Belgian town: christmas Nativity scene offensive.

[Fuiking]

I was wondering where Holsbeek was, then I found its near Louvain and was ''wtf? that place?! wot?'' Then I got distracted by the nice castle (with a rather cracked tower) and totally forgot about this whole shit

[Jessicka]

Wicca is a modern invention, they may not have even known of its existence if it was pre-1970s. The pentagram was also associated with Christianity, as it is just an easy to draw star.

It's one of the newer looking parts, so I have no idea. The cross of St Peter is also associated with Christianity, but has greater association with devil worship, 5 pointed stars have the same sort of history in any orientation. I just thought it amusing that they should pick it given that.

[Kalis]

It's one of the newer looking parts, so I have no idea. The cross of St Peter is also associated with Christianity, but has greater association with devil worship, 5 pointed stars have the same sort of history in any orientation.

You mentioned Wicca though, but Wicca is obscure even today in Britain and has no actual connection to anything ancient (my mother is older than Wicca), why would a church or council bother taking it into account when deciding on what star to use?

[Deleted]

TB is so old fashioned. Maybe AIDS, Herpes and Cancer are more appropriate?

I guess this not the thread to mention that i was accosted by a religous person at lunchtime today?

Rp "would you like a leaflet about life and death?"

Me "no thanks. Would you like a leaflet on mental illness?"

Rp "are saying im mentally ill?" looking around for a policeman

Me "i just asked if you wanted a leaflet"

[Underverse]

Christmas has lost most of its religious tenets for a lot of people, but the nativity scene is one element that retains most of its religious connotations, which I do not believe is true for other icons like the Christmas tree. On this basis, I don't see a problem with not setting up nativity scenes on public property. On the other hand, removing one on the basis of offense is stupid.

[Jessicka]

You mentioned Wicca though, but Wicca is obscure even today in Britain and has no actual connection to anything ancient (my mother is older than Wicca), why would a church or council bother taking it into account when deciding on what star to use?

I don't think Wicca had anything to do with the decision, which is kind of my point. That they ended up with a Nativity scene with a symbol which is also often associated with anti-Christianism; and the main symbol of an entirely different religion.

[Pantelija]

I guess this not the thread to mention that i was accosted by a religous person at lunchtime today?

Rp "would you like a leaflet about life and death?"

Me "no thanks. Would you like a leaflet on mental illness?"

Rp "are saying im mentally ill?" looking around for a policeman

Me "i just asked if you wanted a leaflet"

Ow the edge

[Deleted]

Christmas is a fucking lunatic festival - if you really want to go all out better be prepared to be looked as a fucking insane drug junkie.

[Miyagie]

The Burqa is offensive to me, so it should be banned.

If the above is not a natural consequence of the OP, then we (shocker, I know) live in a society with double standards and should take efforts to correct this. I am not religious and I don't give a flying fuck about church bells ringing time and again on the 24th where I live. Wouldn't it be nice if the same sort of "I don't care"-ness could be extended the other ways around.

The Burqa has nothing to do with religion its there to protect woman and help man not to sin.

[Kalis]

I don't think Wicca had anything to do with the decision, which is kind of my point.

It is an obscure modern sect that most people probably haven't heard of and if they did may well not know the symbols they use, so not really surprising if they didn't consider a five pointed star as symoblic of devil worship. I would just regard it as a star and I have heard of Wicca, I'm not really sure what your point is.

[Independent voter]

How is it offensive, do the statues animate, throw off their clothes and go at one another? Practicing unsafe sex?

[Jessicka]

It is an obscure modern sect that most people probably haven't heard of and if they did may well not know the symbols they use, so not really surprising if they didn't consider a five pointed star as symoblic of devil worship. I would just regard it as a star and I have heard of Wicca, I'm not really sure what your point is.

That it was funny, to me, as someone who actually can differentiate these things.

[Kalis]

That it was funny, to me, as someone who actually can differentiate these things.

Surely it is more amusing that Wicca has used a symbol more commonly associated with Christianity, what with Christianity being nearly 2,000 years older.

[stabetha]

Pretty much why it was done, a lot of atheist did not like it.

if seeing some statues can offend them so much their life must be terriable.

[Jessicka]

Surely it is more amusing that Wicca has used a symbol more commonly associated with Christianity.

I've never honestly associated it that way, it always came up as a symbol of "devil worship", but like I said, that's no different from the Cross of St Peter (Inverted Cross) in that respect either. As far as I was concerned the 'Christian' star was a Crucifix-shaped 4 or 8 pointer. Clearly our experiences differ, and why I found it amusing and you wouldn't notice.

[Prothynyas]

why is it oke to tolerate * some people's * culture
when those * some people * don't tolerate * your * culture .. so weird , and it feels offensive

[Netherspark]

Put up a christmas tree, blind the whole town with a million fairy lights, all good. But I draw the line at nativities and baby jesuses.

Why not? They have been part of our Western cultural tradition going back centuries.

So has alot of other stupid things....

[Kalis]

I've never honestly associated it that way, it always came up as a symbol of "devil worship", but like I said, that's no different from the Cross of St Peter (Inverted Cross) in that respect either. As far as I was concerned the 'Christian' star was a Crucifix-shaped 4 or 8 pointer. Clearly our experiences differ, and why I found it amusing and you wouldn't notice.

You've never associated it that way. It is an easy to draw star and the star has played a role in Christianity since early on.


My Church of Blue Stilton, est. 2016, uses a crescent moon symbol. Ha ha, look at those Muslims using a crescent moon! Don't they know that is associated with cheese worship?

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So has alot of other stupid things....

We tend to only drop them when they are harmful or stop being popular, a Nativity Scene is certainly not harmful (hence why any comparison to child labour or TB is retarded) and they have them all over the West, so hardly unpopular.

[Noctus78]

It's fromTelegraaf.nl.....Lately they seem to spread more and more of these stories (some of them more then years old, suddenly brought back as news by them) without any decent background info.
There is still the possibility there is some truth in this story (although i doubt it), there is some big crowd drawing conclusions already when they read this.

[stabetha]

The Burqa has nothing to do with religion its there to protect woman and help man not to sin.

ummm....yeah.... I....ah never mind not worth the time.