Salaam

My mate makes a Turkey every year around this time...I suppose its cos they are a bit cheaper and readily available around this time.

I'd love to try Turkey one day.

Other then that xmas to me means that everything becomes overpriced...and then come the January sales.

I have no issues with recieving xmas cards. I have heard of scholars who give out xmas cards to their christian neighbours...I don't see anything wrong with that, personally I don't give out cards cos I can't be bothered.

But its good to build relations with the non-Muslims.

Wasalaam

Omrow,

Only that "prophet" Jesus was not and could not have been born on that day. Have you read the link I posted before?

http://de.essortment.com/christmaspagan_rece.htm

:?:

Salam

May I remind you that the exact date of birth for Christ is not the subject under discussion.

Omrow

lol okay a couple things.

1. I'm guessing none of you have ever actually seen christmas - maybe Dawud and Salaf and those of you that converted.

Christmas - the actual mass of Christ isn't santa, coke, or presents, it is a church service not totally unlike others - but with some special twists.

Communion (Eucharist to Catholics) is always served, the sermon is about the coming of Jesus Christ into the world - and always a reminder that we do not know when he is returning. There is a candlelight service (everyone holds a candle and one person lights it for the next) symbolic that Jesus is the light of the world - and he is in each of us, also that it is our job to remember every human life is sacred for this reason. And the most interesting part of all the service is usually (at least in USA) really late at night.

It's a pretty special night.

Point number 2.

There are feast days for pretty much every important person in the Christian faith - these are not birthday celebrations but rather celebrations of the persons birth. Yes you read that correctly. Saints feast days, all saints day, and the birth of Christ are not their "birth days" they are usually selected based on some important day in their lives, or (nowadays) based on convenience or when they were cannonized. While their births (and more importantly their lives) are celebrated, its not necessarily because it's their birth day. It's true Christs mass is celebrated over the old Roman sun God, this wasn't an attempt toward syncretic religion, but actually an attempt initially by Constantine (though not carried out by him) to completely Christianize the Empire.

Literally they were building on top of the old pagan religion... suffocating it.

Some of the old pagan traditions stuck around and found new secular or religious reasons for their existence - however none of these traditions pervaded into the mass itself.

lol it appears that they have totally overshadowed it in popular culture though.

Thats okay pop culture has its own thing going.

Anyway - religiously I can't speak to the damage done to you guys by celebrating the secular/ old pagan traditions that have been attached to the "Christmas season" but if any of you are going to candlelight services then you are attesting to the birth of your Lord Jesus Christ and you might very well be in a spot of trouble.

Conjecture of course...

- Also I think they place his birth in late August now, and not September

Salam

I am getting myself a Christmas Tree and light it all up.

It is suppose to remind you of the Star that guided the Magi.

Omrow

What's the appeal of Christmas for non Christians anyway?

It's a messed up holiday - outrageously stressful, overindulgent, and so outrageously cliched and commercialized you feel like you live in a commercial.

Salam

Christmas is birthday of one of God's Prophets.

Thats the appeal.

Muslims believe and love Jesus.

If we knew of dates of birth of all Prophets, we would have celebrated them too. But God decided to keep them hidden.

Omrow

"Constantine" wrote:

What's the appeal of Christmas for non Christians anyway?

It's a messed up holiday - outrageously stressful, overindulgent, and so outrageously cliched and commercialized you feel like you live in a commercial.

Its more about being in the 'in crowd' IMO. You feel a apart of something... ad when everyone is saying merrychristmas your reply is not oh thanks.. erry xmas to you too... but I do not celebrate christmas...

And the fact that shops are geared to selling things... some people find that an aphrodisiac...

All IMO as I do not find any connection... apart from the fact I like snow... but it never snows anyway...

lol it just rains coldly

...we almost never get snow in sc

On the bright side its always warm

I'm actually going to be in Mexico this Christmas with my girlfriend's extended family.

Ohh not looking forward to that