just as much as the opposing argument) that Christmas as we know it IS a Christian holiday, made to commemorate the birth/life of Jesus.
Santa as we know him is a way for "other" people to celebrate this holiday without needed to be "Christian" or pay tribute to it's Christian roots. While there are somewhat solid historical evidence that someone LIKE Santa really existed, there is no direct evidence pointing in that direction.
Historically (read "The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel for more reference), even outside of the Bible, Jesus really walked the earth. Interestingly enough, many historians (Herodotus, notably), who are cited by just about everyone for truths and knowledge. Herodotus wrote from 488 B.C. to 428 B.C. and the earliest copy of his work comes from 900 A.D. (1,300 years later). There are only eight known copies of his work.
By contrast, the New Testament of the Bible (with all its information about Jesus) was written between 40 A.D. and 100 A.D. The earliest known copy is from 130 A.D. and there are 5,000 known copies in Greek, 10,000 in Latin and 9,300 in other languages.
Yet somehow, the Bible is inaccurate? Not historically sound? Yet in every instance of Biblical history (when not talking about the divine), historians are not only able to cross reference with other historians of the time, but USE the Bible as the main reference point for that era of time.. Point to me ONE other 'religious' book that can do that. Then, at the same time, point me to the same book that has thousands upon thousands of outside-source references to those divine events that correspond to this 'religious' book. Many point to the books of Acts and Romans as some of the most historically rich writings of the time, out of everything at the time.
Name me one religion in the world who not only has historical accuracy, but a sudden spread of followers ready to be killed for what they believed, to suffer in public the harshest cruelties the human body can fathom, and to face Rome's oppression and rule and come out to be the largest world-wide belief in the world. You cannot. I'm not talking about crazed people who go out and try to blow something up to prove a point, nor am I talking about people who run out in front of cars. I am talking people who stood trial for their beliefs, for what they saw, and to publicly be killed for that belief. And all they had to do was say "I do not believe".
Jesus' healings, miracle, teachings and life have not only been written in the Bible, but also in many MANY writings outside of the Bible as well. In his book The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel goes on a well documented journey to debunk the Bible and Jesus. He sets out to prove that the Bible and Jesus is a fake, and expose Jesus for what he was. And exposed Him he did, only not in the way he had planned. Strobel talked to top-notch historians, scholars and theologians about the historical accuracy behind the Bible, and the support outside of the Bible for Jesus. He then went on to write a 250+ page book briefly depicting his findings.
Outside of the Bible, there is more mentioned about Jesus, than any other historical figure. This includes before, around and after that time.
There is more evidence that Jesus was who He said He was, than any other historical figure (Alexander the Great, for instance).
The Jews never once denied that Jesus could do what the Bible depicts him doing (miracles namely), outside or inside the Bible. They could have easily stated that Jesus was a fake, and that he couldn't perform these things, but they didn't.
Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection split time in half (BC and AD), what other historical figure could cause such a thing to happen? Granted, people did the actual splitting, but for what? What could have been so important that time it's self needed to be cut into different sections?
You could say that the text of the Bible is not the same now as it was, however, there are many findings (notably the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the book of Isaiah) that show extremely early (old, close to original) texts that are VERY accurate to what we have today. The Bible (KJV/NKJV) is extremely accurate to the texts people have found that date close to the original writings of the New Testament. There is a much smaller gap between the oldest known texts and the original date of the writings than most historical documents that we trust world wide, without argument.
Ok, on to some interesting things that most people don't know about what the Bible says about the events around Jesus' birth.
First, there was not "3 wise men". The wise men were Magi, a group of 'star watchers'. They DID NOT travel from the far east, all the way to Bethlehem in a small group of 3 people. Not only is there no mention of the numeral amount of Magi in the Bible, but groups of people often had a caravan, or traveled in large groups when traveling some 500+ miles. Most likely, the depiction of "3 wise men" came from the 3 different gifts they brought Jesus when he was born.
Also, the Magi did not meet Jesus in a manger. Jesus was BORN in a manger, but the greek word the Bible uses to describe Jesus when the Megi arrive is that of a toddler, not a new-born infant. Also, Herod declared that infants of two years old and younger to be killed, so it is to be assumed that Jesus was around that age when the Magi came to Herod.
