No Religious Christmas cards

[mumofEandE]

I was in one of those 'cheap card shops' and a customer asked if there were any Religious Christmas cards.
There weren't.
I am not a practising Christian/ or practising anything (!) but this really made me feel that this is wrong!

What's the point of a card saying Seasonal Greetings? You'd be sending one 4 times a year. Have a Cool Yule or a Merry Christmas. Otherwise why bother. Save yourself the aggro.

@Abhannmor

What's the point of a card saying Seasonal Greetings? You'd be sending one 4 times a year. Have a Cool Yule or a Merry Christmas. Otherwise why bother. Save yourself the aggro.

What's the point?

You want people to know you address thinking of them, but you don't necessarily think that other phrases are appropriate.

I don't send cards, but I know someone that also looks for seasons greetings (not seasonal), because they are aware that not everyone will be having a Merry Christmas, or be looking forward to a happy new year, due to illness, bereavement etc. As for 'have a cool yule' - it's probably fine for twelve year olds.

They are not hard to get - every charity shop has them. I always send a nativity scene, but have never bought from a church.

Christmas is about Jesus in name only, nothing else, wonder where they thing the majority of Christmas symbols come from.

Blow their mind with Easter, rabbits and eggs are nothing to do with rebirth of Jesus and more to do with a pagan fertility goddess

I wonder if people are so disrespectful toward other religions as well (Jews, Muslims, etc)

I find this kind of attitude from religious people so bizarre. Why do you deserve respect? Respect is earned. You can choose to believe in something for which nobody in the history of human life on earth has a single shred of evidence for, you go for it, but why do you automatically expect respect from people who think your beliefs are utter nonsense?

I would also love to know more about the cat that eats children!

I wonder if people are so disrespectful toward other religions as well (Jews, Muslims, etc)

I respect people's right to religion, however said religions are open to be taken apart and deidiculed.

@LocalHobo

I bought a couple of lovely cards with 3 Kings image and words referring to following a star from The Card Factory yesterday. I think they were 89p. I'm sure there were others along the same religious theme. Maybe your store had sold out?

What? The 3 Kings followed a star from The Card Factory??? Wow, I didn't even know the company existed way back then!

www.medievalists.net/2019/12/the-yule-cat-of-iceland-a-different-kind-of-christmas-tradition/

Enjoy! I want a full collection of Yule Lads plus Christmas Cat, but they were painfully expensive in Iceland.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry that someone thought my post was serious

I’m with you OP

I’m not a practising Christian but I like traditional cards, not baby Jesus, but three wise men please!

@ErrolTheDragon Yes I do know the symbolic significance of the dove. The dove on the card carries an olive branch, a clear reference to the Old Testament and the story of Noah's Ark, which has nothing to do with the birth of Christ. The dove is also occasionally used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit - but how many non-practising Christians or those of other faiths (or indeed none) would immediately recognise that?

And for the other cynics, yes I did look, and it just goes to show that you had to go through the whole lot with a fine tooth comb to find anything at all - which you did more thoroughly than me, since I was about to go out, and have only just got back in. @brieislife - you managed to find a whole three. Three out of 41.

I don't care one way or the other whether I give or receive cards with any kind of religious symbolism on them. I chose Tesco only because I happened to have their tab open anyway, looking at their kettles.

If I'd known I was going to stir up the indignant hornets by posting, I wouldn't have fucking bothered.

i wonder why so many deleted posts ?
anyway, from my experience, esp in bargain type shops, the staff rarely know much about their stock, or show much interest, so there might well have been some lurking in there somewhere.
i've often pointed other customers in the right direction for things that i'd noticed in passing; that the staff shrug/ say don't know.
alumni of the waynetta slob school of retail training.

What? The 3 Kings followed a star from The Card Factory??? Wow, I didn't even know the company existed way back then!

Sorry, I often struggle with the correct grammar.

I too suspect the staff member just said no so they didn't have to do anything.
I don't think I have ever been in a card shop at Christmas that didn't have some religious cards. They are pretty common.

The card factory has various religious Christmas cards.
www.cardfactory.co.uk/christmas/card-ideas/religious-christmas-cards/

@WhatdoImean

The truth is... despite any claims to be Christian, I suspect the majority of people in the UK are secular. As a result "invasion" is simply people being born (you know, IN THE UK) and growing up with less deference to Church and state. If anyone wants to celebrate Christmas, Diwali, whatever, go ahead - knock yourselves out. Not for me to say you cannot.

The simple truth is that if people wanted to buy lots of religious cards, then shops would SELL lots of religious cards. Shops offer them, but they do not sell as well as more "neutral" cards.

Finally (and yes, this is a bit of a diversion :-) )- as noted, the early Christian church had a great habit of taking over existing festivals and "re-purposing" them - along with religious sites. Take somewhere where people had been meeting for the past couple of hundred years for the local druidic/wiccan faith and build a church there. Though... to be fair.... the Romans were the best at this kind of stuff, but that is another story.

Indeed! In Jersey there is a Neolithic passage grave that had a church built smack on top of it.

Mrs T-P,
"I am curious what the Christians would like the atheists to do"

They could do what an atheist friend of mine does/doesn't do. Doesn't trim up, or give presents but spends time manning a homeless shelter/soup kitchen for Crisis at Christmas;

www.crisis.org.uk/crisis-at-christmas/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAkZKNBhDiARIsAPsk0WhZWSODVl9aQ2osvh4ThLYd77Y3e7ZPVkiuzvva3eqPqSti9pZrcXwaAnzeEALw_wcB

They could do what an atheist friend of mine does/doesn't do. Doesn't trim up, or give presents but spends time manning a homeless shelter/soup kitchen for Crisis at Christmas;

I've worked more Christmases than most at homeless shelters. Ironically the person you want at a homeless shelter at Christmas is a Christmassy atheist. We do cheer without expectation. I don't totally understand why atheists as a rule should be more 'Christian' at Christmas than Christians.

And it's not really Christmas Day that's the issue. It's the two month nonsense around it when people get their knickers in a twist about what atheists do or don't do. On the actual day, no one thinks twice about us.

alumni of the waynetta slob school of retail training.

Snob.

So atheists have to show more Christian Goodwill than Christians.

I'll stick to the traditions I like, thank you. Seeing as Christianity largely stole them from paganism perhaps you need to spend your time showing Christian charity and leave people that don't share your beliefs alone.

Mrs T-P,
" I don't totally understand why atheists as a rule should be more 'Christian' at Christmas than Christians."

Who says they should?

You asked me a question and I gave a suggestion. "Crisis" works all the year around, not just at Christmas.

WorriedMums,
"So atheists have to show more Christian Goodwill than Christians."

Again, where does that idea come from?

"perhaps you need to spend your time showing Christian charity and leave people that don't share your beliefs alone."

Not quite sure who that is aimed at

Mrs T-P

"It's the two month nonsense around it when people get their knickers in a twist about what atheists do or don't do."

Where on earth do you get that idea from?!

Although, I am also sick of hearing carols being played in shops from October to Christmas Eve.