What's good for the Christmas goose is good for the Pagan gander! When Albemarle County in its wisdom decided to allow religious events to be publicized by backpack mail, they clearly decided to be open to all religions. While I personally prefer a separation between religion and government supported organizations, the NatureSpirit event is a great place for kids to learn that there's more than one religion out there. And high time for it, IMHO.

Christams celebrates the birth of the Savior. I can't believe that this group would try to subvert the original meaning of this holy day.

Winter Solstice was for Pagans the celebraion of the birth of the SUN God. While Christmas is the birth of the Son of God.

Pagan or Christian I wish you all a great Holiday season.

I am amazed that there are still people out in the world that don't realize that Christmas was "borrowed" from pagan holidays in order to convert more non-believers into Christians. (My understanding is that Jesus was most likely born in the Spring, which would make Easter more appropriate for a birthday celebration). I can imagine that Jesus is shaking his head at all the things people have done in His name... all the hatefulness, the killings, the fear, encouraging prejudice in all forms, the lies and hypocrisy. He spent so much time trying to teach the path to true spiritual growth.

NOW fresh for Christmas 2006, we have a newly released video game from the Left Behind series that has players KILL non-believers who won't become Christian at gunpoint. I hope I'm wrong but it seems that this game is going to get passed out at churches.....

I know that there are people that TRULY follow the teachings of Jesus, especially the lessons of tolerance, compassion and love for their fellow brothers/sisters and this beautiful planet. Not all Christians are evangelical nor fundemental types. Most are passionate about their faith and do good things within the communities for the benefit of ALL. I don't recall Mother Theresa needing a camera crew highlighting all her work in a reality tv show... there is room at the table for all faiths, plenty of cakes and sparkling cider to go around. We ALL have holy days within December; we should honour that Love/Light within ourselves and others.

Many people underestimate the power of Satan to fool those who are not careful and let themselves be led astray. Satan would sow doubt about the Lord and would have you to believe that the birth of God's son was actually a celebration of pagan rituals. We must be careful not to let him pull the wool over eyes.

And I don't think its fair to bring that video game into the discussion. No true Christian would kill non-believers. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. We have a duty to save as many souls as we can, but killing those we can't save wouldn't be right.

The true Winter celibration was Yule! NOT Xmas.

What don't Christians get?

I hope their children do not grow up as bigoted as their parents.

Open you bible someday. You will see some horrifying stuff.

I think (hope) that David Baker is kidding.

And Wanda...well, there's no explaining some things.

Thank you for your words Ms. Phillips... I know that many of us agree that this video game is not a true representation of the teachings of the Christ but yet many will continue to push that this IS the way for Jesus. That is what I have a problem with, ideologies aside.

Again, there is enough room for Christians, Jews, Wiccans, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, Sufis, Bahais, Unitarian Universalists, Quakers, Amish, LDS, Druids (and so many others that I haven't named) at the table. There is so much diversity in each community even if that is not openly known. We should honour everyone's right to celebrate their holy days during this beautiful season and pass along the love. Our amazing counry has so many cultures and beliefs that show every single day what a blessing it truly is to be a part of this great melting pot. This is supposed to be our strength not a weakness.

Merry Yule/Christmas! Happy Hanukkah/Kwanza/Solstice/Holidays! Feliz Navidad! to everyone. Peace and good will towards all. :-)

You know, when I was growing up, we didn't have to worry about all this. Most everyone was a Christian and we said a prayer everyday before class. We had a Jewish girl in our class, but everyone respected her right to a different faith. I believe that those prayers did us a lot of good, or at least didn't do us any harm. We didn't have have gangs or drugs and whatever else kids have to deal with today. Nowadays you can't do anything without offending someone. I have gone to war so that people will have the right to worship as they choose, but for the life of me, I can't see anything wrong with a prayer before studies. It seems to me that the majority of folks are Christians, so why do we have to act like there are just as many Pagans as Christians out there? I'm not saying things were perfect back then, but they were a lot better than we have today.

Wanda: It's "sew" a sow is a pig. Your argument has so many catch 22s that it hurts worse to think about it than to try and comprehend star trek's version of time travel.

