And you thought America had gone to PC!

[Bump]

I am in total shock!
My friend who works for the Local Council has just called me. We were talking about work and stuff and he said that he had a meeting on Firday concerning the Christmas Decorations that the City puts up in public places.
Well it has been decided that the City will not put up the Traditional Christmas Tree in the City Square, this is because it may offend people of other Religious Backgrounds!!
No I am not racist and I do enjoy the Diverse culture here in England that people from many different races and cultures bring.
However I find the decision in a mostly Christian Country not to have a Christmas Tree on display discraceful. I mean if i went to live in a muslim country I wouldnt expect them to change there beliefs for me!
Am I totally overreacting? or do you agree with me?

 

[browneyes]

You're not overreacting.

 

[KayleeUK]

Bump

I am a civil servent, and during the World Cup we were unable to display the flag of St George. Totally mad!!

Kaylee

 

[cleo]

If they took away peoples right to put one up in their own home I might worry, but not putting one up in the public area is no big deal. I'm not big on all the PC garbage but I also think being outraged about small details is unnecessary. Even many Christians do not honor the Christmas tree as a symbol of the season...it's a relatively new concept and not something that's part of Christian doctrine.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Bump,

I'm not of a christian background and I'm offended when things like this happen. There are some things that cross religious boundaries, imo.

KayleeUK,

The flag of St George is on the kit for your national team isn't it? On the blue/red away jersey. Why couldn't it be displayed?

 

[Tony-NJ]

overreacting, Bump. I think that a decorated tree is only going to remind people that it's the Holiday Season, time to spread good cheer, and to wish all well etc.

What kind of decorations are they going to use?

 

[Bump]

Hey Kaylee I got a job in the Civil Service to
I work for the Department of Work & Pensions How about you?
Yes Eeyore it is on our football Jerseys We cannot fly the St George Flag , which is the flag of England, in case it offends people of other nations! It is seen as racist due to the fact some skinheads groups use it in there insignia!
Eeyore you are unlike most Americans who think Englands flag is the Union Jack

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Bump

Yes Eeyore it is on our football Jerseys We cannot fly the St George Flag , which is the flag of England, in case it offends people of other nations! It is seen as racist due to the fact some skinheads groups use it in there insignia!
Eeyore you are unlike most Americans who think Englands flag is the Union Jack

England is my 2nd favorite team to watch and was my pick to win the World Cup. I've been trying to order a shirt off of the FA website but what I want won't be in until December.

 

[Bump]

Which shirt are you after Eeyore?

 

[Blondie]

I don't think a christmas tree really signifies one religion or the other.

It's just a decorated tree that is put up in December (or sometimes, here in the states, October ).

I DO NOT think you are overreacting.

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Bump
Which shirt are you after Eeyore?

The long sleeve reversible away shirt. No one has them.

 

[Bump]

Originally posted by Eeyore2U


The long sleeve reversible away shirt. No one has them.

I got mine from a friend in England who mailed it to me when I was in Maryland, but even all the local sports shops dont have any long sleeve ones! otherwise I would get you one and mail it over to you.

O.K back to the original thread
Yes I agree Blondie a Christmas tree is just a decorated tree isnt it! To be honest I dont think any people form the Religous groups complained it is proberly just do gooders who made the "decsion" for us.

It times like these that I remember how much easier it is to live in the USA!

 

[Eeyore2U]

Originally posted by Bump


I got mine from a friend in England who mailed it to me when I was in Maryland, but even all the local sports shops dont have any long sleeve ones! otherwise I would get you one and mail it over to you.

O.K back to the original thread
Yes I agree Blondie a Christmas tree is just a decorated tree isnt it! To be honest I dont think any people form the Religous groups complained it is proberly just do gooders who made the "decsion" for us.

It times like these that I remember how much easier it is to live in the USA!

Thanks!!!

Bump,

In a Concord, MA (I think) the town couldn't put a Nativity scene out last year on the common in that town after many years due to someone complaining about seperation of church and state. What a crock!!!! The scene had become part of the fabric of the community and was taken away by someone who knew better and used the law to get what they wanted. So it happens everywhere!!

 

[jipsy]

The Christmas tree was not originally a Christian symbol.

From christmas-tree.com:

CHRISTMAS TREE TRADITION HAS ANCIENT ORIGINS



King Tut never saw a Christmas tree, but he would have understood the tradition
which traces back long before the first Christmas, says David Robson, Extension
Educator, Horticulture with the Springfield Extension Center.

The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped
evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into
their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of
Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights
and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and
lamps to light one's journey through life.

Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during
mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of
eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.

Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside
their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring.
Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate
Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through
snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens.
Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home,
he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He
decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth.

The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops
during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and
Ohio, adds Robson.

But the custom spread slowly. The Puritans banned Christmas in New England. Even
as late as 1851, a Cleveland minister nearly lost his job because he allowed a tree in
his church. Schools in Boston stayed open on Christmas Day through 1870, and
sometimes expelled students who stayed home.

The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled
two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. By 1900, one in five
American families had a Christmas tree, and 20 years later, the custom was nearly
universal.

Christmas tree farms sprang up during the depression. Nurserymen couldn't sell their
evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees
were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones.

Six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch
pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir
which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine,
balsam fir and white spruce.

 

[Bump]

Originally posted by jipsy
The Christmas tree was not originally a Christian symbol.

From christmas-tree.com:

Thanks very much jipsy that was an interesting read

 

[KayleeUK]

Yes Bump. DWP for me too...

Kaylee

 

[Bump]

hehe the DWP is a whole heap of fun isnt it ?
Where else can you take abuse off the general public for a tiny salary?

 

[Pin Wizard]

A Christmas tree is not a religious symbol. The nativity scene is one. I think people of other faiths think a tree is because "Christmas" is in it. When I worked at the hospital they always had a menorrah in the lobby during Hanukkah. After some complaints from employees, they started putting a tree up also. Some visitors complained about it! No, a tree is NOT a religious symbol for Christians where as a menorrah is for Jews from what I understand. Eventually, the hospital worked in the nativity scene.
I used to love it as a kid when we would visit my grandparents in PA for Christmas. All the towns we drove through had Christmas decorations out. It was beautiful. They don't do it anymore.

 

[cotye]

I just remember a recent Simpsons episode that talked about this... saying a convict was being put to death putting up a nativity set on city property.... So ridiculous, it's actually laughable.