Gservo
30th December 2002, 01:48 PM
THIS is TRUE for 22 December 2002 Copyright 2002 www.thisistrue.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
MERRY XXXmas: One of the plastic reindeer in a Christmas display at the
Cavendish Square mall in Cape Town, South Africa, brought "complaints
from customers, particularly parents," over its ...uh... ornaments. The
one male reindeer in the group was "anatomically correct for an animal
of that size," said the manager of the company that designed the
display. But because his hind end was pointed toward shoppers, the
reindeer's charms ended up looking pretty big. "They were about 40mm in
diameter, but they weren't overly large," said Hein Conradie of Display
House after he was dispatched to emasculate the randy Rudolph. (The
Cape Argus) ...Now: about those silver belles....
YOUR ONCE-YEARLY GREETING IS HEREBY REJECTED: The Right Rev. Keith
Sutton, the Anglican Bishop of Lichfield, England, has condemned
"sentimental, superficial and false" Christmas card depictions of the
Nativity, saying people have it all wrong. Mary and Joseph were "asylum
seekers". Jesus was born to an "unmarried mother from a religious
family" which led to "all the cultural and social pressures you can
imagine." And the Three Wise Men? Unwitting players in an assassination
plot, he says. (London Telegraph) ...He has his way of telling the
story, we have ours.
BELIEVE IT: A substitute kindergarten teacher at Forest Hills Elementary
School in Coral Springs, Fla., is under fire after telling her class
that there is no Santa Claus. By the time parent Melissa Shea
complained to assistant principal Lisa George, Fabiola Mehu-Pelissier
had already been spoken to, with advice to "be more sensitive to
holiday traditions." That wasn't good enough for Shea, who wants the
teacher to be banned from class. "I feel like no matter what I do or
say now, the seed of doubt has been planted in [my daughter's] head,"
she complained. The school has thus agreed to bring in a Santa "with a
natural, full white beard" to "set the record straight" with the
kindergarteners, a school district spokesman says. (South Florida
Sun-Sentinel) ...That ought to mess them up for another 5-10 years.
DON'T BELIEVE IT: When more than a dozen kindergartens and child daycare
facilities in Victoria, Australia, "banned" Santa Claus, it became a
political issue. "I blame the Bracks Government for the demise of
institutions like Santa," complained Liberal leader Robert Doyle. Doyle
is "off with the elves," responded a spokeswoman for Premier Steve
Bracks. Some kindergartens decided to substitute clowns for Santa so as
to not offend minority groups, but minority leaders decried the action.
"Santa's part of the Australian way of life," said a spokesman for the
Australian Arabic Council. "We don't know how such a thing could be
offensive." A Jewish Community Council spokesman agreed, noting "We're
all about celebrating cultural diversity, not repressing it." Prime
Minister John Howard decided to settle the debate by declaring, "I
believe in Santa." (Melbourne Herald-Sun, Australian AP) ...Now, if
only people could believe in politicians.
OH! CHRISTMAS TREE: Toronto, Ont., Canada, city staffers put up a
decorated tree and decreed that it could only be called a "holiday
tree" in order to not offend non-Christians. "You can't be politically
correct all the time," said an angry Mayor Mel Lastman. The city
council unanimously approved a motion by the mayor to officially rename
the tree a Christmas tree. "I don't believe that the Christmas tree
will offend anyone," said City Councillor Gloria Lindsay-Luby. "The
Christmas tree is a Christian tradition, and we should respect all
religious and cultural traditions equally." (Toronto Globe) ...Though
preferably only for one week per year.
AWAY FROM THE MANGER: Police in Hamilton, N.J., are investigating a
kidnaping. Or, rather, a theft: the figure of baby Jesus was taken from
its manger in a Nativity display in front of a private home. "Whoever
did it must've really planned this out, you know like a bank robbery,"
said homeowner Candy Konczos. The Messiahnapers left a ransom note
demanding $800 "if you ever wanna see your baby Jesus again." The doll
was bought from Sears and worth about $69. A police spokesman said the
case "does smack of kids playing a prank," but the ransom note is "kind
of unsettling." The note was signed "Me, him and the other kid who was
really scared and didn't want to take your baby Jesus and the whole
time all he did was say stuff like you're going to hell." (Trenton
Trentonian) ...AKA the three Wiseguys.
SCROOGE-MART: The Wal-Mart store in Sterling, Colo., agreed to allow the
local Toys for Tots charity to put a huge box in the store's lobby so
shoppers could buy toys for needy children. "I've been keeping an eye
on that box every time I went to Wal-Mart, and was so excited as it
slowly began to fill," said Susan Kraich, who organized the drive.
