to hate it when people write "Xmas"?

[LeftMyRidingCropInTheMortuary]

It is, after all, a festival about Christ.

Putting an "x" instead of His name is lazy and disrespectful.
If you don't want a Christian Christmas, refer to the "holidays" instead.

Anything that's not in the Bible isn't Christian. That goes for Hallowe'en, the Pope and all sorts!

Who would've thought that the answer to "is the Pope a catholic?" Is actually "no"...

Festivus is from an episode of Seinfeld, I think OP is having a laugh!

I've no idea whether or not Ruth fancied her MIL! But if the Bible uses the same word for the love (presumably somewhat sexual, given their children?!) between Adam and Eve and between two women, then perhaps it has a less judgmentally narrow view of what 'love' means?

All sorts of love are valuable and valid. The long-standing Christian tradition of recognising same-sex love shows us this.

Who would've thought that the answer to "is the Pope a catholic?" Is actually "no"...

Chi is the name of one of the houses in Dcs Catholic school. They Chi kids have an X on their blazers.

The Pope is apparently not Christian (he is in the bible btw, ever heard of St Peter?) but he def celebrates Xmas. I've seen him do it on TV.

How the fuck can you not have seen the Xmas story in the bible if you have read about the Maji? That is the most fucked up thing about it.

Catholicism is not the same as Christianity. Lots of folk call themselves Catholic because they were brought up that way but they have no Christian beliefs.

So the Pope is a Catholic. But he may or may not be a Christian. He says he is but only God knows for sure.

Does this mean the late and much-loved Pope John XXIII should henceforth be known as Pope John ChristChristII?

I was brought up in a house with a picture of Margaret Thatcher on the wall but I have no Conservative beliefs. That doesn't mean that the Conservative party is not a thing that exists or that X is not a centuries old symbol for Christ.

Hama - that analogy doesn't make sense. You don't identify as conservative.

Well, of course Catholicism is not 'the same' as Christianity.

Catholicism is a subset of Christianity.

Bigots would claim that Catholics are not 'Christian', because they are too ignorant to understand there might be multiple ways of being Christian - as the Bible explains. Bigots tend to be poor at reading the Bible.

I think the late pope should be rechristened "John Paul" . As that was the blokes name.

Op, you missed a section of Festivus.

The Xian bit - could be whenever. AFAIK, no-one really knows when X was born, but apparantly it was before the onset of Winter, possibly September - so definitely not December 25th (X in a manger, midnight mass, angels, hymns)
The consumerist bit - could be returned to New Year (gifts)
The pagan bit - should still be celebrated at Yule (tree, holly, mistletoe, wreaths, feasting)

Quick question op - are YOU in the bible??

Oh, goodness. Not neoliberal terminology together with dated fundamentalism?

To 'identify as' something betrays you as a hyper-post-modernism/post-structuralist with an offensively individualistic turn. To be a Biblical literalist betrays your belief system as originating with the tele-evangelists.

It ought to be hard to merge the two, but I'm a bit fascinated by it all the same.

left, his name was Karol.

Jeanne sorry I don't speak Guardianista.

But the term Catholic was used to be an all encompassing term for all Christians, because it means "on the whole" and then there's the different brands of Christianity. RC, CofE etc..

And regardless, whether someone is religious or not (any religion) what difference does it make? But then, I'm probably a Christian-lite...sorry, xian-lite.

Oh, I lie: Angelo. I can't read numerals.

starky - left is talking about Catholicism not catholicism. I agree with you, but TBF there is a distinction.

Anyway night all.
Hope you repent before you go to sleep. Just in case!

The Pope-not-in-the-Bible reference made me chuckle. I live in the US deep South Bible Belt. One of my friends who is Roman Catholic recently moved into a new neighborhood. A neighbor showed up with cake and pie and a welcome to the neighborhood, which included an invitation to her church. My friend mentioned that she and her family would still be going to church in their old neighborhood, naming a well-known large Catholic congregation. New neighbor paused, then said to my friend, "Oh, well, ok. But if y'all'd like to try Christianity, we'd love for you to come to church with us."

I can't take the piss, seneca - back in the day I had a student who explained earnestly:

'I understand there's medieval people who believe in Jesus. And I understand Jesus wrote the Bible before that. But where did the Bible go during medieval times?'

You're thinking of the wrong Pope OP...

JeanneDeMontbaston should have read properly without wearing the dog as a beard.

I just want to ring my DM a vicar now and have her come round with the holy water and incense and start shouting 'get thee behind me Satan!' As a new bedtime routine. she'd tell me to sod off which isn't very Christian of her

No doubt you're right.