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>Laura, I think you misunderstand what I said. I >certainly was not knocking folk buying presents for >people they love! I was knocking the big hoo har in >the shops every Christmas! Don't you think it's a bit >sad that people go into debt and some of them end up >losing their house because of the pressure to spend >spend spend? Because I do.Do you think the management >at Tesco and Asda and all the other big guns give a >stuff about Jesus? I doubt it! All they care about is >the god of cash! > >I also buy presents for the folk I love. I just don't >let corporate greed dictate to me what I should buy. >Sometimes, I make a gift. I grow my own raspberries >and make lovely home made jam with fairtrade organic >sugar. I made christmas cakes one year. When you make >a special gift, you're giving a part of yourself. If I >do buy things, I try to buy fairtrade. But I certainly >was not slating anyone for buying Christmas presents! > >If I sound Jesus Armyish, I guess thats because I was >part of them for 4 years. I only left because of the >bullying. I actually liked a lot of what they were >about, and they opened up the Bible for me, and I will >always be grateful to them for that. > >It's just a great pity that they do not seem to trust >the Holy Spirit to lead the church. Because if they >allowed the Holy Spirit to lead the bullying would >cease. >>I think it is a shame not to celebrate >Christmas. I >>>think all this present buying is a real shame too - >>>it's a ridiculous burden for people to feel obliged >to >>>show love for other people by buying stuff. I hate >>>that aspect of christmas. I agree with the JA on the >>>madness of the present buying aspect of christmas. >>>It's a mad spending binge! >>> >>>But what a great opportunity they miss if they do not >>>celebrate the birth of Jesus! It's a shame to waste >>>that opportunity to tell people what the birth of the >>>Messiah meant for us all. And we have so many lovely >>>carols to sing, that have been written over the >years. >>> >>>There is so much about the JA way of life that I >>>really admire. I feel glad that I was a part of it - >>>the experience taught me so much. I did not like the >>>bullying though, that was not good. But the simple >way >>>of life - the home made birthday cards and cakes - >the >>>shared fruitpicking harvests, the picnics, the >>>reaching out to lost souls, these were good. The JA >>>threw away the baby when they decided not to >celebrate >>>christmas though. They should reclaim christmas, and >>>Easter, and celebrate them in their own unique way - >>>reclaim these days for Jesus. >>> >>>Everyone knows that Jesus was not really born on >>>December 25th, but it does not matter! We can still >>>set aside this day to celebrate one of the great days >>>of world history - the others being Easter Sunday and >>>Good Friday. These are the days that God reached doen >>>to rescue us humans. It doesn't matter if these were >>>not the exact days - the main thing is that we >>>remember them, and don't allow them to be trashed up >>>by commercialism and corperate greed. >> >>I don't think because you enjoy buying presents for >>family means that you are caught up in >>commercialism... sure some people do get caught up in >>a bit of a trap where they feel they need to buy the >>most expensive things for kids etc. Personally though >>I don't feel 'obliged' to buy things, I enjoy looking >>for little gifts that I think people will like and >>maybe make them smile... When in the JA I did miss >>being able to give something to my parents and now I >>appreciate being able to do so... for me it's a way of >>saying thanks for all they've done for me. I don't see >>how this is in any way in contradiction with the >>Christian Christmas message. It is just a way of >>celebrating something, whether that is for you the >>Christian message of Jesus's birth or if it is a more >>pagan seasonal type of celebration about the >>lengthening of the days etc.. If you choose whether to >>give and receive gifts or not, is a personal choice, >>but I don't think you should slate everyone who does >>so as caught up in commercialism... it is a very >>simplistic way of looking at it (and very much the >>sort of thing the JA would say)... and simply not >true!
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