Lynne: Way to be a bigoted extremeist on the other side. I hope you're a troll.

Grampy: If the majority wanted to turn your house into a clubhouse and kick you out of it, would that be okay? Since you're the only one against it? Prayer before studies is wrong just like women not being allowed to show their skin is wrong. Besides, up where I am Christians are in the minority.

I am a legal, credentialed Minster in Covenant of the Goddess. As such, I would demand the same request that any other member of the Clergy would receive.

Anyone who can and will take the time to study History knows that December 25 was originally the celebration of the "Birthday" of Mithra, the Sun God, who's worship almost eclipsed that of Jesus in the Roman era. The church picked the date for Jesus's birthday because, as others have correctly mentioned, it was a good way to convert the non-Christians.

Many, many of the trappings of our modern Western world's celebration of Christmas were lifted wholly from the previous religious paradigm, the Pagan faiths that existed, and mostly peacefully I might add, for thousands of years before Jesus.

Evergreen trees decorated with lights and ornaments, mistletoe sprigs, songs sung by fireplaces... - - even, to some degree the non religious figure of Santa Claus - - all come from Pagan sources.

And yes we are reclaiming this holiday for ourselves, but don't worry. Our religious traditions do not charge us to convert or prostelize. We would be happy to CO-EXIST in your world, if you would only let us.

Rev. "Obie"

Personally, I am opposed to the church/state combination. However, if conservative Christians wanted the back-pack policy, hey, they got it!

I hope that Left Behind thing is incorrect. That is definitely not a good example of WWJD!

Autumn, in the case Wanda uses, "sow" is actually the correct word. It means "to plant."

Grampy, I don't know WHEN you grew up but gangs have been in America since the Civil War era and were actually quite profilic in the 1890s. Also, remember the *gang*sters of the 1930s? Ditto drugs. Perhaps WHERE you grew up had more to do with it. If Christians want prayer before their studies, they have every right to begin a Christian school. Hey, lots of folks have so it can't be that difficult or that controlled.

Rev. Wayne and Lynn Heath, to you I say "Amen, sisters, amen."

Wanda and David, well, you two sound like you tow the party line. Hope Satan isn't in disguise and spewing out what you're buyin'. Personally, I don't believe in the guy, but if you do I'm glad something is keeping your sins in check. Oh, and of course you are entitled to your beliefs, just as long as you don't try to force them on others and/or society. This IS a democracy, after all. Supposedly.

oh i LOVE this! this'll get the religiously insane fundies all worked up!

KAT: I first heard about the video game in an email from www.defconamerica.org (campaign to defend the constitution) I kept on reading on several websites. Here is the first link:

http://defconblog.org/2006/12/tell-wal-mart-to-stop-promoting-religious-violence/

Normally, I don't worry too much about boycotting WalMart. But no matter which side one is on about violent video games, I DO have a problem with organizations like Focus on the Family and Family Research Council denouncing the sale of violent video games and ripping into people for playing fantasy role playing games. Then they endorse a video game that has players converting people into Christians AT GUNPOINT or else they DIE. But because the game doesn't have blood and it's A CHRISTIAN theme, then it's all ok.

I can guarantee you that real Christians are NOT going to like it. But groups like Focus on the Family constantly tell us that there is a war against Christianity, that they have the pulse of America to tell them that this is a Christian nation. They encourage fear and intolerance to everyone that doesn't agree with them and do it all with a smile. WE live in a multi-cultural society, with many different beliefs and practices. There are far more similarities than differences if one was only to look. It's not my job to proselytize nor convert, only to open eyes and enlighten minds.

GRAMPY: We don't live in a world like that anymore... in the time you grew up, the majority in your community were probably Christian folk and most everyone, no matter where they worshipped, had MANNERS. That is not the way it is anymore. The brand/flavor of Christianity being practiced by those that scream the loudest from the pulpit these days about how the Devil is down in Georgia/strolling down Grand Avenue/surfing in Santa Cruz/shopping at Ace Hardware/sitting next to you on the bus, is most likely not the faith that you practice.