"Over the weekend I heard that it was nearly full, so I went to pick it
up. I was devastated when I found it empty. There was everything in
that box -- clothing, sporting goods, food items." She discovered that
the store manager had ordered employees to remove all the items and put
them back on the store shelves for sale unless the person who put it
there had left the receipt with it to "prove" it had been paid for.
Wal-Mart manager Brad Barritt claims the store is "very community
minded. I'd hate to see a discrepancy over a few toys change that
perception in the eyes of the public," so he delivered $425 worth of
toys to Kraich's office. (Sterling Journal-Advocate) ...Which he could
afford to do, after selling a bunch of merchandise twice.
JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE: "'Santa' Steals Painkiller From Drug
Store" -- AP headline
MY HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU: The "Premium" edition of TRUE -- the full feed of
stories that was sent out to the paid subscribers on Monday - - with no
ads. I often get notes from people saying "If I could see what the
Premium edition was like, I might upgrade." I don't quite understand
that comment since, to me, Premium is just like the free edition, only
better: more stories, no outside ads (though, on the other hand, MANY
Premium subscribers have told me they stay on the free feed because
they find the ads interesting!), though there is often a "Premium
Extra" such as you see below. So here you go: a sample Premium edition,
with just a few changes to the letters section to omit duplication, and
a fresh Honorary Unsubscribe. (Upgrades start at just $10. For info see
http://www.thisistrue.com/upgrade.html ) Happy New Year!
o o o
I RAN OUT OF SPACE before I ran out of stories on the Christmas theme so,
as usual, here it is as yet another "Premium Extra":
NAUGHTY, NOT NICE: "The kid just woke up and saw this guy under the
Christmas tree," said Illinois Assistant State's Attorney Sandra
Navarro. Santa? Nope: the Grinch. The 10-year-old boy says the man
grabbed a bunch of unopened presents and took off. Police in Chicago
followed the trail two blocks where they arrested Jimmel K. Hill, 39,
on burglary charges. (Chicago Tribune) ...It's the thought that counts.
The story under the "Headline of the Week" had a cute bit in it too.
The "Santa" in question robbed a drugstore, demanding OxyContin (a
prescription drug that's often abused). The cops said they lost him,
but "No reindeer or sleds were observed in the area." They also
"immediately contacted the North Pole and verified Santa was there.
This Santa was definitely an impostor."
MY ESSAY LAST WEEK about why the GOOHF products are so popular (posted at
http://www.GOOHF.com/why.html ) continues to bring interesting
responses. Jim in Illinois: "I found your comments about the Barna
survey and the GOOHF cards and T-shirts interesting. Of course
everybody's different, so not everybody's reason for buying them is the
same. I consider myself an evangelical Christian, but don't relate to
Jerry Falwell or others who claim to speak for all of us. It's a shame
though, that most nonchristians get their opinion of what a Christian
is from the most intolerant of those claiming to be Christians. As for
those who would condemn you for your comments, I actually thought you
were very moderate with your comments. The Barna survey brought out
some points that we Christians need to remember. I still would like to
stress the point that Jerry Falwell does not speak for me." To be sure,
I've rarely heard from anyone who supports Falwell, but clearly some
are supporting him. But all in all, I got very little negative mail on
my essay (and the few that I *did* get berated me for "my" negative
comments on Evangelicals, which means they totally missed that the
words weren't mine, but rather the conclusions of a statistically
significant survey done by a *Christian* polling organization!)
In fact, most Evangelicals were with me on this one, such as Kirk, a
minister in New Brunswick, Canada: "I absolutely agree with your and
Barna's assessment of Evangelical Christians. It does not surprise me
that we are viewed as harshly as we are by the general public. Let me
say this, there are Evangelical Christians out there that dedicate
their lives to showing love rather than hate. It sickens me to see and
hear about people's lack of compassion (eg 'God hates queers' signs).
The truth is God loves everyone equally. God loves homosexuals,
lesbians, thieves, terrorists, and racists just as much as he loves
pastors, missionaries, nuns and priests. The issue has never been
whether or not God loves us, it has always been about do we love him. I
do and because of that I try to treat everyone as a human being first,
showing them the love and compassion that God has given to me. I don't
agree with everything other people do but it is not my job to judge
them."
When I ran Kirk's letter on Monday, IT brought some responses. Tricia
in Massachusetts: "Kirk said 'The truth is God loves everyone equally.
