The city council of Denver last year I guess had prohibited christian float in their christmas parade (or it could be the new year parade instead). Anyway, there was a hue and cry, and so this year they’ve allowed christian floats, and also floats of any religious denomination. This year there’s going to be one float with nativity scene, while there haven’t been applications for floats from other religions. There is a fee of $10k to enter a float in the parade.

I think its ok to not have a multi-religion float parade. Since (I think) its a christmas parade, its fitting to have a christian float, and at the same time a Hindu or Buddhist float would seem sort of kitchy and 60′ish…

In India, strangers walking down the street or in stores don’t go about wishing people. It is people you know that the wishing and its reciprocation happens. Also, in India, there are a lot of cues related to religion on the person as opposed to the USA. So if even stores were to try to wish people ‘jabardasti’ they’d have a better chance at predicting whether to wish them Happy Eid or Happy Diwali.

“Can anyone whoÂ’s been in India more recently than I recall instances of Hindu holidays being traditionally tied to secular items, and HindusÂ’ being offended when the secular items were dissociated from the religious holiday?”

I can instead share a recent incidence that offers a twist on your question. A few weeks ago the Tamil association of Denver (or was it colorado) organized a Diwali function. Emails were sent out, memberships offered etc. I wanted to go but couldn’t. Next day I found out from one of my friends who was involved in organizing it in some capacity, that the function consisted of the tried-tested cultural programs complete with kids doing indian dances, some Indian film song numbers and dances etc. He also mentioned that there was a christian prayer in the beginning. Now this threw me off! That seems quite out of place to me. He grudgingly conceded that but was clearly uncomfortable saying what I was thinking – that the prayer shouldn’t have been put up unless the program was called something more secular like “holiday gettogether”, or they should have actively illicited prayers from other religions etc. He said people felt they’d be unsecular if they said no.

Am I the only one that thinks christian prayer at a Diwali function was inappropriate? I mean would they feel the same if a bunch of muslims offered to start it off with a namaaz? Or what about some Hindu aartis and bhajans at a Christmas celebration? This seems to me to be either a case of Hindus genuinely being secular even for arrangements that are clearly Hindu, or they continue to feel they have to pander to the “minorities”. Both of these views are quite incendiary I understand that, but I can’t come up with an acceptable answer to why it happened. And to top it off, it didn’t have the usual light the big brass lamp ceremony either. What’s Diwali without Diyas?

To the point of happy xmas vs. holidays – I personally wish xmas to only those I know are christians, the rest gets holidays. I’m content with that, and I think it causes least issues for the people involved.

And back to your point pg about no Hindu holidays, msn calender too doesn’t offer those even while it does offer a long list of calendar events. Microsoft has so many desis, and its not like their products are not sold in India; I wonder why Hinduism doesn’t show up for holiday markings on their calendar.

Ayn Rand would argue that it violates his right to life and liberty. I would think….But I could be wrong..

No, I am serious.

In fact, the government spend on X-mas is probably 0.00001% of the amount they spend on all the other useless stuff I listed above.

You’re offended? I’m livid.

Moornam, I am offended because the government expenditure on religion violates my constitutional right of being free from government establishment of religion. If food stamps for 4 year old orphans offend you, thats fine, but its not violating any of your constitutional rights.

It offends me to see my tax dollars being spent on celebrating the birthday of baby Jesus. Of course Wal Mart and Dairy Queen can celebrate whatever they want, but if the government wants to do it, I am going to sue them.

Please tell me this is a joke?

Next, I’m new to this site, probably too new to start bitching, but I’m going to anyway.

In regards to the stamp controversy mentioned at the end of this post, I find it increasingly frustrating that people in various minority communities complain constantly about being under-represented and ignored by the western cultures we live in. Because when those governments make a concerted effort to be inclusive, like in the case of this stamp which is a repro of a beautiful painting there is all this outrage. Honestly it seems to be just childish and annoying. I’m sure many here will disagree and have valid reasons, but honestly it feels as though the majority populations are being put in a no win situation a lot, and the minorities are looking quite ungrateful for any attempt they make to integrate while still celebrating the diversity of the minority populations. I think the complaining about the ANTM/bollywood post is just another example of this.

It offends me to see my tax dollars spent on -

1. Social Security
2. Medicare/Prescription Drug Plan
3. Saving companies and individuals from bankruptcy
4. Pork-barrel spends like roads and bridges to nowhere
5. Grants to foreign governments
6. Literally thousands of liberal welfare programs
7. Space endeavours with no ROI
8. Waging wars to promote democracy

… the list goes on.

In fact, the government spend on X-mas is probably 0.00001% of the amount they spend on all the other useless stuff I listed above.

You’re offended? I’m livid.

M. Nam

Good point.

These right wing newspapers who complain ominously about ‘attempts’ to de-christianse Britain need to turn their eye to the real source of the problems – Christians themselves (or ex-Christians)

The fact of the matter is that church attendance in the UK is the lowest in all of Western Europe and is still declining generally (although some churches, like African-Caribbean churches are increasing)

No point in blaming Muslims, Sikhs or Hindus for their relative adherence to religion and blaming them for the maginalisation of Christianity from public life when it is the secularisation of Britain through the decline in church attendance that is doing it.

But having said this, there are some politically correct liberals who do push this whole thing too far with their silly ideas.