I am hoping that there will be more open dialogue everywhere on religious/spiritual diversity this holiday season, that it will continue on far into the new year. In fact I hope this will be like the song that never ends :-). One can only hope.

Thank you Rev. Obie

Peace and blessings to all

This whole "War on Christmas" is getting a little ridiculous. I think people of all faiths should declare war on the media and retailers. Those are the people who really hijacked the holidays.

Just about every religion and culture on the face of the earth celebrates the winter soltice as a time of hope, light and gathering in community. In our culture, it has degenerated into people killing each other over Tickle-me Elmo dolls.

I have been a Practicing Pagan for over 10 years, and to me... Yule is the embodiment of all that is good about Christmas.

Whatever happened to this being the season of peace? Of love? Of sharing our blessings, regardless of their source, with each other?

Take a step back. Try to just accept for a little while that we are different, we all have our own paths to take, and not each and every one of us is right.

Deity is all around us. A part of us. Deity does not judge us. We judge each other for there is no harsher critic than our peers.

Try to see the joy in the season and not the conflict of interests.

Careful what you wish for. So conservative christians won the right to send home invitations in kids backpacks for religious events and now they aren't happy that a different religion gets to do the same. How many of them had a sudden urge to call the ACLU and sue the school for promoting religion after the Pagan flier popped out of little Jimmy or Susy's back back? Perhaps now they understand how all non-christians in the country have felt every time they have tried to use the schools as a recruiting ground targeting kids who aren't their own offspring.

Personally I want to ask any parent that wants to put religion in the public school just 2 questions. 1) How did you get to be so lazy that you can't manage to take your own child to church? and 2) Why would you trust an institution which you don't trust to even teach Reading Writing and Arithmetic to teach your religion?

Ironically you hear a lot from conservatives about how they stand for personal responsibility and stand against relying on government to do for you what you can do for yourself. Then you get to the subject of the "culture wars" and suddenly they want to turn Uncle Sam into Preacher Sam.

In my family we practice Yulemas. I grew up in a Christian household. Not quite C&E Christian but not Every Sunday either, so 'average' Christian house, I guess.

I remember my mom mentioning how it was the birth-day of Jesus sometime each year, and then I remember the year I came home with info on how christmas trees were Pagan and from Germany. I also had information about what some of our favorite decorations were symbols for. Mom looked at the info, went "hmmm."

And then she reached for a bright gold ball and hung it on the tree. The tree was gold, silver, and white that year. And it looked amazing.

I am now a practicing Pagan and have been for several years, and I married another Pagan. We decorate a tree,give each other presents, and sing christian christmas songs, jewish songs, the occasional pagan holiday song, mixed in with insturmental pieces and the odd pagan band.

When we do have kids? They will learn that the season is multi-religious and we will teach them a few things about each religion and also about the histories of each.

So, everyone have a safe and happy holiday, no matter what holiday it is.

I dislike seeing controversy like this, but I actually hope it makes some people take a step back and realize how non-Christians feel when they have Christian teachings, fliers, etc. put up on them. I am a Pagan and do not tell people for fear of their reactions. I respect everyone’s beliefs and just wish they could return the courtesy. I agree with the comment on manners, I do not think that concept is around much anymore. Sad.

My greatest wish is that everyone could respect each other’s differences and live in peace; at least many of the comments here give me hope for people getting along.

I really do hope that video game does not come out. I am already worried about the amount of violence in video games and the reality of the graphics, that the industry is trying to make more realistic. I do play video games, but dislike the realistic and violent ones.

I am so confused myself with the whole war on Christmas issue. I simply say happy holidays because there are so many holidays out there and I do not know which holiday people practice, and I am including New Year in the wish. I am not offended is someone wishes me a Merry Christmas and I do not understand someone being offended if I say happy holidays. We chose what offends us, and if I have to choose something that is offensive at Christmas it is watching the news with people waiting in lines or fighting with other people over an ITEM; that seems to be the real problem with the season. Capitalism crept in and took over while so many other people are fighting over what to say to each other.

No offense to anyone: Have a happy and safe holiday!!

I like the old-fashioned idea of peace on earth and goodwill towards man.