How do I explain Christmas to the misses.

[jak2002003]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

The message that Christ taught was of love ( not the romantic sort, but love of fellow man ), but unfortunately humans primary motivation is IMO greed. Riches now usually trump heaven later.

Have you read the new testament?

 

The character of Jesus actually tells the reader he did not come to spread love or peace. He says he came with a sword, and to set father against son etc 

 

 

[jak2002003]

3 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Your opinion you but can believe whatever you like.

You think they had artificial insemination back then? 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, jak2002003 said:

Have you read the new testament?

 

The character of Jesus actually tells the reader he did not come to spread love or peace. He says he came with a sword, and to set father against son etc 

 

 

Indeed the Bible tells us that, but  the message he preached was to love one another and forgive transgressions against ourselves.

The sword etc would need to be understood in the context that he used it.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

You think they had artificial insemination back then? 

IMO it's not difficult to do with a fresh sample. Where it gets difficult is preserving semen for any length of time.

[jak2002003]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Indeed the Bible tells us that, but  the message he preached was to love one another and forgive transgressions against ourselves.

The sword etc would need to be understood in the context that he used it.

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

 

In what context could that be peaceful message? That's the trouble with Christians, they will twist and manipulate the Bible to suit themselves.

 

What about this ...is the context peaceful?  

 

Luke 14:26 NASB

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters... he cannot be My disciple.

 

[jak2002003]

OP ...if you want to know about the Christmas festival is suggest you read this article

 

https://www.themonastery.org/blog/yule-want-to-read-this-the-pagan-origins-of-christmas

 

[jak2002003]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO it's not difficult to do with a fresh sample. Where it gets difficult is preserving semen for any length of time.

So....you saying Mary was inseminated with sperm and not the virgin mother of god / Jesus ? 

 

 

[GreasyFingers]

6 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

 

In what context could that be peaceful message? That's the trouble with Christians, they will twist and manipulate the Bible to suit themselves.

 

What about this ...is the context peaceful?  

 

Luke 14:26 NASB

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters... he cannot be My disciple.

 

You must have a pagan bible.

The quote is: "Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother,wife and children, brothers ans sisters, and themselves as well"

Edited December 27, 2021 by GreasyFingers

[cooked]

Plenty of really clever comments here of course.

Tell her that it is a religious festival originating in the fact that people started slaughtering their cattle before the onset of winter, that it is a season of giving, family love, caring. And too much beer and icecream.

But don't let me stop you clever guys sneering, it's all the rage at present.

[Harveyboy]

don't need to explain anything just give her gold as a present each 25 December..she wont care about Why she got it 

[Harveyboy]

On 12/26/2021 at 8:46 AM, ikke1959 said:

If you don't know what Christmas is about, it is difficult to explain to somebody else...and 3 wise men and a virgin even I would not know what it could be...

this is Thailand where you going to find 3 wise men and a Virgin..ha 

[The Hammer2021]

You probably  have insuficient knowledge to explain the story  of the birth of jesus in roman occupied Jerusalem, the census, and the role of herod in murdering all babies, the flight to Bethlehem and the subsequent search for a place to stay

[alex8912]

On 12/25/2021 at 11:04 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Good luck getting the real story 600 years after the event. I'm pretty sure Jesus wasn't around in the 6th century, at least in physical form.

Pretty good going at 90 traveling all the way to Egypt and back, probably on foot.

 

Anyway, whatever his age Mary was pregnant when they got married, and that makes her "not a virgin" in my book.

Or " like a virgin" in Madonna's book. 

[tomazbodner]

 

[LikeItHot]

Tell her it's a mythical holiday just like all her holidays

[sipi]

Yeah, the OP was sort of in jest, with a hint of reality.

The wife has tried to explain to me how the Ngawa people live at the bottom of the river and come out at Songkran to wet everyone.

Of course I keep a straight face. Hey, maybe she's right?

[Almer]

Ummm, I think you need to start “ once upon a time” and then see the level of intetest

[Almer]

47 minutes ago, Harveyboy said:

don't need to explain anything just give her gold as a present each 25 December..she wont care about Why she got 

41 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

You probably  have insuficient knowledge to explain the story  of the birth of jesus in roman occupied Jerusalem, the census, and the role of herod in murdering all babies, the flight to Bethlehem and the subsequent search for a place to stay

were there flights to Bethlehem, they didn’t say that in RE they said they went on a Donkey, and all these years I believed them so much for Grammar school.

