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WAL-MART BANS CHRISTMAS: BOYCOTT LAUNCHED
Catholic League ^ | 9 November 2005 | William Donohue

Posted on 11/09/2005 11:50:22 AM PST by big'ol_freeper

WAL-MART BANS CHRISTMAS:

BOYCOTT LAUNCHED

A woman who recently complained to Wal-Mart that the store was replacing “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” received an e-mail response from Customer Service. It appears below in its exact form:

“Walmart is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices other than ‘christmas’ which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism. The colors associated with ‘christmas’ red and white are actually a representation of of the aminita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world.”

To which Catholic League president Bill Donohue says: “This statement was signed by someone called Kirby. When I read it, I thought he might be drunk. But I was wrong. We sent Kirby’s response to Wal-Mart’s headquarters only to find that Dan Fogleman, Senior Manager, Public Relations, agrees. After acknowledging that he read Kirby’s response, Fogleman said, in part, the following”:

“As a retailer, we recognize some of our customers may be shopping for Chanukah or Kwanza gifts during this time of year and we certainly want these customers in our stores and to feel welcome, just as we do those buying for Christmas. As an employer, we recognize the significance of the Christmas holiday among our family of associates…and close our stores in observance, the only day during the year that we are closed.”

Bill Donohue says: “It’s nice to know that Wal-Mart is closed on a federal holiday. Now here is why I am asking the leaders of 126 religious organizations that span seven religious communities to boycott Wal-Mart. Go to its website and search for Hanukkah and up come 200 items. Click on Kwanzaa and up come 77. Click on Christmas, and here’s what you get: ‘We’ve brought you to our ‘Holiday’ page based on your search.’ In other words, Wal-Mart is practicing discrimination.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 7970forchristmas; antichrsistmas; bigots; brooklynbridge; catholicleague; christianbashing; christianity; christians; christmas; credulity; email; fodderforsnopes; fraud; grinchstolechristmas; hatewalmartbs; hoax; makechinaricherbuywm; religion; religiousintolerance; urbanlegend; urbanmyth; walmart; waronchristmas
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To: schoolsinsession3

And Christmas does have tons of Pagan elements the same way Easter does...was Santa Claus hanging around with the three wiseman?

Were bunnies hanging around during the crucifixion?

Why does anyone care whether its called Holidays or Christmas?

I hate the Liberals who get outraged when we celebrate Christmas and I get mad at people who think any of our holidays is exclusively Christian.


281 posted on 11/09/2005 1:32:58 PM PST by schoolsinsession3
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To: big'ol_freeper; thompsonsjkc; odoso; animoveritas; mercygrace; Laissez-faire capitalist; ...

Moral Absolutes Ping.

FYI - Walmart head honchos think the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is equivalent to "Kwanza", the fabricated, fake holiday invented by a felon (which, incidenetally, sounds more like a festival of communism than anything religious - God isn't even mentioned in its description).

I vote for homemade presents anyway. More fun, more meaningful, and also this - wouldn't it be a good idea if Jesus were the center of Christmas, rather than "me" and "what I want"? Or feeling obliged to cater to others' selfishness? How many people buy presents because of a feeling of obligation? Just give it up. Give something that helps a person remember God. That's what it's all about. The other stuff is just fluff at best.

Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.


282 posted on 11/09/2005 1:33:08 PM PST by little jeremiah
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To: dandelion
This is not done for any of the other Holidays - and aren't they Holidays as well? Or is Christmas the only Holiday that really is a Holiday?

The others are relatively minor holidays that aren't even in the same UNIVERSE as Christmas in terms of scale.

Ten years ago, it wouldn't have phased most of us - I think we are getting more sensitive to such things because ...

Oh there's a lot of reasons people give for their hypersensitivity.... and I know there are real instances of silliness against Christmas, as well as instances of silliness about Christmas. Get a country full of people together, and someone's bound to be ridiculous.

What's ridiculous about this is that if you actually go to the site, even if you are trying to be offended, you can't avoid seeing "Christmas" while searching for anything "Holiday".

283 posted on 11/09/2005 1:33:08 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: The Ghost of FReepers Past
It is one thing for Wal-Mart to decide to raise the pay of their own employees. It is entirely something else for them to call on the government to raise the minimum wage for everyone. Government is force.

Agreed.

284 posted on 11/09/2005 1:34:04 PM PST by blaise
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To: schoolsinsession3
They wouldn't survive without Christmas. Wal-Mart, as with most retailers, LIVE AND DIE by their Christmas season sales. It's not economic.

To say it isn't caving is to ignore other things they've done recently, like the call for a minimum wage hike.

