posted
Whereas even devout and practicing Christians don't have any good reason to believe that Jesus was born in December, whereas the traditions of Christmas, ancient and modern, are mainly either irrelevant or diametrically opposed to what Jesus is remembered for, and whereas there are enough non-Christians around that have this holiday thrust on them by cultural mandate, I thought I'd let you in on a little tradition I started for myself when I was a teenager.
As long as we're going to be celebrating this holiday today, whether we like it or not, let's celebrate it in rememberance of a truly great person who actually was (by the Julian calendar in use at the time) born on December 25th. So, without further ado, I give you...
Isaac Newton-mas!
When you decorate your tree and your house with beautiful lights, remember that these lights are symbols of the discepline of optics, which Newton advanced greatly in his lifetime.
When you give gifts, remember that those gifts are objects with mass. Each gift you give is acted upon by gravity, and both the giver and the receiver are unified by their shared minuscule physical attraction to the gift being given.
Remember that the mass of the gift, multiplied by the acceleration it achieves as you hand it to its intended recipient, equals the force at which the gift is delivered.
If you're not a Christian, or if you are a Christian and you're tired of seeing Jesus' memory trodden on by this increasingly profane and sacrilegious holiday, join me. This is the place to compose poems or songs about Isaac Newton, share stories of his life and how it has influenced yours, or just enjoy the alternate holiday cheer.
Merry Isaac Newton-mas!
Posts: 563 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
You know, as a Christian I opened this thread expecting to be offended, but instead I am quite delighted. I intend on sharing it with all of my family tomorrow morning.
One time at summer camp, me and some friends went skipping across the parking lot at full speed (don't ask). Our path took us to through a path of girls, one of whom had a balloon. On one of my skips, I got tangled in this balloon and fall rather not gracefully to the ground. Later when my friends who weren't there asked what happened, a witness said this (slightly paraphrased since it was 2 or 3 years ago): "So Josh was skipping and he skips real high and goes 'Woooaah' (high inflection), then this balloon attacks him and he's like 'Woahh' (low inflection). So he starts falling and then Isaac Newton appears. And he goes "Dude, you're falling". Then Josh goes "Nuh uh! I am so not falling!". The Newton goes "Dude. You're so falling. Like apple like boy". Then Josh goes "Dude. Crap. You're right". *splat!*"
So yeah, that's my most memorable instance of interaction with Newton, regardless of the fact that the whole conversation with him was simply the product of a caffeinated teenager at summer camp .
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Firstly I don't think anyone's being forced to Celebrate Christmas, the worst that happens in England is that there's (mostly) no shops open, and no-one goes to work. (And this isn't even in Law, this is just people choosing not to open) I know loads of non-Christians, mainly from other religions, who don't celebrate Christmas at all.
If you feel that Newton somehow he has 'more connection' to the traditions of Christmas as in your examples, then -
When you decorate your tree and your house with beautiful lights, remember that these lights are merely pale imitations of the Glory of God, which God actually created (essentially).
When you give gifts, remember that those gifts are objects with mass within the universe. Each gift you give is acted upon by gravity (invented by God), and both the giver and the receiver are unified by their shared minuscule physical attraction to the gift being given (caused by God).
Remember that the mass of the gift, multiplied by the acceleration it achieves as you hand it to its intended recipient, equals the force at which the gift is delivered. Approximately, what with Newtonian mechanics actually being 'wrong' so to speak.
And yes, I appear to be being facetious. Sorry about that.
"If you're not a Christian, or if you are a Christian and you're tired of seeing Jesus' memory trodden on by this increasingly profane and sacrilegious holiday, join me. This is the place to compose poems or songs about Isaac Newton, share stories of his life and how it has influenced yours, or just enjoy the alternate holiday cheer."
Yeah, this whole 'profane and sacreligious' thing just has a real ring of Oliver Cromwell to it. Profane how? Sacreligious how? And it's definitely not because lots of the 'traditions' aren't anything specifically to do with Jesus, because that could at the very worst be described as irrelevant. No one when they put up a Christmas tree, or eat a Yule log etc, is in any way worshipping Thor or some Pagan deity. That would be, for Christians, sacreligious. But it's not happening.
Personally while not offended by this, I do think it's, a bit sad, I hope that if I'd grown up in a Muslim or Jewish country I wouldn't have made up Chanu-Jesus-ca, or Eid(JESUS!). Live and let live neh?
quote:Originally posted by Dr Strangelove: One time at summer camp, me and some friends went skipping across the parking lot at full speed (don't ask). Our path took us to through a path of girls, one of whom had a balloon. On one of my skips, I got tangled in this balloon and fall rather not gracefully to the ground. Later when my friends who weren't there asked what happened, a witness said this (slightly paraphrased since it was 2 or 3 years ago): "So Josh was skipping and he skips real high and goes 'Woooaah' (high inflection), then this balloon attacks him and he's like 'Woahh' (low inflection). So he starts falling and then Isaac Newton appears. And he goes "Dude, you're falling". Then Josh goes "Nuh uh! I am so not falling!". The Newton goes "Dude. You're so falling. Like apple like boy". Then Josh goes "Dude. Crap. You're right". *splat!*"
posted
My physics students celebrated newtonmas last wednesday with food, drink, and fun physics games Posts: 4112 | Registered: May 2001
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Yes. This is the whole problem. At least in the US, it is not possible to go through december without being bombarded by christmas. If you guys kept it to yourselves, that would be "live and let live," but you don't... christmas is thrust upon me every year.