[sead]

On 12/26/2021 at 4:31 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

Life of Brian does NOT say Jesus was a myth ( it actually shows him preaching and treats him seriously and with respect ) nor does it dispute that he was born in a manger with wise men etc gathered around. Many make the mistake of claiming that L O B mocks Jesus, which could not be further from the truth

 

If the OP is serious, it's not about Santa, presents, getting drunk after eating too much, or trees. The equivalent to Buddhism would be that Jesus had a message about how to live to enter Nirvana.

And then the problem comes when they think Buddha is a god and nirvana is what?

Believe me I've questioned many Thais on the subject of Buddha. And most doesn't have a clue

[Freddy42OZ]

On 12/26/2021 at 8:38 AM, sipi said:

I told her about the three wise men and the virgin, and she didn't understand what I was talking about.

 

Tell her there were 3 old farangs who all thought they were wise. 

They all met the same Thai woman who told them she was a 30 year old virgin (she was really a 45 year old mother of two)

All three "wise" farangs showered her with gifts and sent her money because she told each of them she was their girlfriend.

Then one day she told all three of the farangs that she was pregnant and the baby was theirs.   She started a bidding war to see who would offer the biggest Sin Sod and marry her. 

The three farangs all thought they were going to become kings in their new home and came rushing to marry their virgin bride.

They each bought her some land and built her a house.  (The land already belonged to her family but the "wise men" didn't need to know they were paying for land she already owned)

Once the houses were built and everything was in her name she had her 'brother' (who was really her Thai husband) chase the wise men away and they returned to their miserable existence back in their home countries.

And the Thai woman and all her Thai family lived happily ever after in the three houses she now owned. 

 

[Foghorn]

Tell her it’s when we give to children and not temples , we give for joy and not for receiving , no she won’t understand 

[peter zwart]

Prehistoric Swingers?

[spidermike007]

Ask a Terravada Buddhist to explain the teachings of Buddha. Or the laws of karma. Or the origins of true charity. 

 

Alot of skepticism on this thread. Believe if you want to believe. Nothing wrong with having some faith. And nothing wrong with choosing not to be a believer.

 

Acceptance and a lack of judgment is the real blessing.

 

Edited December 27, 2021 by spidermike007

[sipi]

On 12/26/2021 at 12:57 PM, bobandyson said:

Maybe not a fairy tale but just a huge misunderstanding or interpretation as to what really happened.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsCJyGepqM0

 

Well that was interesting.

I'm off to check out the other YouTube links here.

[SunsetT]

Dont try! Tell her you dont know because you are Jewish...555. Or tell her you dont know because you are Catholic. My missus thinks Catholics and Christians are different...555. Actually, when it comes to the international paedophile mafia known as the Catholic Church, she's not wrong!

Edited December 27, 2021 by SunsetT

[sipi]

20 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Was it a communication issue or a cultural one. 

 

I enjoy religious discussions with my wife but I am quite ignorant in Thai religious vocabulary. 

Cultural.

I tried to explain Easter once, that was worse.

[Neeranam]

1 minute ago, sipi said:

Cultural.

I tried to explain Easter once, that was worse.

I thought it might be easier as Thais understand reincarnation better than Westerners. I know many Westerners, including Christians that don't believe in incarnation! 

[allanos]

It seems that many of the members here are relying on Sunday School teachings (indoctrination) or RE classes for their knowledge of Christmas and/or Christianity.

 

There was NO historical Jesus, he is a matter of Christian faith. There is absolutely no mention of him in historical recordings of the period in question. The New Testament is NOT history.  It is a body of work written up to two hundred years following  the putative Jesus' death.

 

Christianity got its impetus from the Roman caesar Constantine the Great, at his mother's instigation and urging, to morph the god Sol Invictus, (invincible sun) into a new roman cult, and so Christianity took hold throughout the empire.

 

Queen Victoria's consort, the German Prince Albert, introduced the Christmas Tree (tannenbaum) into Britain in the mid-nineteenth Century, to add to the festivities which were by now part of the culture.

 

December 25th is not God's (Jesus') birthday, but a propitious pagan 

date, morphed with the new testament biblical stories to produce the tale we have been brain-washed into believing today.

 

As a disclaimer, such stories are no worse than many of those conjured up in Buddhism, Islam or Judaism.

Edited December 27, 2021 by allanos
typo

[Harveyboy]

4 hours ago, Almer said:

 

true haven't a got a clue  but ive been told my fictional god is better than the other fictional gods ..im happy with that

[ThaiAl]

very interesting