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.

If the Christians are offended, good. I've been offended all my life by Christians and Christianity, I hope they are bloody offended. But there’s hardly any of them left, so who gives a fuck?

Why are you so angry? Why does someone having a religious faith offend you so much?

TBH I get this. I've had many an otherwise pleasant evening spoilt by earnest Christians telling me I'm going to burn in the fires of Hell for all time - despite me not believing in the existence of Hell! I don't force my religious beliefs on you, now please stop trying to force yours on me.

Christianity was actually in the U.K. before the Germanic religions anyway, which is where Yule comes from.

Maybe the Germanic holiday, which Yule technically is (though Norse in origin), but certainly not before the Druids were celebrating mid-winter. Plus it's now thought that mid-winter celebrations were practiced as far back as Neolithic times.

Because its 'Christ' mas

And Thursday is Thors day and Weds is Odins day...are you suggesting that means anyone who uses the words is a believer in Norse Mythology? Do you use the word Wednesday without offering it up to Valhalla?

Words are based on lots of things, they aren't literal truths.

It isn’t really illogical to call Christmas a religious holiday when Christianity remains the world’s biggest religion, followed by Islam which has the nativity of Jesus in its main holy book.

Combined that is the majority of people in the world who have the birth of Jesus as part of their faith.

I love this thread. Only on Mumsnet would you get seven pages of debate about the cultural implications of stamps. It's cheered me up reading it.

@FudgeDrudge

For the people that are so offended by all things Christmas and all things Christian, are you offended by other religions and their holy days, or is the vitriol just reserved for Christianity?

What other religions in the UK try to pretend they are the religion of the whole country?
And what vitriol would that be exactly? Pointing out that Christians trying to pretend we're all christian and that Xmas is a Christian celebration are wrong is vitriol? Tough luck, because they are wrong and they should stop trying to make themselves more important than they are.

They don't 'pretend'. It is how the the history of the country (England) has evolved. Henry VIII, the Reformation, the 39 Articles, etc. The head of state is the head of the Church of England. It's a hangover from a time when religion was quite literally a question of life or death for many people.

I'm not Church of England (cradle Catholic) and not a believer but you're making it sound as though the Church of England out of the blue decided to impose themselves on the nation.

This is a country with a Christian heritage whether you like it or not, and they are not a ‘minority group’

But they ARE a minority group. That is a fact. practicing, church going christians are a very small minority, whether you like it or not.

I do not respect organised religion in general and particularly christian religion

Yes, I kinda got that impression. Why Christianity in particular?

Currently just 14 percent of Britons identified themselves as Church of England, and 8 percent as Catholic. This represents nearly a quarter of the population, so it is a minority, but maybe not as small a minority as FudgeDrudge's angry posts keep pointing out.

I'm not Church of England (cradle Catholic) and not a believer but you're making it sound as though the Church of England out of the blue decided to impose themselves on the nation

Not in the slightest, I didn't comment on how it came about. You ar entirely right, except you forgot to mention that its in the past. It's history, the days are gone when the UK was an actual Christian country. Not anymore.

I do actually feel mildly irritated by people who say wensday rather than Wedensday. I think it ruins the traditional significance.

Currently just 14 percent of Britons identified themselves as Church of England, and 8 percent as Catholic. This represents nearly a quarter of the population, so it is a minority, but maybe not as small a minority

But only a fraction of those are church going practitioners.
Merely calling yourself something doesn't give you rights to bludgeon others with it.

Christianity is the state religion. So factually this is a Christian country regardless of the number of actual believers.

@Wearywithteens

FudgeDrudge

I wish I could introduce you to some the Christians I know of and work with. People who spend time running food banks, running holiday lunch clubs, doing night pastor work with very vulnerable people with mh issues, homelessness and addictions. The teachers, doctors and nurses who do it because the feel called to care about others. The quiet unassuming retired people who make regular checks on the elderly in their community. The youth workers who put on lovely events for children and try to bring a bit of spiritual awe and wonder into the season beyond the commercialism. A lot of Christian money goes into charity projects doing all sorts of vital humanity work both here and abroad,

This is a country with a Christian heritage whether you like it or not, and they are not a ‘minority group’. Pity you are too enraged about Christmas stamps to see the good they try to do and the vulnerable people they try to serve.

Agreed - and I know people will come back and say that you don’t need to be a Christian to do this, but if people do it because they are Christian and they believe this is what they are called to do does it matter? I have a friend who is a Street Pastor and another who works in the Money Advice Centre. Both do sterling work in a quiet unassuming way.

I am also fine with people being entirely committed to Christianity and never going to church.

I don’t feel bludgeoned by any kind of stamp, although I might if a lockdown rule set is produced.

Anyone who think Cmas in the UK is a religious festival is an idiot.

No. Anybody who shows no respect for the festivals of other religions is an idiot. I don't believe in any deity yet I respect people who do just as I expect them to respect my beliefs.

What I do not like being expected to respect are people who don't respect others.

And this is incredibly annoying. It's a made up date pasted onto a pagan festival, at a time of year when most traditions have lights, green boughs, food and presents. None of that is religious.

Eh? Pagan religions are still religions. Unless you are a sun worshiper, it's a bit odd to complain about the clash of dates.

Hanukkah and Diwali involve, candles and I think Chinese new year sometimes involves pressies. Druids used to do the green boughs thing along with human sacrifice. I'm not sure how any of that means Christmas isn't a religious festival- why are you annoyed by PP saying it is?

Maybe a set to celebrate the vaccines? Definitely not a lockdown one.

Merely calling yourself something doesn't give you rights to bludgeon others with it.

You'd struggle to bludgeon others with a postage stamp. #justsaying

The pen may be mightier than the sword but the stamp isn't.

Merely calling yourself something doesn't give you rights to bludgeon others with it.

Get yourself over to the Feminist boards: apparently it does!

Yes, I kinda got that impression. Why Christianity in particular?

Like asking why someone hate Muslims or black people. I can't imagine you'll get a rational response.

Maybe a set to celebrate the NHS. Celebrating the vaccine would lead to an anti vaccine meltdown.

But so many " identifying" as christians are not really- many are sit on the fence wishy washy haven't given it much thought christians.

I remember as a child thinking about this idea. During a national census my parents ticked boxes - "caucasian", "Bristish born" etc, and ticked the "christian" box.
We never had a bible in the home - my parents never attended church, they didn't pray or teach me bible stories- yet somehow considerd themselves christian by default somehow.
I suspect many of that happily diminishing 14% of people who identify as christian are in that sit on the fence/can't be arsed to think brigade.

What I do not like being expected to respect are people who don't respect others. Oh yes, I'm normally quite assertive but never really stood up to the idiot at work who thought he was something special because he didn't believe in any religion. I often thought about being rude to him about his beliefs when he was rude about my religion or someone else's religion. Don't know why I didn't except I didn't actually want to talk to him.

I do actually feel mildly irritated by people who say wensday rather than Wedensday. I think it ruins the traditional significance.

YABU it's Wōdnesdæg and you aren't doing it propperly if you don't kill at least one Saxon.