Nearly That Time for Damaging Kids

Overheard while driving:

Hay: "There's evidence that public school damages kids."

Chairman: "Yes, but me and my mates were damaged in a good way."

Well, nearly Christmas (although you wouldn't know it from the lack of shopping activity or TV adverts).

I swear that in a few millennia, archaeologists taking core samples of our compost heap will be able to date the various deposits by identifying the annual clementine peel and walnut shell layers.

Must get myself off to the supermarket shortly and stock up on some Blood of Christ with which to overindulge myself during the festive TV repeat season. I generally find that, just like a serious actor preparing for a role, I have to add a few pounds weight to see me through the festivities.

We were in a local cafe on Sunday and on the table was an advert for a crib festival. The advert was fostering the concept of a Christian Christmas and stated quite boldly that the nativity is supported by historical fact, quoting Luke; "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to their own town to register."

Now, obviously this oft-trotted 'fact' of history was never checked by the church in question, for the version Luke recounts has little basis in recorded historical fact, never mind about the discrepancies with Matthew of 10 years in Jesus' birth (Matthew places Jesus' birth at the time of Herod the Great, who was long dead by the time Quirinius was governor of Syria).

1. There is no record of a universal census under Augustus,
2. Provinces were taxed through their local satrap, and
3. The point of a tax census is local and there would have been no reason whatsoever for Joseph, resident in the province of Galilee which was ruled by Herod Antipas (son of Herod the Great), to travel to Jerusalem in Judaea, a totally different province administered directly by Rome and the home of a long dead (supposed) ancestor.

The whole story is a fabrication to shoehorn the nativity into Old Testament prophecy, as any Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and be of the house of David (various OT references).

Let's get back to basics and take the Christ out of Christmas, which was invented by the Christians in order to subvert the pagan winter solstice festival.