God loves homosexuals, lesbians, thieves, terrorists, and racists just
as much as he loves pastors, missionaries, nuns and priests.' Is it
just me, or does Kirk provide yet another example of why even 'good'
Evangelical Christians are perceived to be intolerant by classifying
homosexuals and lesbians with 'thieves, terrorists and racists'?" Kevin
in Oregon: "I understand that Kirks' comments are being taken by me
unintentionally as bad, but it is the manner in which he displayed them
that causes so many people to be offended. I understand that his lists
are probably 'Things that are usually condemned' vs 'Things that are
usually accepted', but as that is not clearly stated, many people will
create their own categories -- namely 'Things that I believe are Evil'
vs 'Things that I believe are Good.' Whatever the intentions of his
comments, lumping homosexuals into a group with thieves, terrorists and
racists is exactly the reason people like him are so hated. 'God loves
you anyway, even though you're scum of the earth!' Uh, thanks? (PS:
lesbians *are* homosexuals!)"
Pastor John in Oregon: "As a Christian Pastor (Lutheran-ELCA) I too
find it interesting how so many who call themselves Christian practice
Hate over anything else first. So much so, that when I am asked what I
do, for example when riding on a plane, I want to answer something like
'Lawyer'. You made a comment about the 'Christians' that picked a
funeral. A friend of mine, who is a Lutheran pastor and lesbian, felt
honored enough to have her church picketed by [the minister who led
them]. It truly is a sad day when you judge how 'Christian' you are by
how many Fundamentalists you piss off."
Crista in California: "I see that the GOOHF cards and shirts started
because someone told you you were going to hell, but my brother-in-law
is getting a shirt because he's pretty sure he lives in hell. He's a
native Californian who was transplanted to the Southeast by my sister.
She is a professor, and they're having the typical 'two-body' problem,
where he's not having a lot of luck finding a good job where they are.
On top of that, he's having a lot of trouble with culture shock. It's
stressful for both of them, but he has a sense of humor about the whole
thing, which is why I got the shirt for him. My mother thought I was
nuts thinking anyone would wear the shirt outside the house, but my
sister already assured me he'll wear it *everywhere*."
Finally, a quotation sent to me this week by TRUE's Official Consulting
Pastor, Dr. Rev. Rus from Fresh-Wind Ministry in Rochester, New York.
Rus is often good at putting everything into perspective: "It is the
test of a good religion whether you can joke about it." --G.K.
Chesterton (Rus's web site is http://www.Fresh-Wind.org )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
MERRY XXXmas: One of the plastic reindeer in a Christmas display at the
Cavendish Square mall in Cape Town, South Africa, brought "complaints
from customers, particularly parents," over its ...uh... ornaments. The
one male reindeer in the group was "anatomically correct for an animal
of that size," said the manager of the company that designed the
display. But because his hind end was pointed toward shoppers, the
reindeer's charms ended up looking pretty big. "They were about 40mm in
diameter, but they weren't overly large," said Hein Conradie of Display
House after he was dispatched to emasculate the randy Rudolph. (The
Cape Argus) ...Now: about those silver belles....
YOUR ONCE-YEARLY GREETING IS HEREBY REJECTED: The Right Rev. Keith
Sutton, the Anglican Bishop of Lichfield, England, has condemned
"sentimental, superficial and false" Christmas card depictions of the
Nativity, saying people have it all wrong. Mary and Joseph were "asylum
seekers". Jesus was born to an "unmarried mother from a religious
family" which led to "all the cultural and social pressures you can
imagine." And the Three Wise Men? Unwitting players in an assassination
plot, he says. (London Telegraph) ...He has his way of telling the
story, we have ours.
BELIEVE IT: A substitute kindergarten teacher at Forest Hills Elementary
School in Coral Springs, Fla., is under fire after telling her class
that there is no Santa Claus. By the time parent Melissa Shea
complained to assistant principal Lisa George, Fabiola Mehu-Pelissier
had already been spoken to, with advice to "be more sensitive to
holiday traditions." That wasn't good enough for Shea, who wants the
teacher to be banned from class. "I feel like no matter what I do or
say now, the seed of doubt has been planted in [my daughter's] head,"
she complained. The school has thus agreed to bring in a Santa "with a
natural, full white beard" to "set the record straight" with the
kindergarteners, a school district spokesman says. (South Florida
Sun-Sentinel) ...That ought to mess them up for another 5-10 years.
DON'T BELIEVE IT: When more than a dozen kindergartens and child daycare
facilities in Victoria, Australia, "banned" Santa Claus, it became a
political issue. "I blame the Bracks Government for the demise of
institutions like Santa," complained Liberal leader Robert Doyle. Doyle
is "off with the elves," responded a spokeswoman for Premier Steve
Bracks. Some kindergartens decided to substitute clowns for Santa so as
to not offend minority groups, but minority leaders decried the action.