285 posted on 11/09/2005 1:34:05 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Ps. 14:34)
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To: ecurbh

Merry Festivus honey!


286 posted on 11/09/2005 1:34:37 PM PST by HairOfTheDog (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/ 1,000 knives and counting!)
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To: big'ol_freeper

If true, no shopping at WalMart this year.

Probably the better anyway. Most stuff we get there is unnecessary. I'll save $$$$$.


287 posted on 11/09/2005 1:34:59 PM PST by Edit35
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To: little jeremiah

I find this somewhat strange when you consider that the Walton family members are Christians and fairly conservative.


288 posted on 11/09/2005 1:37:26 PM PST by wagglebee ("We are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." -- President Bush, 1/20/05)
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To: Lunatic Fringe
And if it is a legitimate email, who cares? They are absolutely right... Wal-mart is the largest retailer in the world and they have to cater to more than the Christians during the month of December.

You assessed correctly exept for month of December attributed to Christians, or so we think.

The birth of Osiris coincided with the day of the summer and winter solstice, depending on the hemisphere, and on this day the sun god would ride through the heavens in his chariot. The sungod Helios would ride through the sky in his sun chariot drawn by horses as depicted in the great fountain of Versailles. In the Hindu culture, it is the Sûrya, and his horse-drawn sun chariot, driven by his charioteer Aruna who rides across the sky, and in other cultures the chariot is drawn by other animals such as the goat (Zeus) or the reindeer. This same pagan practice is held in high esteem to this day, and has virtually successfully supplanted Jesus Christ as the main feature of Christmas. On the 25th of December, Santa rides across the skies in his reindeer drawn chariot. He is made acceptable by his friendly rotund appearance as introduced by Walt Disney, but he has the same characteristics as the ancient sun deities.

Origin of Santa Claus: 4th century: Historical evidence shows that St. Nicholas never existed as a human. He was rather a Christianized version of various Pagan sea gods —the Greek god Poseidon, the Roman god Neptune, and the Teutonic god Hold Nickar. In the early centuries of the Christian church, many Pagan gods and goddesses were humanized and converted to Christian saints. When the church created the persona of St. Nicholas, they adopted Poseidon’s title “the Sailor.” They picked up his last name from Nickar. Various temples of Poseidon became shrines of St. Nicholas.[xxiv]

The theology of Santa is also in line with this thinking, since Santa, as taught to most children, has the attributes of God.

1. He is virtually omnipresent. He can visit hundreds of millions of homes in one night.

2. He is omniscient. He monitors each child; he is all-seeing and all-knowing; he knows when they are bad and good. He can manufacture gifts for hundreds of millions of children, and deliver them in one night — each to the correct child.

3. He is all-good and all-just. He judges which children have shown good behaviour and rewards them appropriately. Bad children are bypassed or receive a lump of coal.

4. He is eternal.

Want to know about Ishtar (Easter)also?.

click here: http://www.amazingdiscoveries.org/wineofbabylon-p3.html

289 posted on 11/09/2005 1:38:15 PM PST by Clay+Iron_Times (The feet of the statue and the latter days of the church age)
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To: schoolsinsession3

If we really had guts this is what we would do. We would declare this Christmas a Whoville Christmas. We celebrate it with nothing at all. Then see what happens. They'd be begging us to shop again. LOL!


290 posted on 11/09/2005 1:38:22 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Ps. 14:34)
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To: Protagoras

No prob....I was just confused.


291 posted on 11/09/2005 1:38:31 PM PST by paulat
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To: GLDNGUN

"Kwanzaa" is the biggest fraud of all, it is pure witchcraft!


292 posted on 11/09/2005 1:38:38 PM PST by VOYAGER (M<)
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To: spotbust1
But they are right about Christmas being the only day of the year that they close.

No, they are closed Thanksgiving and Easter, too.

293 posted on 11/09/2005 1:39:13 PM PST by carenot (Proud member of The Flying Skillet Brigade)
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To: Lunatic Fringe
And if it is a legitimate email, who cares? They are absolutely right... Wal-mart is the largest retailer in the world and they have to cater to more than the Christians during the month of December.

You assessed correctly exept for month of December attributed to Christians, or so we think.

The birth of Osiris coincided with the day of the summer and winter solstice, depending on the hemisphere, and on this day the sun god would ride through the heavens in his chariot. The sungod Helios would ride through the sky in his sun chariot drawn by horses as depicted in the great fountain of Versailles. In the Hindu culture, it is the Sûrya, and his horse-drawn sun chariot, driven by his charioteer Aruna who rides across the sky, and in other cultures the chariot is drawn by other animals such as the goat (Zeus) or the reindeer. This same pagan practice is held in high esteem to this day, and has virtually successfully supplanted Jesus Christ as the main feature of Christmas. On the 25th of December, Santa rides across the skies in his reindeer drawn chariot. He is made acceptable by his friendly rotund appearance as introduced by Walt Disney, but he has the same characteristics as the ancient sun deities.