Additionally, there (if memory serves now, I am tired) is no mention of a physical star shinning over the manger like some spot light. It was something only the Magi could notice, as a way to guide them to the way. If there was a physical spotlight, I personally would have thought Herod would have most likely have noticed as well.
Lastly, historical Biblical and non) evidence suggests that Jesus was not actually born anywhere near December. From the Bibles description, there were shepherds and flock in the fields on the night that Jesus was born. This indicates that it was most likely warm during the time Jesus was actually born.
Anyway, it is 4am in the morning, and I am tired. I hope you've actually read all of this, but I doubt it, as I probably lost you with Merry CHRISTmas. ^^;; However, I thought I would ramble a bit since I am awake, and to serve you with some knowledge that is mostly discarded or intentionally overlooked.
Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!
Is there a tree decorated in the mall? Is there Christmas lights on homes everywhere you go? Are there last minute shoppers trying to get good deals on junk they don't need? THEN ITS CHRISTMAS! Not "holiday".
You don't see anyone on Saint Patties day saying "Happy holiday!". No, you don't see anyone stepping on eggshells around the 4th of July because it may not be another's independence day, nor do you see any problems when you see a 7 year old kid walking around as Freddie Cruger. But Christmas? Oh no, you better be REAL politically correct.
As I write this, I have been told "merry Christmas" by 3 people ALL YEAR (aside from people I know, we're talking in-store employees). When I say "Merry Christmas", they just say "yeah, you too... jerk"
So, in a desperate rescue attempt, we're going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas for a moment.
Now, I am not stupid enough to believe that the birth of Jesus is the ONLY reason people celebrate the holiday. There is a lot of rich history latched on, and really backing it. However, there is evidence (just as much as the opposing argument) that Christmas as we know it IS a Christian holiday, made to commemorate the birth/life of Jesus.
Santa as we know him is a way for "other" people to celebrate this holiday without needed to be "Christian" or pay tribute to it's Christian roots. While there are somewhat solid historical evidence that someone LIKE Santa really existed, there is no direct evidence pointing in that direction.
Historically (read "The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel for more reference), even outside of the Bible, Jesus really walked the earth. Interestingly enough, many historians of the time Not "happy holiday" nor any of the other politically correct garbage out there.
Is there a tree decorated in the mall? Is there Christmas lights on homes everywhere you go? Are there last minute shoppers trying to get good deals on junk they don't need? THEN ITS CHRISTMAS! Not "holiday".
You don't see anyone on Saint Patties day saying "Happy holiday!". No, you don't see anyone stepping on eggshells around the 4th of July because it may not be another's independence day, nor do you see any problems when you see a 7 year old kid walking around as Freddie Cruger. But Christmas? Oh no, you better be REAL politically correct around that time.
As I write this, I have been told "merry Christmas" by 3 people ALL YEAR (aside from people I know, we're talking in-store employees). When I say "Merry Christmas", they just say "yeah, you too... jerk"
So, in a desperate rescue attempt, we're going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas for a moment.
Now, I am not stupid enough to believe that the birth of Jesus is the ONLY reason people celebrate the holiday. There is a lot of rich history latched on, and really backing it. However, there is evidence (just as much as the opposing argument) that Christmas as we know it IS a Christian holiday, made to commemorate the birth/life of Jesus.
Santa as we know him is a way for "other" people to celebrate this holiday without needed to be "Christian" or pay tribute to it's Christian roots. While there are somewhat solid historical evidence that someone LIKE Santa really existed, there is no direct evidence pointing in that direction.
Historically (read "The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel for more reference), even outside of the Bible, Jesus really walked the earth. Interestingly enough, many historians (Herodotus, notably), who are cited by just about everyone for truths and knowledge. Herodotus wrote from 488 B.C. to 428 B.C. and the earliest copy of his work comes from 900 A.D. (1,300 years later). There are only eight known copies of his work.
By contrast, the New Testament of the Bible (with all its information about Jesus) was written between 40 A.D. and 100 A.D. The earliest known copy is from 130 A.D. and there are 5,000 known copies in Greek, 10,000 in Latin and 9,300 in other languages.
