Christian Christmas Photo Card

I have many non-believing friends. Our Christmas cards are almost always Christian theme (photo cards from Walmart). I've never heard complaints of it before so I'm assuming it's not been offensive to anyone that I know of.

Would it be offensive to you though? Why or why not?

(please, keep it civil. that's all I ask)
pdooma- not in the least :) and you are right, the wise men didn't show up until later, but for some reason they are almost always in the nativity... lol.
Would it surprise you all to learn I was once agnostic? :) I understand both sides of the fence pretty well, though I am now biased to one side now.

I would say half of the Christmas cards we receive are of religious nature. I don't mind, at all. I like getting Christmas cards!
On a side funny note: You know how some people will wrap gifts in religious paper? Well, last year my mom wrapped everyones gifts in Jewish wrapping paper. When we pointed it out (because she isn't jewish) she just laughed and said "Oh, I thought it was just so pretty!" ha ha

2009-11-12 12:39:04 by Tex ♡

A tutorial video of www.StudioDaySpring.com - DaySpring's personalization platform.

My partner and I run a guesthouse, and during the summer we had a lovely family stay with us for 2 weeks from Kuwait. We exchange emails and they have sent us photos. Is it OK for us to send them a Christmas card?

no take the extra time and go get a card that says holiday greetings or seasons greetings. something generic. if you are friendly with these folks do you want to run the risk of offending them?

2007-12-06 13:12:34 by PAULINE D

I usually buy her good quality presents (as she does me), but lately she hasn't been treating me with the respect I deserve. She keeps making sarcastic comments about my clothes and passes judgment. I really don't feel she 'deserves' anything from me this year, but I might feel guilty if I don't. What should I do? I bought a car recently that took me 8 years to save up for and when I showed her a photo of it she looked surprised and just said, "Oh, a red one". I really just want to get her a card this year and that's it, because I haven't liked the way she has treated me of late. Do I sound un-christian-like?

She is obviouslly unhappy with her life at the moment and is jealous that your's seems to be going so well. Instead of buying her an individual gift, why not buy her something you can share together..... Theatre tickets, a spa day, or even just a massage. Try and look past her current negativity and offer her a supportive ear. If she doens't want to talk or remains negative towards you then leave her a lone for a while. Some friendships don't last a lifetime - they have a time spam as we each change the develope in different ways. Don't keep a negative friendship with someone just because you once liked them.

2006-10-02 01:41:28 by Poopsy

I am a completely godless, soulless atheist. I have no concept of religion, faith, or spirituality. I have been that way since I was old enough to really think. Recently, I spent a few days staying with some Christian family members, who I see very rarely. I have a cousin there the same age as I am (16) and she had no more understanding of how a person could function without god than I did of how a person could function with god. We stayed up virtually all night in her room several times talking about this. We talked for probably a total of 15 or 20 hours about faith, religion, and spirituality (all of which were foreign concepts to me before). I have encountered Christians at school before, but they are a very exclusive group. When I ask questions about their beliefs, they are often insulted, and nearly always refuse to discuss their beliefs. I have one or two friends that have been to church, and sort of understand Christianity, but our discussions yielded little understanding for me. My cousin, on the other hand, was very open about her beliefs, and tried to convert me. Among my friends (almost all of whom are completely atheist as well), i am now probably the foremost expert on Christianity.

The things I learned are truly amazing. She and I became kind of close, and she invited me to her church. At first, I felt sort of smug to not be a card carrying Christian who had slipped in undetected. Then I realized that no one had at the church had done anything to try to keep heathens like me out. They didn't even bother to find out who was or wasn't there. Based on the stories from a friend of mine who was once a Mormon, I expected them to require everyone to be on their attendance roster, and present photo id, and I expected there to be guards looking for non-Christians. However, my cousin had no problem allowing other church goers to know they she had brought in a heathen atheist. Everyone there was kind, open, and welcoming. I was quite shocked.

I was also quite terrified by some of what I learned. I found that Christians do no research what so ever to back their beliefs. they have faith. I had no idea what faith was until this experience with my cousin, and the very concept still baffles me. I don't understand how any person could come to believe in things that don't make scientific and mathematical sense. This faith seems like the exact opposite of reason. It is what leads terrorists to conduct suicide bombings and think they're going to heaven. It seems like a person with faith would be devoid of rationality. However, my dear cousin, despite havening incredible faith, was an otherwise perfectly calm, rational, reasonable person. I don't see how that is possible, but it obviously is.

Let me say that I don't have any negative feelings at all towards people with religion. The people in the Baptist church I attended on Christmas eve were very nice, kind, non-judgmental. My cousin explained the rituals, like communion to me in from of everyone, and no one tried to burn me at the stake. It is obvious that they were mostly fine people. Its just that the idea of believing is something that goes against rationality is very scary to me, and the fact that these "faithful" people can act rationally too blows my mind. That there are millions of people like this wondering the earth, millions of people with minds that I can't begin to comprehend, is truly terrifying. I would like to understand how these people operate with both faith and reason.
I said godless and soulless for the benefit of religious people on here who confuse agnostic with atheist. I said that only for the benefit of answerers. I don't say that with other atheists. I AM a REAL ATHEIST, i promise.

Lyra, I'm grateful that you had a positive experience that broadened your understanding. Faith does not preclude intelligence or education. As a United Methodist Pastor, I am required to have a Master's degree to serve a local church.

I have completed a B.S. degree in Biology at the University of Illinois and was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa there. I also completed a year of medical school.

Faith exists in every aspect of life. It is not just a religious thing. When you trust that your mother will take care of you, you are dealing with faith. You have a record of her care and you trust that her care will continue. But ultimately that is faith.

When Louis Pasteur, one of the greatest scientists who lived, postulated the presence of bacteria, he did so on faith. He had no proof that such an organism existed. He know that something caused illness when milk was consumed. His vision that something microscopic lived in the milk was a tremendous step in faith. His faith allowed him to open new doorways to science.

Some Christians, mainly in fundamentalist churches simply listen to their preacher and accept whatever they say as truth. However, most Christians I know have tested their faith against the world around them. I have lay members who freely challenge things I say. Sometimes, they come back later and acknowledge that I'm right. Sometimes I have to dig deeper and acknowledge that they were right.

Faith is not about blindly accepting the scripture. Faith is about testing the truth and learning from it.

The truth is that a person who doesn't test their faith is rarely ready when life hits hard.

I have often had my own faith tested. I have had to go back to the scriptures often and look more deeply into what they are saying. That is part of what it means to be a Christian.

What has puzzled me is how people can believe in "weird" things, but not a God. As an example, faced with the evidence of the pyramids, people conclude that ancients couldn't have been that smart. So in a scientific age they postulate a "smarter" species who comes to earth and passes their technology along. How is that any less amazing than simply believing that ancient man showed some amazing abilities, technologies and intelligence.

It isn't about whether faith or knowledge is correct. The truth is that we are called to be both intelligent and faithful.

For me, I have experienced the presence of the Living God. My experience mirrored scripture. I have gone through trying times that have tested my very soul. Yet I have found God's strength present in my lives to get me through those terrible times.

I am sorry that some believe that science holds all the answers. It doesn't. There is a soul within us. I have felt its hunger to be in fellowship with God. When I experience such reality how can I dismiss it? For me, my faith is as real as scientific truth. Both are valid in their own way.

Don't let fanatics on either side diiscourage you. You can be intelligent and still have faith. God made the two to go side by side. In fact, some of the world's most intelligent philosophers have also been people of faith. Both exist side by side.

Pastor John

2008-12-31 23:37:57 by lyra