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Approval
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 Posted: Tue, Dec 13 2011, 11:57 am EST Post subject: Menorah approval |
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There was no opposition. A few people wanted the town to look at the issue in more detail and not do anything this year. One person wanted a crèche. A couple non-Jewish residents said a tree is not Christian, but that seemed laughable. One person said growing up they never went to cut down a Holiday tree.
The TC was fully supportive. Mr. Taylor was wearing a tacky Christmas tie and made mention that he and the attorney were both wearing such ties. He then made a speech that people are too PC and that maybe having a menorah and Christmas tree would help stop the PC attitude and revert back to saying happy hanakuah and merry Christmas. That we are so afraid that we have succumbed to generic happy holidays. He mentioned that he had a Christmas tree in his home and that Santa is a Christian symbol otherwise he was just wearing a tie with a random fat guy in a bad suit. He pointed out the opportunity for teaching that the menorah and tree represent.
Susan Goetz asked a veteran of the Iraq war who spoke in favor of the Menorah about the tree being at the memorial and his view. In all it was a very positive meeting and showed the town coming together.
The menorah will be stored, erected and maintained by the Rabbi and his volunteers. He also was speaking for Jewish residents in Cranbury. I must say I was proud last night at how it was done. |
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Sorry
Guest
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| Posted: Tue, Dec 13 2011, 12:10 pm EST Post subject: Re: Menorah approval |
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| I meant to attach this to the prior thread not create a new topic. |
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don't be sorry
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 16 2011, 7:16 am EST Post subject: Re: Menorah approval |
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| The menorah looks great. Santa is NOT a Christian symbol - he is just a fat guy wearing a red suit and is a secular symbol. |
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saint nick
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 16 2011, 8:20 am EST Post subject: Re: Menorah approval |
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| don't be sorry wrote: | | The menorah looks great. Santa is NOT a Christian symbol - he is just a fat guy wearing a red suit and is a secular symbol. |
Saint Nicholas however? |
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Santa
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 16 2011, 8:32 am EST Post subject: Re: Menorah approval |
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Why is it Christians always are afraid to admit things are part of their ceremonies? A Christmas Tree is just that a Christmas Tree. Jewish people do not go out and buy them. You don't cut them down for labor day or memorial day. Call it what it is.
Santa is the same. He is not some random guy, he's part of Christmas. You don't have Santa visiting homes at hanakauh or on the 4th of July.
People complain that the spirit of Christmas is diluted or lost and complain people call a tree a holiday tree, yet then go and argue that a tree or Santa is secular and has nothing to do with Christianity. You can't have it both ways. As a Christian it annoys me that people argue Christmas tree is secular and has nothing to do with Christmas. That is how we get to holiday trees and a fear of saying Merry Christmas. |
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correct
Guest
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| Posted: Fri, Dec 16 2011, 9:24 am EST Post subject: Re: Menorah approval |
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| Santa wrote: | Why is it Christians always are afraid to admit things are part of their ceremonies? A Christmas Tree is just that a Christmas Tree. Jewish people do not go out and buy them. You don't cut them down for labor day or memorial day. Call it what it is.
Santa is the same. He is not some random guy, he's part of Christmas. You don't have Santa visiting homes at hanakauh or on the 4th of July.
People complain that the spirit of Christmas is diluted or lost and complain people call a tree a holiday tree, yet then go and argue that a tree or Santa is secular and has nothing to do with Christianity. You can't have it both ways. As a Christian it annoys me that people argue Christmas tree is secular and has nothing to do with Christmas. That is how we get to holiday trees and a fear of saying Merry Christmas. |
I agree. What it is is people using semantics to deceive themselves. True the tree and Santa are not holy symbols or part of the biblical tradition so they go and call them "pagan" and "secular" without truly understanding those words. If the tree, regardless of its origins, were truly "pagan" every Christian church would be telling its members it was a sin to have one in their house, as opposed to having them in their churches. The origins are meaningless. Celebrating the birth of Christ in late December itself is pagan in origin and has no literal relationship to the birthday of Jesus. But it's hardly a "pagan" holiday now.
The reality is that Santa and the Christmas tree were both adopted, long ago, as symbols of the holiday by Christians so they are now part of the Christian tradition. Just as the "Easter bunny" is not a holy or biblical but is associated with a holiday that only matters to Christians. What some people stubbornly refuse to accept is that there is no such thing as a secular component to either of these holidays. Their very existence is religious. They can't therefore, disown the symbols that have been adopted around it, biblical or not. If they truly believe these objects aren't part of their religious tradition then they should stop using them. |
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