To be surprised that the Royal Mail Christmas stamps are all religious?

[stampsurprise]

I thought for a change I'd get proper Christmas stamps this year. Didn't expect them to be all religious and no choice!

Is this usually what's on offer? I don't object personally, but I think most of those I send to won't care for a religious stamp.

Good

Regular church attendance is probably single figures by now. Very few young people go to church these days.

To summarise:

The Christians hijacked a pagan festival to celebrate Christmas. No-one knows exactly when Jesus was born. Historians say that there was a prophet called Jesus around that time. Whether he was the son of God is open to interpretation.

To some people Christmas is a religious festival. To most people it is a cultural festival, and a time for friends to have a good knees up and/or families to gather together and celebrate peace and goodwill (although judging from many of the threads on mumsnet I'm not sure there is much peace and goodwill in many families). And to a significant minority who don’t celebrate Christmas at all it is just time off work.
It is a timely midwinter break from the stresses of working or studying for many people.

I don’t care whether people believe in God or not. However, there is no need for people to insult those who are Christian, agnostic, atheist, Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, other religion. It isn’t on. I also don’t care what the stamps look like on envelopes. I am not offended by other people’s religion.

I still send Christmas cards – mainly to older people who don’t have social media. However, I send fewer every year. Stamps are expensive and it isn’t great environmentally. But I always make sure I buy charity cards.

@Meraas

To avoid the stamp picture issue why not buy a franking machine grin

Do you mean a Frankincense machine?

That's pure gold!

It's a Christian country with a strong Christian heritage. It's also a Christian celebration. So, entirely appropriate.

Christians are encouraged to attend a place of worship:

www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/does-the-bible-say-we-really-have-to-go-to-church.html

“And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing,but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

@speakout

Stripesnomore

Which parts of christianity are drawn from paganism?

If you like at the Etymology of Easter you'll see it comes from the name of the Pagan goddess of spring, Eostre, therefore Easter is celebrated around the time of the vernal equinox. The Christian Easter festival is conveniently at a similar time and has a derivative name.

look at...not like.

That's pure gold!

myrhhbe it is myrrhbe it isn't.

@rsababe

That's pure gold!

myrhhbe it is myrrhbe it isn't.

That's pure gold!

HA!

*can't seem to quote the OP

Church is in Zoom now

Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.

@VinylDetective

You can't claim Xmas to be all about God and Jesus when you don't even go to church, so not nope

Of course you can. I’m an agnostic and confidently claim Christmas to be a religious festival.

You can.

@Janegrey333

Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.

What a loving non-judgemental Christian message. We will surely learn the error of our ways now

*Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.*

How rude!

@Janegrey333

Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.

People who aren't religious are inferior and souless. Got it.

A christmas without religions is not a "souless" affair.

For many of us it is about love, the value of friendships and family, about giving and sharing it is about hope, and a celebration of life.

And not a sky fairy in sight.

I have a faith in humanity.
I dont need a book to tell me how to love and give.

@Janegrey333

Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.

I'd rather be tacky and soulless than a stuck-up bitch.

if your going to be offended by a stamp with Jesus on during Christmas you have some serious underlying issues.

Or maybe you think the RM shouldn't put convicted criminals on stamps.

I'm sure Jesus is very proud of you, @Janegrey333

A christmas without religions is not a "souless" affair
For many of us it is about love, the value of friendships and family, about giving and sharing - it is about hope, and a celebration of life

Beautifully put, speakout

And if there is a life after this one, then as a reincarnationist I'll believe you'll get a decent shot at it with an attitude like that

Puzzledandpissedoff

Shouldn’t all you religious lot be out tutting about gay marriage and denying people their humanity rather than on here arguing about stamps?

@Janegrey333

Some people here are becoming irritable because their idea of Christmas is something with no religious meaning whatsoever. They are trying to defend their tacky-fest because it is inferior in every way.

They just gorge on questionable Iceland treats and get drunk and put a fake Christmas tree up far too early - oh and take it down again far too soon because they don’t like clutter. How soulless.

Ah, so if you aren't Christian then by your definition you're cheap & tacky, a drunk and put the tree up "too early".

And presumably the reverse is true; everyone who IS Christian is classy, buys expensive food, only ever uses tastefully decorated real trees, put them up at exactly the right time (when IS that exactly - Xmas Eve, 1 week before, 1 December?) and takes them down at the right time (again, when IS that - Boxing day, NYE, 12th night?). They all drink in moderation.