"Santa's part of the Australian way of life," said a spokesman for the
Australian Arabic Council. "We don't know how such a thing could be
offensive." A Jewish Community Council spokesman agreed, noting "We're
all about celebrating cultural diversity, not repressing it." Prime
Minister John Howard decided to settle the debate by declaring, "I
believe in Santa." (Melbourne Herald-Sun, Australian AP) ...Now, if
only people could believe in politicians.
OH! CHRISTMAS TREE: Toronto, Ont., Canada, city staffers put up a
decorated tree and decreed that it could only be called a "holiday
tree" in order to not offend non-Christians. "You can't be politically
correct all the time," said an angry Mayor Mel Lastman. The city
council unanimously approved a motion by the mayor to officially rename
the tree a Christmas tree. "I don't believe that the Christmas tree
will offend anyone," said City Councillor Gloria Lindsay-Luby. "The
Christmas tree is a Christian tradition, and we should respect all
religious and cultural traditions equally." (Toronto Globe) ...Though
preferably only for one week per year.
AWAY FROM THE MANGER: Police in Hamilton, N.J., are investigating a
kidnaping. Or, rather, a theft: the figure of baby Jesus was taken from
its manger in a Nativity display in front of a private home. "Whoever
did it must've really planned this out, you know like a bank robbery,"
said homeowner Candy Konczos. The Messiahnapers left a ransom note
demanding $800 "if you ever wanna see your baby Jesus again." The doll
was bought from Sears and worth about $69. A police spokesman said the
case "does smack of kids playing a prank," but the ransom note is "kind
of unsettling." The note was signed "Me, him and the other kid who was
really scared and didn't want to take your baby Jesus and the whole
time all he did was say stuff like you're going to hell." (Trenton
Trentonian) ...AKA the three Wiseguys.
SCROOGE-MART: The Wal-Mart store in Sterling, Colo., agreed to allow the
local Toys for Tots charity to put a huge box in the store's lobby so
shoppers could buy toys for needy children. "I've been keeping an eye
on that box every time I went to Wal-Mart, and was so excited as it
slowly began to fill," said Susan Kraich, who organized the drive.
"Over the weekend I heard that it was nearly full, so I went to pick it
up. I was devastated when I found it empty. There was everything in
that box -- clothing, sporting goods, food items." She discovered that
the store manager had ordered employees to remove all the items and put
them back on the store shelves for sale unless the person who put it
there had left the receipt with it to "prove" it had been paid for.
Wal-Mart manager Brad Barritt claims the store is "very community
minded. I'd hate to see a discrepancy over a few toys change that
perception in the eyes of the public," so he delivered $425 worth of
toys to Kraich's office. (Sterling Journal-Advocate) ...Which he could
afford to do, after selling a bunch of merchandise twice.
JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE: "'Santa' Steals Painkiller From Drug
Store" -- AP headline
MY HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU: The "Premium" edition of TRUE -- the full feed of
stories that was sent out to the paid subscribers on Monday - - with no
ads. I often get notes from people saying "If I could see what the
Premium edition was like, I might upgrade." I don't quite understand
that comment since, to me, Premium is just like the free edition, only
better: more stories, no outside ads (though, on the other hand, MANY
Premium subscribers have told me they stay on the free feed because
they find the ads interesting!), though there is often a "Premium
Extra" such as you see below. So here you go: a sample Premium edition,
with just a few changes to the letters section to omit duplication, and
a fresh Honorary Unsubscribe. (Upgrades start at just $10. For info see
http://www.thisistrue.com/upgrade.html ) Happy New Year!
o o o
I RAN OUT OF SPACE before I ran out of stories on the Christmas theme so,
as usual, here it is as yet another "Premium Extra":
NAUGHTY, NOT NICE: "The kid just woke up and saw this guy under the
Christmas tree," said Illinois Assistant State's Attorney Sandra
Navarro. Santa? Nope: the Grinch. The 10-year-old boy says the man
grabbed a bunch of unopened presents and took off. Police in Chicago
followed the trail two blocks where they arrested Jimmel K. Hill, 39,
on burglary charges. (Chicago Tribune) ...It's the thought that counts.
The story under the "Headline of the Week" had a cute bit in it too.
The "Santa" in question robbed a drugstore, demanding OxyContin (a
prescription drug that's often abused). The cops said they lost him,
but "No reindeer or sleds were observed in the area." They also
"immediately contacted the North Pole and verified Santa was there.
