Sent you mine again Karen.

Great stuff I am glad to see that.

Well if it costs you too much you can give mine a miss.I would much rather give a card than receive one anyway.

how cute. I never get offended if someone says "merry christmas" even though I celebrate Yule. I think spreading cheer is a good thing regardless

Even people of other faiths tend to celebrate Christmas, here, at least. It's just one of those things. If people get offended, they're morons. I'm not Hindu but I still like Diwali, for instance.
Anyway, you have our address

Karen I ha no doubt that you would send a card regardless and I am very grateful. I wished someone Merry Christmas on the net a couple of years ago.They were Muslim and they took offence.I can't understand why.To me Christmas is a time for giving no matter if it is card presents good wishes or all three and I would never dream of getting upset if someone wished me well on their days of celebration.

Originally posted by Nerak:

I agree. Getting offended at something which has the best of intentions behind it is freakin' retarded.

yeah that's what I was trying to say, earlier, better put!

Personaly I think it is disgusting.To revile someone for wishing you well is really sick.I would never dream of taking offence if someone wishes me well.

Originally posted by Nerak:

It's almost as though some people hear, "Merry Christmas" and take it as an insult to their belief system rather than taking it the way it was intended.

It can be taken that way easily.

Imagine how you'd feel as a Christian in a country that celebrates other religious festivals and none of your own. Imagine that the doctrines of your religion stop you from even being able to enjoy the festivities of these festivals yet you have to be surrounded by people enjoying them; people who will most likely complain if you try to carry out your own religious festivities.

Everywhere you go, people say Merry Chumbawumba day to you and it means nothing to you except a reminder that you don't really belong in this place as it has been created with the Chumbawumbans in mind and they aren't open to anyone else's beliefs. You're surrounded by their getting knocked down and getting up again, but you can't join in no matter how much fun it looks, you stopped explaining to people that you don't celebrate it after the fiftieth dirty look/lecture about joining in/other insensitive action from these supposedly loving and understanding Tubthumpers, so now you just have to hear it when they say it and that's when some idiot repeats the phrase meaningfully because you haven't replied (almost as if they only said it to get it in return rather than actual well-wishing).

So yes, whether someone is wishing you well or not, it can be taken as an insult if they don't do it in the right way. For a shorter example, as an atheist it'd be easy for me to wish people well by saying "Your life is yours to control with no deity to bow down to." This would be a pat on the back to most atheists and bolster their beliefs in much the same way as "Merry christmas" does for Christians, and it could easily become a form of well-wishing between atheists, but how would Christians react to it if they had it said to them? It's all about respecting other people's belief systems, having a lager drink and having a whiskey drink.

Hmmm, must not comment while listening to the radio...

Originally posted by Furie:

but how would Christians react to it if they had it said to them?

As long as they were wishing me well.I would accept it in the spirit it was given.

May be but I agree with everything you said Karen.You put much more eloquantly than I ever could.

Not a problem Karen.

Yeah my friend once gave me a gift and she said it was a Hanukkah gift (she was from Israel ) I said Cool! I never got a Hanukkah gift before! I figure it's bragging rights, personally

Originally posted by Nerak:

I agree with John. It's pretty obvious that when someone says, "Merry Christmas" to another person, they're saying it as a way of wishing them well. Perhaps the recipient of this well wish doesn't like the manner in which it was given, but oh well. Get over it, ya' know?

But it's not just a one-off to these people. It's everywhere all of the time, undermining their own belief system from the very core. When you're the one surrounded by the millions it makes a bit of a difference to how much you're willing to put up with things. And because you're the odd one out, you're the one that is more open to judgement - so should you react badly even once, that's what people will focus on rather than the years you put into trying to abide by their system.

The problem with any belief system is that it is too easily run by the clinically insane. For example, my atheism cost me a girlfriend once. Some kids set off fireworks as I picked up my choir girl girlfriend from church and some windows exploded inwards from the fireworks as I entered the building. Despite the evidence and testimonies, the vicar decided to preach that God was offended by my presence and showing it, turning some of his flock against me specifically and making that relationship become under the microscope of the flock.

People like that make the majority of religious leaders that I've experienced in my life and those that believed him are pretty much the majority of religious people I've met. The few who told me what was going on and stood up for me (one of them being hounded out of the church as a result) are still amongst the very few people that have earned my respect and shown me how religion actually should work as a way to bring people together, but they are unfortunately the minority over here compared to those who use it as a way to feel superior to others.

Oh, for the record, I'm a Merry Christmas.

As a Muslim, I understand that John was confused by a Muslim being offended by the greeting.
I tend to simply ignore strangers who say "Merry Christmas" to me. But if friends or family say it to me, I usually say thanks. I might also remind them that I don't celebrate Christmas because I'm a Muslim, But I don't get angry for their ignorance because that's just stupid. .
Years ago, when I was still sending out Christmas cards myself, I always avoided sending cards with any type of image on them and opted to send the type that have a merely decorative pattern.
Some Christians are offended by images of 'Santa' or 'Rudolph' while others get upset about "Christmas trees" (because they're actually pagan fertility 'gods' )
Even Mistletoe and Holly are pagan holy plants. .
There are is no shortage of stuff that would offend a devout Muslim or Jehovah's Witness when it comes to Christmas. .
To list a few;
Music
Alcohol
Dancing
Decorated trees
Santa
Kissing (underneath the Mistltoe)

Having said that, I don't see any reason to be offended when someone simply greets me. But I do wonder why some people feel it's ok to offer an intimate greeting to a total stranger. .

Originally posted by Nerak:

...You're a Merry Christmas? How jolly of you!

Yeah, I hit that weight one morning and the jolliness flooded in.

Originally posted by qlue:

Music

Didn't really need a quote but... I'm getting offended by Christmas music myself, mostly cause it has already had radio kill and it's not even mid November yet...

I think that's part of the problem really. Christmas was originally just the one day of celebration. But, at least partly due to commerciallisation, it has become a three month event. .
Sometimes even people who love Christmas are fed-up with it by the time the 25th of December finally rolls around. .

Our family always leave one or the post man/woman

Reminds me I have not watch a lot of the classic Christmas cartoons (like Rudolf and others) in a few years