Posts: 4112 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Hey Paul! I don't know if you saw my post in the other thread, but thank you very much for the book! I plan on reading it and then sharing it with my friends . Merry ... errm ... Mas!
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Paul Goldner: My physics students celebrated newtonmas last wednesday with food, drink, and fun physics games
Fantastic! I wish I'd been in your physics class.
**
Thanks for all the glad tidings so far, everyone. I appreciate the way that this thread is generally being taken in the non-denominational spirit of “a bit of fun” in which it was intended.
Since I am so greatly enjoying the motion that this thread has, and since I don’t want that motion to be acted on by an unbalanced external force, I thought maybe I could start another thread in which more real feelings about Christmas can be discussed.
posted
I am going to replace the star on our tree with an apple. If it falls off and strikes 2 year old T. on the head, then I can introduce him to gravity--not that learning how to walk wasn't introduction enough.
quote:Originally posted by Dr Strangelove: One time at summer camp, me and some friends went skipping across the parking lot at full speed (don't ask). Our path took us to through a path of girls, one of whom had a balloon. On one of my skips, I got tangled in this balloon and fall rather not gracefully to the ground. Later when my friends who weren't there asked what happened, a witness said this (slightly paraphrased since it was 2 or 3 years ago): "So Josh was skipping and he skips real high and goes 'Woooaah' (high inflection), then this balloon attacks him and he's like 'Woahh' (low inflection). So he starts falling and then Isaac Newton appears. And he goes "Dude, you're falling". Then Josh goes "Nuh uh! I am so not falling!". The Newton goes "Dude. You're so falling. Like apple like boy". Then Josh goes "Dude. Crap. You're right". *splat!*"
You know i can only think of 3 people who would possibly be able to think this up, and i dont believe i was there for your run in with the terrifying balloon, im gonna guess that it was probably Sarah H?
Posts: 467 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Nah, 'live and let live' means doing only things you love (as much as you can anyway), spreading love amongst your fellow men and (most importantly) forego on forcing others to do the same as you if they do not love those things.
quote:If you guys kept it to yourselves, that would be "live and let live,"
So live and let live means hiding what we do in a dark room somewhere?
There's probably some room between that and forcing us to live in a dark room somewhere in order to avoid it.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
This is actually something I feel very strongly about. The vast majority of people in both our countries celebrate Christmas, and most of them do so in public ways. Live and let live certainly contains within itself the possibility that, when something is part of "live" for a large number of people, "letting them live" will mean that the rest have to see it.
Sorry, but there really isn't any way to have "live and let live" and not have you see Christmas when you venture out in public, at least in Canada and the U.S.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I do not celebrate Christmas, and although I see it ubiquitously, I have no feeling that people aren't letting me live. Once people force me to celebrate it myself, instead of just observing that lots and lots of other people do, THEN I'll have my toes trod upon.
Until that day comes (and G'd willing, it never will),
HAPPY NEWTONMAS!!
(And for pity's sake, what the heck is the matter with a little lightheartedness? Some folk just love love love the contentiousness, you know?)
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: Sorry, but there really isn't any way to have "live and let live" and not have you see Christmas when you venture out in public, at least in Canada and the U.S.
I haven't even said whether it bothers me yet.
Again, there is presumably some middle ground between the one and the other.
Added: Oh, by the way, Merry Christmas and Merry Newtonmas. Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Sorry arguing is forbidden when I observe Newtonmas, Even though some of you who have arguments that are silly, I can't argue with you, and I wish you all a safe and merry Newtonmas!
Jumpin on dis bandwagon.
Goodnight all you hatrackers!
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Ecthalion: You know i can only think of 3 people who would possibly be able to think this up, and i dont believe i was there for your run in with the terrifying balloon, im gonna guess that it was probably Sarah H?
Oddly enough, no. I don't think she was there either. It was Daryl. I'm tellin ya, he was crazy that night. We tried to get him up on stage to reenact it, but he chickened out.
Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
wow..... hes definately not one i would put to say that... im surprised he knew who Newton was...
Posts: 467 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Yes. This is the whole problem. At least in the US, it is not possible to go through december without being bombarded by christmas. If you guys kept it to yourselves, that would be "live and let live," but you don't... christmas is thrust upon me every year.
Firstly, it may well be different in the US, but here the only people bombarding you with the existence of Christmas are the shops, and if you don't like the capitalism, either campaign against it or move somewhere communist I don't think I've ever had Christmas mentioned to me by anyone religious. What would they say anyway? "Are you celebrating Christmas this year? You'd better! God's watching!"? That seems very odd.
As someone said (approx) "What's with the lack of lightheartedness, what are you, addicted to the contentiousness". Yes, I'm cool with the lightheartedness, but when people say things like "christmas is thrust upon me every year", how can I do anything but respond, "thrust how? Gunpoint?" As some atheist once said when some Christians were complaining that they were "oppressed" by modern society, "If I was in charge, I'd show you real oppression". In that vein, unless you have some surprising experiences that you haven't mentioned yet, I doubt you're really suffering from any real experience of being forced to celebrate Christmas.
Eduardo St. Elmo:
quote:Nah, 'live and let live' means doing only things you love (as much as you can anyway), spreading love amongst your fellow men and (most importantly) forego on forcing others to do the same as you if they do not love those things.
I'm not sure if you're saying that you have been forced to do these things, but if you are, again I'd contend that you don't really know what it is like to be actually forced. Unless, as said, you have some horrible experiences you want to share with us. And (yes, I'm sorry it's really pedantic) actually 'live and let live' has nothing whatsoever to do with "spreading love amongst your fellow men".
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