This Santa was definitely an impostor."
MY ESSAY LAST WEEK about why the GOOHF products are so popular (posted at
http://www.GOOHF.com/why.html ) continues to bring interesting
responses. Jim in Illinois: "I found your comments about the Barna
survey and the GOOHF cards and T-shirts interesting. Of course
everybody's different, so not everybody's reason for buying them is the
same. I consider myself an evangelical Christian, but don't relate to
Jerry Falwell or others who claim to speak for all of us. It's a shame
though, that most nonchristians get their opinion of what a Christian
is from the most intolerant of those claiming to be Christians. As for
those who would condemn you for your comments, I actually thought you
were very moderate with your comments. The Barna survey brought out
some points that we Christians need to remember. I still would like to
stress the point that Jerry Falwell does not speak for me." To be sure,
I've rarely heard from anyone who supports Falwell, but clearly some
are supporting him. But all in all, I got very little negative mail on
my essay (and the few that I *did* get berated me for "my" negative
comments on Evangelicals, which means they totally missed that the
words weren't mine, but rather the conclusions of a statistically
significant survey done by a *Christian* polling organization!)
In fact, most Evangelicals were with me on this one, such as Kirk, a
minister in New Brunswick, Canada: "I absolutely agree with your and
Barna's assessment of Evangelical Christians. It does not surprise me
that we are viewed as harshly as we are by the general public. Let me
say this, there are Evangelical Christians out there that dedicate
their lives to showing love rather than hate. It sickens me to see and
hear about people's lack of compassion (eg 'God hates queers' signs).
The truth is God loves everyone equally. God loves homosexuals,
lesbians, thieves, terrorists, and racists just as much as he loves
pastors, missionaries, nuns and priests. The issue has never been
whether or not God loves us, it has always been about do we love him. I
do and because of that I try to treat everyone as a human being first,
showing them the love and compassion that God has given to me. I don't
agree with everything other people do but it is not my job to judge
them."
When I ran Kirk's letter on Monday, IT brought some responses. Tricia
in Massachusetts: "Kirk said 'The truth is God loves everyone equally.
God loves homosexuals, lesbians, thieves, terrorists, and racists just
as much as he loves pastors, missionaries, nuns and priests.' Is it
just me, or does Kirk provide yet another example of why even 'good'
Evangelical Christians are perceived to be intolerant by classifying
homosexuals and lesbians with 'thieves, terrorists and racists'?" Kevin
in Oregon: "I understand that Kirks' comments are being taken by me
unintentionally as bad, but it is the manner in which he displayed them
that causes so many people to be offended. I understand that his lists
are probably 'Things that are usually condemned' vs 'Things that are
usually accepted', but as that is not clearly stated, many people will
create their own categories -- namely 'Things that I believe are Evil'
vs 'Things that I believe are Good.' Whatever the intentions of his
comments, lumping homosexuals into a group with thieves, terrorists and
racists is exactly the reason people like him are so hated. 'God loves
you anyway, even though you're scum of the earth!' Uh, thanks? (PS:
lesbians *are* homosexuals!)"
Pastor John in Oregon: "As a Christian Pastor (Lutheran-ELCA) I too
find it interesting how so many who call themselves Christian practice
Hate over anything else first. So much so, that when I am asked what I
do, for example when riding on a plane, I want to answer something like
'Lawyer'. You made a comment about the 'Christians' that picked a
funeral. A friend of mine, who is a Lutheran pastor and lesbian, felt
honored enough to have her church picketed by [the minister who led
them]. It truly is a sad day when you judge how 'Christian' you are by
how many Fundamentalists you piss off."
Crista in California: "I see that the GOOHF cards and shirts started
because someone told you you were going to hell, but my brother-in-law
is getting a shirt because he's pretty sure he lives in hell. He's a
native Californian who was transplanted to the Southeast by my sister.
She is a professor, and they're having the typical 'two-body' problem,
where he's not having a lot of luck finding a good job where they are.
On top of that, he's having a lot of trouble with culture shock. It's
stressful for both of them, but he has a sense of humor about the whole
thing, which is why I got the shirt for him. My mother thought I was
nuts thinking anyone would wear the shirt outside the house, but my
sister already assured me he'll wear it *everywhere*."
Finally, a quotation sent to me this week by TRUE's Official Consulting
Pastor, Dr. Rev. Rus from Fresh-Wind Ministry in Rochester, New York.
Rus is often good at putting everything into perspective: "It is the
test of a good religion whether you can joke about it." --G.K.
Chesterton (Rus's web site is http://www.Fresh-Wind.org )