Christianity banned from cinemas

[BashfulAnthony]

Ooh do I detect a begrudgingly given complement there BA.

Sounds as if, in your heart of hearts you know full well that your argument is totally inconsistent and that I am right. Shame you can't simply admit it - we'd think rather more of you if you would.

Sorry, no. I tried, but couldn't think of one.   

By the way:  you misspelt compliment.   

[Gonnagle]

Dear Me,

Well we have Christmas all sewn up as in Christ's Mass but Easter, which numpty decided on Easter.

Gonnagle.

[BashfulAnthony]

Dear Me,

Well we have Christmas all sewn up as in Christ's Mass but Easter, which numpty decided on Easter.

Gonnagle.

I expect it was chosen to annoy the Pagans!   

[Gonnagle]

Dear Bashers,

I expect it was chosen to annoy the Pagans!

Seems we do that quite a lot, there is another road that leads up to our Cathedral, it is called Drygate, I always thought it had something to do with the brewery at the bottom of the road, but another theory is that dry is an old germanic word for druid, the gate to the druids, old St Mungo built his Church on top of a pagan site.

Bloody Christians we will pinch anything that is not nailed down

Gonnagle.

[bluehillside Retd.]

Well, what have we learned here then?

First, we know that festivals around the winter solstice are very ancient, much more ancient than Christianity. We know specifically for example that the Roman Dies Sol Invictus fell on 25 December as did the feast of Mithras, and we know that various characteristics of celebration, carousing and the like took place at these festivals.

We know too that several centuries after Christ the church, in the absence of any date of birth information from its holy texts, decided to pick the existing 25 December festival and to bolt its own celebrations on top of that, taking some rituals and symbols that were there already and adding some of its own. It also managed a pretty nifty re-branding job while it was at it.

We also know that many other characteristics were added much later on, especially by the Victorians.

The other thing we know is that for the most part people accept and enjoy this melange of influences and symbols as all part of the fun without ever needing to adopt the various religious beliefs that gave rise to them - paganism, christianity, Mithrasism etc.

So far, so jolly.

Then though we have the odd sight of BA doing his cuckoo in the nest act - not only does he deny the antecedence of Christmas from beliefs other than his own, he would also seek to re-invent the facts (about christmas trees for example) so as to co-opt them when they don't fit his thesis, and then to accuse others of hypocrisy for not embracing the superstitions he likes along with the cultural effect they had. In the absence of any argument to support him in this remarkably daft claim, he also quotes an atheist who happens to agree with him and in some as yet unexplained way just assumes that if other atheists agree with her about her atheism, they must also agree with her about anything else she may happen to say. 

So here's the thing: the more pertinent audience for "why not leave 25 December alone?" isn't the atheists at all is seems to me, it's the BAs of this world. Of course, if ever he had the nous to recognise that accepting the addition of christian influences on the day is just good manners by the rest of us his whole problem would go away in any case, but I ain't holding my breath.         

[BashfulAnthony]

Dear Bashers,

Seems we do that quite a lot, there is another road that leads up to our Cathedral, it is called Drygate, I always thought it had something to do with the brewery at the bottom of the road, but another theory is that dry is an old germanic word for druid, the gate to the druids, old St Mungo built his Church on top of a pagan site.

Bloody Christians we will pinch anything that is not nailed down

Gonnagle.

Gonners, you are so generous:  you know we are only pinching back what's ours anyway,  ( Stands back and waits for atheist back-lash!)

[Outrider]

Bloody Christians we will pinch anything that is not nailed down

Which is wierd, because you'd think they'd have hammers in their tradition given the whole crucifixion thing...

O.

[Outrider]

Gonners, you are so generous:  you know we are only pinching back what's ours anyway,  ( Stands back and waits for atheist back-lash!)

Twat.

I know that you don't like the language; I could have said that you were an ignorant blow-hard trolling for the sake of it to try to hide the fact that you know you lost this argument ages ago and don't have the humility and/or courage to just admit that, but that lacks the succinctness and spirit that's warranted in the circumstances.

You're just being a twat.

O.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Outrider,

Which is wierd, because you'd think they'd have hammers in their tradition given the whole crucifixion thing...

Well it is Friday, and very weak attempts at humour were once a big thing on this forum and the old beeb, Friday jokes and the pagans old glitter room, happy days.

Gonnagle.

[BashfulAnthony]

Twat.

I know that you don't like the language; I could have said that you were an ignorant blow-hard trolling for the sake of it to try to hide the fact that you know you lost this argument ages ago and don't have the humility and/or courage to just admit that, but that lacks the succinctness and spirit that's warranted in the circumstances.

You're just being a twat.

O.

You really ought to take some sort of course in being concise.  And do try and control yourself;  there's no need to lapse into the vernacular, and show yourself up;  and just because you lost the argument!     

[BashfulAnthony]

Well, what have we learned here then?

