Worlds worst song?

Is this the worse song of all time? Got a better example?

The REAL Christmas story, dirty buggers

Look im not a Grinch ok.

I think Christmas is great. But even when I was a Christian I only ever saw it in secular terms. But even this is not being true to the spirit of the season. The true origins of Christmas are in fact much more interesting than you imagine, and much older. Oh and much nastier.

What confuses me the most is people who spout off about this being a religious holiday without really knowing anything about its history. Why don’t Christians know for example that assuming there was a Jesus, based on the bible he was likely born around April….maybe. I mean the Bible can't even get the year right for Christ's birth for Christ's sakes (pun intended). Various sections contradict each other.

In fact this is in part what you are really celebrating on December 25th. In ancient Babylon, the feast of the Son of Isis was celebrated on this day. And guess what - the say consisted of party's, eating far too much and drinking more than your body weight, and of course there was gift-giving as well. Remind you of any particular day?

There is also Yule, the Winter Solstice which was celebrated long before Christianity and instead featured the great pagan Sun God, Mithras. Candles were lit to welcome the Sun to the new year. They considered mistletoe as a sacred plant and was used as a fertility ritual, the custom being that people would kiss beneath it.

Hmmm. Seeing a pattern here? I'm strangely reminded of the recent news that Coldplay is being sued by Joe Satriani for plagiarism.

The tree was also an important element of the winter solstice. They were cut down and placed in homes as a reminder that winter will end and crops will be ready to sew at seasons end.

There is also the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia celebrated from December 17-25. It was a week of complete debauchery with Roman law essentially turning its back and pretending not to notice any bad behaviour. Roman rulers throughout the communities would pick some poor people as the representatives of the Lord Of Misrule. They would be force fed, bonked and buggered to within an inch of their life and then on the 25th they would murder the poor fat and exhausted people.

But as usual in come the Christians to ruin everybody's good time. They decide to incorporate Saturnalia into the faith as a good will gesture to all the Godless looking for some salvation. Then in a typical dramatic twist they went and declared the baby Jesus' birthday to be December 25th, basically attempting to kill the mood of the whole festival. Nobody wants to think about Gods son, or God fathering himself or whatever it is, while they are gang banging their neighbours daughter. But this change from hedonism to morality took quite some time to evolve.

Skipping forward to the 1400's we see Pope Paul II forcing Jews to run naked through the streets of Rome. Whilst Pope Paul found this highly amusing the poor Jews did not share in his amusement at all. This continued until as late as 1836 when the Jewish community sent a petition to Pope Gregory XVI begging the church to stop this abuse; to which he replied that it was not an opportune time to go making any innovations. What a prick!

It got worse in 1881 when Christian leaders went too far with their anti-Semitic abuse which led to massive riots. 12 Jewish people were killed, many more maimed and of course there was wide spread rape. God bless the pure of heart.

In the end I think I will just continue to treat this holiday as secular. I doubt friends and family would join me in a literal celebration of this lawless and cruel day. No amount of fake birthdays is going to make me pretend that this day is in any way a Christian one.

So in honour of our enlightened times, I wish you all a happy, fun filled and ethical holiday. Treat your family and community with the respect it deserves and be happy we live in a time where reason and freethought is welcomed by many. Merry Christmas.

MPs on the meaning of Christmas

From the House of Reps Hansard for December 4, 2008:

Kevin Rudd (Prime Minister): As we approach the Christmas season, there are often debates about Christmas being a Christian festival or a non-Christian festival in various parts of the world. I think the truth is this: whether we are of faith or not of faith, this is an important season for us all. For those of us who are of faith, it celebrates the birth of the Christ child. For those beyond faith it is a celebration for all families, and all therefore enjoy this season which lies ahead.

Beyond faith? As in, grown out of it, or as in a lost cause?

Malcolm Turnbull (Leader of the Oposition): This is, of course, the season of Christmas and we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the birth of the man—the son of God—who established a faith that is as inspiring as it is mysterious, a faith that is based on love. This is truly, then, the season of love, and that is why families come together. It is why we come together to eat, for Christmas feasts, for lunches and dinners. We remember, too, that there is nothing more human than families coming together to share a meal. Indeed, the Eucharist is at the centre of our own faith, of our own liturgy—that sacred meal.

We should also remember that not all of the members of this House are members of the Christian faith. Indeed, I think it is important today to remember that a number of our colleagues around this time of year--around the Christmas season, if you like—-will be celebrating the feast of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival. That is a festival of lights and it celebrates the indomitable nature of the Jewish people.

Christianity, Judaism...yep, I think that's all of 'em.

Warren Truss (Leader of the Nationals): Christmas is a special time of the year. It is a time when families can gather together and enjoy one another’s company. From a parliamentary perspective, it is a time when we are able to have a break and perhaps live slightly more normal lives. But Christmas is more than just decorations, gifts and parties—although a special part of my Christmas is always decorating the family home with Christmas lights so that I can demonstrate what a special time Christmas is for me in my neighbourhood. The celebrations and symbols of Christmas highlight the joyous reason for our festivities—namely, the birth of Jesus Christ, who brought salvation and the message of peace and goodwill to all. Those who seek to take Christmas out of the holidays or Christ out of the Christmas certainly lose the central reason for our celebrations and their meaning and purpose.

Mmmmmmmm.