Kirk Cameron wants people to ignore history and facts and accept that Christmas, and all of its traditions, are Christian. Oh and he wants you to pay good money to watch his movie about that too.

Courtesy of The Christian Post:  

Kirk Cameron is introducing a new way of thinking about Christmas and its many traditions this year with the film "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," in theaters on Friday. 

In his first release since "Unstoppable," Cameron aims to "put the Christ back in Christmas" this holiday season by attempting to debunk disparaging theories surrounding Christmastime. Furthermore, the actor shares his own ideas on where Christmas traditions originated, including loose Biblical interpretations of the Christmas tree and the nativity scene. It is the actor's hope that Christians are inspired to protect and preserve customary Christmas activities after watching "Saving Christmas." 

The "Growing Pains" star dismisses theories that Christmas is derived in the pagan celebration of Winter Solstice in "Saving Christmas," offering viewers a Biblical reference to items such as the Christmas tree instead. Furthermore, the film reveals Cameron's take on Santa Claus, the three wisemen, and why Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 each year. 

"We don't know this stuff, we kinda drink the Kool-Aid and believe pagans when they tell us they have ownership of these things," Cameron explained to CP.

Clearly Cameron is from the camp that believes that if you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. Which by the way, is kind of like Christianity itself. 

The facts are that we do indeed "know this stuff," and the origins of most of the pagan origins of Christmas traditions are well documented.

Speaking of history and facts Cameron might be interested to know that the Puritans who founded this country roundly rejected Christmas and outlawed its celebration.

And they were well aware of its origins as well:

When the Puritans rebelled against King Charles I, inciting the English Revolution, the popular celebration of Christmas was on their hit list. Victorious against the king, in 1647, the Puritan government actually canceled Christmas. Not only were traditional expressions of merriment strictly forbidden, but shops were also ordered to stay open, churches were shut down and ministers arrested for preaching on Christmas Day. 

The Puritans who came to America naturally shared these sentiments. As the Massachusetts minister Increase Mather explained in 1687, Christmas was observed on Dec. 25 not because “Christ was born in that Month, but because the Heathens Saturnalia was at that time kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into Christian” ones. So naturally, official suppression of Christmas was foundational to the godly colonies in New England.

Actually Cameron's efforts are part of a coordinated effort by Christians to take ownership of the holiday,  which of course makes it less accessible for those of us who do not embrace their faith.

And that is too bad, because Christmas is a great holiday for ALL Americans, and if Cameron, and his fellow Christians, really love it so much they should help to make it something that we all could enjoy without using it to cram their religion down everybody's throats.

By the way once you watch the trailer for this crappy little film it becomes quite apparent that it will not be changing ANYBODY'S mind about the true origins of the holiday.

Surely very offensive to Christians but you can't fault the accuracy.

I personally don't understand why we ever stopped worshiping fertility idols.

After all I would much rather pray to this then to have to deal with that poor masochistic bastard on the cross.

Pope Francis compares arrogant Christians to pagans. "It is an ugly thing."

Courtesy of Raw Story:  

At his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis urged Christians to imitate Jesus Christ by being humble and “small among the small.” 

“It is an ugly thing,” he said, according to Vatican Radio, “when you see a Christian who doesn’t want to humble himself, who doesn’t want to serve, a Christian who struts about everywhere: it’s ugly, eh? That is not a Christian: that’s a pagan!” 

He warned Christians against placing themselves above others and called on the faithful to be in solidarity with the poor. 

“Jesus Himself reminds us: He who has fed, welcomed, visited, loved one of the smallest and poorest of people, has done it for the Son of God,” the pope said.

Still holding out on my final verdict on this Pope, but damn I certainly like it when he knocks the legs out from under so-called "Christians" like Sarah Palin, Pat Robertson, and Franklin Graham. 

However I take great umbrage over the comparison of arrogant Christians to pagans, because helping others and being humble is NOT specifically a Christian trait, and to say otherwise is also arrogant.

Already dreading that whole "War on Christmas" debate again this year? Here let me help.

This was found on Facebook, and in my opinion is simply brilliant.

(If the image does not enlarge when clicking it try this link.)

Now before everybody starts getting pissy with me and accusing me of attacking Christmas, let me just say that is untrue. In fact I LOVE Christmas, and unlike some people, am perfectly happy saying "Merry Christmas" as opposed to "Happy Holidays."

Of course part of the reason for that is because I know the real Christmas story. (If you are somebody who does not enjoy learning that your preconceived notions about this holiday are all hooey, I beg you NOT to click this link. You clicked it didn't you?)

In fact this so-called "War on Christmas" is NOT the creation of liberals or atheists at all, and in fact was initially waged by those Christian hating Puritans! Wait, what?

US Air Force Academy spends $80,000 to accommodate pagan worship? Oh you KNOW this is going to make heads explode over at Fox News!

Courtesy of the LA Times:

In the still of a cold November evening, a small gathering of pagans, led by two witches, begins preparations for the coming winter solstice. But these are not just any pagans, and this is not just any setting. They are future officers of the United States Air Force practicing their faith in the basement of the Air Force Academy's cadet chapel. 

Their ranks are slim. According to the academy's enrollment records, only three of 4,300 cadets identified themselves as pagans, followers of an ancient religion that generally does not worship a single god and considers all things in nature interconnected. 

Still, the academy this year dedicated an $80,000 outdoor worship center — a small Stonehenge-like circle of boulders with propane fire pit — high on a hill for the handful of current or future cadets whose religions fall under the broad category of "Earth-based." Those include pagans, Wiccans, druids, witches and followers of Native American faiths.

In my opinion this is long overdue. Working to make cadets who have differing belief system than those that are, shall we say, more  accepted in this country, can really only make for a stronger, military force.

You know just to give a historical perspective, it should be noted that pagans were NEVER associated with evil, or the devil.  That was the sole creation of early Christians who wanted to undermine the healers, witchdoctors, shamans, and even mid-wives who they identified as posing a threat to the acceptance of their religion, and kept people from placing ALL of their faith in the Christian God, and his earthly representatives. (You can read more about that here.)

There was nothing new about what the early Christians did on behalf of their faith. That same scorched earth philosophy of dealing with religious competition was widely accepted in those times.

So it is nice to see that those old superstitions and fears can no be put to rest and that these once widely accepted belief systems can finally be practiced openly without fear of ridicule or retribution. 

Of course I say that knowing full well that for some there will simply NEVER be acceptance, and that they will cling to their superstitions and hate until their last days on this earth. One can only hope that their children will have a more open and accepting heart.