Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Bill O'Reilly

2007-03-12T04:32:15Z

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Bill O'Reilly is a [[conservative]] [[pundit]] and host of the show ''[[The O'Reilly Factor]]'' on the [[Fox network]]. On Comedy Central's ''The Colbert Report'', Stephen Colbert purports to play an over-the-top parody of the conservative pundits archetyped by O'Reilly.

Christmas

2007-03-12T04:25:28Z

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'''Christmas''' is a [[holiday]] which celebrates the birth of [[Jesus Christ]], literally Christ's mass. The mass is celebrated after sundown on the 24th of December by the Roman Catholic church and most Protestant denominations, and on January 7th by the Orthodox Catholic Church.

The story of the birth of Christ is told in the opening chapters of the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew. Each contains different elements of "the Christmas Story." The visit of the Archangel to the shepherds and the birth of Jesus in a manger are from Luke. The story of the Star of Bethlehem and the visit from the Wise Men bringing gifts of "gold, and frankincense and myrrh" are from Matthew.

In Western countries, during the Christmas season people generally hang up colored lights, place a Christmas (i.e. pine) tree in their house, sing carols (songs), and exchange gifts. Gift-giving commemorates the gifts given to the Christ child by the Wise Men and is symbolic of the fact that Jesus came as gift to mankind from God.

==History==

Christmas has had a long and complex history. Christmas is a relatively unimportant holiday in the Christian liturgy (less important, for example, than the Feast of the Epiphany). It is usually assumed that the historical Jesus was born in the Spring. The Catholic Church may have set a date near the date of the Winter Solstice in order to draw parishioners away from licentious pagan festivals occuring at about the same time of year, [[Saturnalia]]. Early Protestants, including the Puritans who settled in Plymouth, did not celebrate Christmas, which they denounced as Papist.

Many of the customs we have come to associate with Christmas developed in Victorian England, notably the Christmas Tree (which originated in Germany and was introduced in England by Prince Albert). The concept of Christmas as a family-centered celebration and a time of generosity, good will, and friendliness to neighbors, was promoted and codified by Charles Dickens in ''A Christmas Carol.''

In the United States, the image of Santa Claus (i.e. Saint Nicholas) and his reindeer has been shaped by Clement Moore's poem, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (with the famous opening line "'Twas the night before Christmas.") In other countries, the depiction of Santa vary widely. For instance, in the Netherlands, Santa Claus is shown in a bishop's mitre.

In the United States, during the twentieth century, gift-giving assumed a greater and greater role, and by mid-century had become of great commercial importance, to the point where some felt the religious aspects were becoming forgotten. As Stan Freberg put it<ref>in a recording, "Green Christmas"</ref> in 1958, "There are two S's in Christmas and they're ''both'' dollar signs." The single week before Christmas currently accounts for 25% to 30% of all retail sales.

==Modern-day cultural significance==

The tension between religious and secularized Christmas has waxed and waned periodically over the years. In recent years, the celebration of Christmas has become part of the "culture wars." [[Fox News]] pundits [[John Gibson]] and [[Bill O'Reilly]] claim that Christmas has come under attack by "[[liberal]]s. Christian conservatives want an increased recognition of the religious core of the holiday and for maintaining a separation between Christmas and other holidays occuring at the same time of year. On the other hand [[liberal]]s would rather see it combined with other seasonal holidays.

Currently, the War on Christmas continues unabated. For instance, in Wikipedia, the topic of Christmas has been overrun by secular and pagan points of view. In Canada, secularists have recently removed a Christmas tree from the lobby of a courthouse due to their multi-cultural bias.

==Notes and references==

<references/>

Liberal

2007-03-12T04:19:44Z

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'''Liberal''' is a term used to describe a person who generally is left-wing in his attitudes towards the government, establishment, and many other laws. The term was first used in reference to a political opinion c. 1801 A.D., in the aftermath of the French Revolution, when it meant "tending in favor of freedom and democracy" — at that time the liberal party was the party of individual political freedoms.<ref>Etymology [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=liberal]</ref>

"Liberalism" today means the favoring of collectivism or egalitarianism over individual responsibility. Liberals tend to prefer equality in result rather than increased opportunities that can result in unequal results.

The term "liberal" is used often in the United States, Canada and Great Britain. Some examples of liberal beliefs include:

* support of gun control
* taxpayer funding of abortion
* prohibiting prayer in school
* equal participation by men and women in the military
* distributing wealth from the rich to the poor
* government programs to rehabilitate criminals
* same-sex marriage
* amnesty for illegal aliens
* teaching of evolution
* increased taxpayer funding of public school
* protection of endangered species
* taxpayer-funded rather than private medical care
* increased power for labor unions
* disarmament treaties
* increased taxes
* government-assistance programs such as welfare
* reduction of military expenses
* support of affirmative action
* public school education about human reproduction

Liberals typically align themselves with the [[Democratic Party]] in the United States, and the Liberal Democratic Party in Great Britain.<ref>http://http://www.libdems.org.uk/</ref>

An alternative definition of liberal is anything that is not conservative. For example, the American Heritage Dictionary includes this definition of "liberal":<ref>Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/liberal</ref>

:Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas ...

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Politics]]