Origin of Santa Claus: 4th century: Historical evidence shows that St. Nicholas never existed as a human. He was rather a Christianized version of various Pagan sea gods —the Greek god Poseidon, the Roman god Neptune, and the Teutonic god Hold Nickar. In the early centuries of the Christian church, many Pagan gods and goddesses were humanized and converted to Christian saints. When the church created the persona of St. Nicholas, they adopted Poseidon’s title “the Sailor.” They picked up his last name from Nickar. Various temples of Poseidon became shrines of St. Nicholas.[xxiv]

The theology of Santa is also in line with this thinking, since Santa, as taught to most children, has the attributes of God.

1. He is virtually omnipresent. He can visit hundreds of millions of homes in one night.

2. He is omniscient. He monitors each child; he is all-seeing and all-knowing; he knows when they are bad and good. He can manufacture gifts for hundreds of millions of children, and deliver them in one night — each to the correct child.

3. He is all-good and all-just. He judges which children have shown good behaviour and rewards them appropriately. Bad children are bypassed or receive a lump of coal.

4. He is eternal.

Want to know about Ishtar (Easter)also?.

click here: http://www.amazingdiscoveries.org/wineofbabylon-p3.html

294 posted on 11/09/2005 1:39:25 PM PST by Clay+Iron_Times (The feet of the statue and the latter days of the church age)
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To: HairOfTheDog

I see the knickers-in-a-twist brigade is out in full force today.

"Dadgummit, it's my ~right~ as an American to be horribly offended all the time!"


295 posted on 11/09/2005 1:39:36 PM PST by ecurbh (Join the Hobbit Hole Troop Support - http://freeper.the-hobbit-hole.net/)
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To: Protagoras
it really doesn't matter pal, since most everything in wall mart is made in china I don't support them anyway. You can all you want. I wont
296 posted on 11/09/2005 1:40:37 PM PST by ezo4
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To: Lunatic Fringe
Wal-mart is the largest retailer in the world and they have to cater to more than the Christians during the month of December

You are right, I urge all Christians to do their Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Hanukkah shopping at Wal-Mart. I'm sure that they will not miss the puny amount of purchases Christians make at this time of year. All of those shipping containers that appear in Wal-Mart parking lots at this time of year are filled with Kwanzaa Corn Husks.

297 posted on 11/09/2005 1:45:35 PM PST by Mike Darancette (Mesocons for Rice '08)
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To: discostu
Some how I have serious doubts that WalMart sent an official corporate e-mail that included the phrase "Siberian shamanism".

“Walmart is a world wide organization and must remain conscious of this. The majority of the world still has different practices other than ‘christmas’ which is an ancient tradition that has its roots in Siberian shamanism. The colors associated with ‘christmas’ red and white are actually a representation of of the aminita mascera mushroom. Santa is also borrowed from the Caucuses, mistletoe from the Celts, yule log from the Goths, the time from the Visigoth and the tree from the worship of Baal. It is a wide wide world.” --reportedly an email from Walmart Customer Service.

Who knows? I guess Walmart's website could have a sophomoric shroomhead or two working their email replies, or it could be fake, made up to smear Walmart. Either way, the Catholic League is way off base calling for a boycot. "Happy Holidays" is entrenched in our country's merchandizing lingo, and you might as well boycot all the major merchants in the USA.

298 posted on 11/09/2005 1:45:54 PM PST by Dick Holmes
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To: mnehrling
You know there is a town in Mexico named Usa where a lot of manufacturers moved..

I'll give up hope when LA is renamed New Mexico City.

299 posted on 11/09/2005 1:51:59 PM PST by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN
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To: HairOfTheDog

"The others are relatively minor holidays that aren't even in the same UNIVERSE as Christmas in terms of scale."

Whoa there, partner - part of my family is Jewish and we think of Hanukkah as being very MUCH as an important Holiday. Time for Latkes!!

Seriously, perhaps it is not on your map, but for others Hanukkah is very important. I expect other members of my family to respect it as much as I respect (and celebrate) Christian Holidays. And no, I have never been offended that members of other religions mention or celebrate their special Holidays - and don't like it when others won't let me mention or celebrate my Holiday - Christmas - as well.


300 posted on 11/09/2005 1:52:48 PM PST by dandelion
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