First, we know that festivals around the winter solstice are very ancient, much more ancient than Christianity. We know specifically for example that the Roman Dies Sol Invictus fell on 25 December as did the feast of Mithras, and we know that various characteristics of celebration, carousing and the like took place at these festivals.

We know too that several centuries after Christ the church, in the absence of any date of birth information from its holy texts, decided to pick the existing 25 December festival and to bolt its own celebrations on top of that, taking some rituals and symbols that were there already and adding some of its own. It also managed a pretty nifty re-branding job while it was at it.

We also know that many other characteristics were added much later on, especially by the Victorians.

The other thing we know is that for the most part people accept and enjoy this melange of influences and symbols as all part of the fun without ever needing to adopt the various religious beliefs that gave rise to them - paganism, christianity, Mithrasism etc.

So far, so jolly.

Then though we have the odd sight of BA doing his cuckoo in the nest act - not only does he deny the antecedence of Christmas from beliefs other than his own, he would also seek to re-invent the facts (about christmas trees for example) so as to co-opt them when they don't fit his thesis, and then to accuse others of hypocrisy for not embracing the superstitions he likes along with the cultural effect they had. In the absence of any argument to support him in this remarkably daft claim, he also quotes an atheist who happens to agree with him and in some as yet unexplained way just assumes that if other atheists agree with her about her atheism, they must also agree with her about anything else she may happen to say. 

So here's the thing: the more pertinent audience for "why not leave 25 December alone?" isn't the atheists at all is seems to me, it's the BAs of this world. Of course, if ever he had the nous to recognise that accepting the addition of christian influences on the day is just good manners by the rest of us his whole problem would go away in any case, but I ain't holding my breath.         

Go on.   

Hmm: what was it: "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

[bluehillside Retd.]

BA,

You really ought to take some sort of course in being concise.  And do try and control yourself;  there's no need to lapse into the vernacular, and show yourself up;  and just because you lost the argument!   

He hasn't.

To be fair to you though, it'd be wrong to say that you'd lost the argument too. To lose an argument you have to have made an actual argument in the first place; making and endlessly repeating daft assertions isn't an argument of any kind, which is why the rest of us can rightly point and laugh in response.

Or tell you you're a twat. 

[bluehillside Retd.]

BA,

Hmm: what was it: "a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."

Further avoidance noted. Do you not think you've already heaped enough embarrassment on yourself for one thread now?

[BashfulAnthony]

BA,

He hasn't.

To be fair to you though, it'd be wrong to say that you'd lost the argument too. To lose an argument you have to have made an actual argument in the first place; making and endlessly repeating daft assertions isn't an argument of any kind, which is why the rest of us can rightly point and laugh in response.

Or tell you you're a twat.

Such a delight to be engaged in such intellectual discussion.  Take heed you great debaters, you're under pressure from an expert!   

[BeRational]

Such a delight to be engaged in such intellectual discussion.  Take heed you great debaters, you're under pressure from an expert!   

I stood up for you recently.

Someone told me you did not have the intelligence of a moron.

I stood up for you, and told him you had.

[bluehillside Retd.]

BA,

Such a delight to be engaged in such intellectual discussion.  Take heed you great debaters, you're under pressure from an expert!   

You're not "engaged" in anything: asserting a mistake and endlessly repeating it isn't engagement, it's just asserting a mistake and endlessly repeating it. What response then would you expect other than pointing and laughing? 

[BashfulAnthony]

I stood up for you recently.

Someone told me you did not have the intelligence of a moron.

I stood up for you, and told him you had.

Well, it just goes to prove what I always thought:  you lack judgement.   

[BeRational]

Well, it just goes to prove what I always thought:  you lack judgement.   

Are you saying that you do not have the intelligence of a moron?

[BashfulAnthony]

Are you saying that you do not have the intelligence of a moron?

Look up humour.  You could have done that whilst googling for a joke.  I am able to laugh at myself, as well as laughing at you.

[BeRational]

Look up humour.  You could have done that whilst googling for a joke.  I am able to laugh at myself, as well as laughing at you.

When I imagine what's going on in your mind, it's squirrels juggling knives.

[BashfulAnthony]

When I imagine what's going on in your mind, it's squirrels juggling knives.

    Hey wait a minute, what am I laughing at?  If I agree with you, we'll both be wrong!

[Dicky Underpants]

Strikes me as more of a Black Knight type

https://youtu.be/dhRUe-gz690

The Black Knight at least had a torso left. In the case in question, all that we hear is a mouth gobbing off.

[ProfessorDavey]

By the way:  you misspelt compliment.   

So sue me then.

[ProfessorDavey]

Get over yourself.  You know I'm right. I expect your pride won't let you admit it.  I understand;  just a quiet acknowledgement will suffice.   

You are such a comedian BA - my sides are splitting.

I suggest you should quietly and humbly accept it when you have resoundingly lost an argument.

[BashfulAnthony]

So sue me then.

No, don't be silly!  But I will keep an eye on you, since you are clearly in need of a little spelling help!