Posted on 12/22/2016 5:32:03 PM PST by Freedom'sWorthIt
As the Pew Research Center found in 2013, about 81 percent of non-Christians celebrate Christmas in the United States. That includes people without religion, Buddhists, Hindus and American Jews. In fact, close to one-third of Jewish people (32 percent) have a Christmas tree in their homes during the December months, according to Pew.
More so, almost 1 in 3 Americans sees Christmas as a cultural holiday, not just a religious one, according to Pew. The data show that 92 percent of Americans celebrate the holiday, with 51 percent believing it’s a religious holiday and 9 percent feeling it is both a religious and cultural event.
Most Americans honor the holiday by attending gatherings and exchanging gifts with family members and friends on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, according to Pew. About 79 percent put up a tree in their homes.
Only about half of celebrators attend a religious service on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve.
But Americans still want to see Christmas’ religious roots during the holiday season. Pew found back in 2013 that 72 percent of Americans felt that religious symbols should be shown on government property.
(Excerpt) Read more at wral.com ...
Interesting information about the origin of Santa Claus.
Just a commentary on the current trend to bring back Merry Christmas to the season. That term should NEVER have been replaced by the generic Happy Holidays.
The researcher says, YES, Christmas is a religious holiday....after all, as it should be.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Christmas stopped being a religious holiday when it became an official Federal Holiday. Secular government and all. Totally diluted the religious meaning.
Happy Holidays is still at least a good alternative, if understood correctly. It may have been proposed by Jewish people for the sake of Hanukkah. Yes... Hanukkah presages Christmas in many ways. I wish people both, sometimes. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. The freedom to wish either or both is wonderful. Let’s not P.C. out Happy Holidays because Merry Christmas was P.C.’d out before.
It depends on who is celebrating...lots of people probably don’t think about the religious aspects IMHO
Federal holidays are just days off... like Presidents Day or Martin Luther King day. It’s a pretty feeble excuse to let what the government is doing subsume your faith... rather you should rejoice that your faith has found a faint echo even in the government.
i FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE that you post here and do not understand the basis of christianity ... eye for an eye yet look to forgive first?....The Christmas Day has never been stronger or more celebrated ....with the repulsion of the liberal claptrap. ...It is ye that have little faith.
Just to be very sarcastic....is your name synonymous with your prescription?
All other Federal Holidays are secular. I think it was a big mistake making Christmas a federal holiday. It has opened a beautiful, holy Christian tradition susceptible to other influences and degradation (i.e. Santa... which is Germanic Pagan (Odin/Wotan) and Coca Cola (Red and White outfit)
Keep the CHRIST in Christmas, and keep YULE in Yuletide. Keep the Coke Santa on Wall Street.
Just what are you insinuating? Are you telling me I am wrong? (Nevada native, FYI)
Despite the secularization of Christmas, the point of this article is that a large majority of Americans still see Christmas as “religious” not just secular. It definitely is a cultural event. But its basis is Christian as far as most Americans see it.
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Christmas is certainly “religious,” since it is totally pagan in origin, but it has absolutely nothing to do with our Redeemer.
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That may be true. But the overwhelming majority of Americans believes Christmas has a basis in the “Christ” event - the baby being born to a virgin, the angels, the shepherds, God’s Son as Emmanual born on a Holy Night in Bethlehem, etc.
The purpose of the article is about this fact.
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That even happened at the Feast of Tabernacles, on sept. 27, 3 BC.
That is a commanded Biblical feast, not pagan nonsense.
Maybe so - again - it is the perception of Christmas that the article was about. To the majority of Americans, Christmas is about Jesus Christ and all in the Bible about his birth - whether that has basis in historical fact or not.
Absolutely agree. I just get a bit miffed that the Holy holiday of Christmas is watered down and secularized. It should stay a Holy Holiday. I see kids who equate Jesus with Santa and all that entails.
Merry Christmas to my Christian FReepers.
I agree. . .I had to get some documents delivered and the post office is closed on Monday which means they will arrive hopefully on Tuesday. The banks are also closed, The kids have a holiday (sometimes almost two weeks) from school. . .only to have to “re-learn” when they get back. . .if they even learned it in the in the first place. Not to mention some of the silly, frivolous, non-academic activities going on the whole week before the vacation. And then there is the “missing Jesus” in the school’s Christmas program. . .everyone else was there. . .Rudolph, Frosty, Santa, The Elves, Jingle Bells, etc. etc. etc. Oh yes. . .let’s not forget what happens the first day back from school (in several around the country). .the ill advised teachers having children go around the room telling the other kids “what did you “git” for Christmas” only to have several making things up because they received little if anything. . (even some churches join in on this activity).oh yes, then there are the students who chime in “is that all you got”. I have witnessed this time after time in various school systems. . .no level playing field there. . .. oh, well. . .do Have a Blessed Christmas everyone with your family and friends. . .it may be an appointed time for some to hear the plan of Salvation. . .Jesus. . born to die for all so that if we accept His gift, we will have eternal life.
Merry Christmas back to you and to all fellow FReepers.
Understand and agree with your analysis.....and a very blessed Christmas back to you - and thanks for summarizing what Christmas should really be all about!
“The researcher says, YES, Christmas is a religious holiday....after all, as it should be.
Merry Christmas everyone!”
I’ve been hearing people say “Merry Christmas” more this year, than in years past. Of course, I was never the Happy Holidays type of person and always said Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!!!
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