One of the local churches has dragged out the old chestnut about the abbreviation Xmas "taking the Christ out of Christmas" for their 'wonderful' sign on the highway where they display their irritating anti-evangelistic platitudes each week. Grrr.
As someone with a smattering of ancient Greek, it drives me a little nuts. The capital of the Greek letter Khi looks like our X. It represents the first letter (Kh) of the word Christ (which should be spelt Khrist and if you wonder why we spell it wrong blame the Romans, I believe that it's their fault). It has been used as an abbreviation for the word Christ for centuries. Xian in lieu of Christian, for example. I use it all the time when taking notes for sermons or assignments because it is a frequent occurrence and I am lazy.
The fact that a classical education is no longer the standard to be considered 'edicated' is probably not the end of the world, whatever Sir Humphrey Appelby may think. The fact that good Xian people get upset about it when there is no reason to is mildly irritating, but simply underscores the lack of good Biblical (particularly language) education we get generally in our churches unless we particularly search for it.
In fact, I get a giggle anytime I suspect that someone has deliberately swapped Xmas for Christmas to be more politically correct/inclusive, because Christ is still in it - maybe undercover, but still definitely there. (he, he, he)
So wishing you and your families a happy and holy Khi-mas, and God's richest blessings for 2009.
What is the chance that I will write a letter to the aforementioned local church?
... Approximately None (I told you I was lazy)
And if you go to church as part of your Xmas tradition, I dare you to wish people a 'Happy Xmas'. What is the chance that I will?
... You guessed it!
Joy with my new garden
3 days ago
19 comments:
**Loud applause from Femina's corner**
You have no idea how many times I have had to explain this to people who try to insist that it's all a conspiracy by those nasty [insert political/religious/minority/social group of the month] people. No, it's not. It's Greek... the language in which most of the new testament was written - which perhaps means it's more authentic to write Xmas than Christmas, no?
Of course, every time I write it I hear Fry from Futurama trying to explain Christmas to people in the year 3000. "Don't you have Christmas in the future? You know... Christmas - X-M-A-S. Christmas." Leela's reply: "Oh, you mean Ex-mas. That must be your archaic 20th century pronunciation... like the way you say "ask" instead of "arks".
Yeah, okay, maybe you had to be there....
Actually, I think it would still be said 'Christmas', given that it's a written abbreviation. So asking people at church about Xmas is probably not going to work. At least in our century!
My previous (now deleted comment) was Then I re-read it (of course AFTER I'd posted the comment) and realised it sounded as though I was arguing with it. I'm not. So I deleted it.
Then I decided not to delete my original comment. This has probably given you a really good indication of my trying-madly-to-get-ready-for-Xmas-but-know-I'm-not-going-to-get-everything-done state of mind.
Thankfully only four people read my blog.
Way to get my comment count up.
Laughing... too... hard... to... comment ...coherently...
And (just to get your comment count up even more) the reason I love the Futurama thing is because it implies that the lower-than-the-lowest common denominator has finally triumphed in the 30th century, and now everyone is saying "arks", "should of" and "for all intensive purposes".
Femina, are we truly the only two people in the world who have nothing better to do than to comment on blogs on Xmas eve? I mean, I'm in work avoidance mode - what's YOUR excuse?
I'm waiting for my potatoes and eggs to cool enough so that I can pour mayonnaise over them and call it "home made potato salad". Also cutting up fruit for a fruit platter or three... and watching DVDs on my laptop in the kitchen while I do these things! But yeah, I think we're the only people online.... hey, we have the internet to ourselves! Let's go delete all the porn sites while no one is looking.
lol. love the post and the comments
Laughing my head off! I was SOOO impressed to see the comment count, and now I see it's a conspiracy site to delete pron from the net. I LOVE it!
I'm so glad to hear Xmas is ok. I was undecided. Now I can cheerfully write it in the postcode squares of hand delivered cards, and give anyone who objects an earful of classical education.
No one really says all intensive purposes, do they? I hate "alternate" instead of "alternative". Alternate music? You mean you listen to every second song?
Sorry I didn't proof read my porn.
On Christmas Eve, I was madly wrapping presents and mopping the disgusting floor, deciding not to go online and trying to convince myself I wasn't missing anything.
I should have logged on and joined the Comment Fun, since the kids spilled milk all over the floor this morning anyway.
Sadly, many MANY people say "for all intensive purposes". I see it online all the time. That's why more people need this t-shirt:
http://www.glarkware.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=1740
Ha, I commented Xmas eve and Now Xmas Day - so how sad am I? The good thing? No-one on line sharing the dialup so I connect at a whopping 48.0kps!!!! woohoo
speed racer
Merry xmas 2 u
Just had to come over and see the pron-deleting fun, was given the hot tip from Crazy Sister.
I thought her spelling of pr0n was strategic - usually people spell it that way (or my way, with the zero) so people can't find them when they search for the stuff spelled the real way.
I read things like "for all intensive purposes" and "something or rather" on blogs all the time. Sorta funny.
Yeah, sorta funny in an "I have to laugh or I'll cry" kind of way.
"something or rather"... **sobs**
I thought it was sort of funny that Crazy Sister started by disguising her "pron" and then she ruined it by saying she "didn't proof-read her porn." Heh. Watch people of ill-repute flock to Jen's blog after Googling "porn". Heh.
Maybe her blog will be the only hit in a google search after Femina and Jen have deleted all the other stuff from the net ...?
Some comedian or other (can't remember who) once said if you delete all the porn from the internet the only website left would be one called www.bringbacktheporn.com.
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