Yet somehow, the Bible is inaccurate? Not historically sound? Yet in every instance of Biblical history (when not talking about the divine), historians are not only able to cross reference with other historians of the time, but USE the Bible as the main reference point for that era of time.. Point to me ONE other 'religious' book that can do that. Then, at the same time, point me to the same book that has thousands upon thousands of outside-source references to those divine events that correspond to this 'religious' book. Many point to the books of Acts and Romans as some of the most historically rich writings of the time, out of everything at the time.
Name me one religion in the world who not only has historical accuracy, but a sudden spread of followers ready to be killed for what they believed, to suffer in public the harshest cruelties the human body can fathom, and to face Rome's oppression and rule and come out to be the largest world-wide belief in the world. You cannot. I'm not talking about crazed people who go out and try to blow something up to prove a point, nor am I talking about people who run out in front of cars. I am talking people who stood trial for their beliefs, for what they saw, and to publicly be killed for that belief. And all they had to do was say "I do not believe".
Jesus' healings, miracle, teachings and life have not only been written in the Bible, but also in many MANY writings outside of the Bible as well. In his book The Case For Christ, Lee Strobel goes on a well documented journey to debunk the Bible and Jesus. He sets out to prove that the Bible and Jesus is a fake, and expose Jesus for what he was. And exposed Him he did, only not in the way he had planned. Strobel talked to top-notch historians, scholars and theologians about the historical accuracy behind the Bible, and the support outside of the Bible for Jesus. He then went on to write a 250+ page book briefly depicting his findings.
Outside of the Bible, there is more mentioned about Jesus, than any other historical figure. This includes before, around and after that time.
There is more evidence that Jesus was who He said He was, than any other historical figure (Alexander the Great, for instance).
The Jews never once denied that Jesus could do what the Bible depicts him doing (miracles namely), outside or inside the Bible. They could have easily stated that Jesus was a fake, and that he couldn't perform these things, but they didn't.
Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection split time in half (BC and AD), what other historical figure could cause such a thing to happen? Granted, people did the actual splitting, but for what? What could have been so important that time it's self needed to be cut into different sections?
You could say that the text of the Bible is not the same now as it was, however, there are many findings (notably the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the book of Isaiah) that show extremely early (old, close to original) texts that are VERY accurate to what we have today. The Bible (KJV/NKJV) is extremely accurate to the texts people have found that date close to the original writings of the New Testament. There is a much smaller gap between the oldest known texts and the original date of the writings than most historical documents that we trust world wide, without argument.
Ok, on to some interesting things that most people don't know about what the Bible says about the events around Jesus' birth.
First, there was not "3 wise men". The wise men were Magi, a group of 'star watchers'. They DID NOT travel from the far east, all the way to Bethlehem in a small group of 3 people. Not only is there no mention of the numeral amount of Magi in the Bible, but groups of people often had a caravan, or traveled in large groups when traveling some 500+ miles. Most likely, the depiction of "3 wise men" came from the 3 different gifts they brought Jesus when he was born.
Also, the Magi did not meet Jesus in a manger. Jesus was BORN in a manger, but the greek word the Bible uses to describe Jesus when the Megi arrive is that of a toddler, not a new-born infant. Also, Herod declared that infants of two years old and younger to be killed, so it is to be assumed that Jesus was around that age when the Magi came to Herod.
Additionally, there (if memory serves now, I am tired) is no mention of a physical star shinning over the manger like some spot light. It was something only the Magi could notice, as a way to guide them to the way. If there was a physical spotlight, I personally would have thought Herod would have most likely have noticed as well.
Lastly, historical Biblical and non) evidence suggests that Jesus was not actually born anywhere near December. From the Bibles description, there were shepherds and flock in the fields on the night that Jesus was born. This indicates that it was most likely warm during the time Jesus was actually born.
Anyway, it is 4am in the morning, and I am tired. I hope you've actually read all of this, but I doubt it, as I probably lost you with Merry CHRISTmas. ^^;; However, I thought I would ramble a bit since I am awake, and to serve you with some knowledge that is mostly discarded or intentionally overlooked.
Merry CHRISTmas!!!!!!
