RedState’s Water Cooler – December 10, 2018 – Open Thread

Good Monday Morning!

MN Professor Claims Mary Did Not Consent To Impregnation

Ah, the holidays! The Christmas season seems to bring out the worst in liberals. So far, they’ve told us that Rudolph promotes bullying and sexism. Charlie Brown and Dr. Seuss are both racist. Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem has been compared to the plight of the Central American migrants. Now, a University of Minnesota professor is concerned that Mary was impregnated without providing consent.

Sorry. LK 1 26:38 states clearly that the angel communicated God's plan for Mary and in verse 38 she agreed. Whether you believe or disbelieve, it helps if you actually read the text.

— Tom Cleary (@believeandobey3) December 4, 2018

But, it turns out he’s wrong. The truth can be found in Luke 1:26-38.

Two Stories About An Elementary School Principal In Elkhorn, Nebraska

The first story, published on December 5th, will make you mad. But don’t let your heart be troubled, because a follow-up story published two days later makes up for it.

1. School Principal Bans Candy Canes, Christmas Music and Making of Christmas Ornaments

A new elementary school principal in Elkhorn, Nebraska sent out a memo to faculty members to explain the school’s new holiday policy. Here is an excerpt:

I come from a place where Christmas and the like are not allowed in schools, as over the years in my educational career, this has evolved into the expectation for all educators. I have unknowingly awoken a “sleeping giant” with many of you. I apologize for the stress that “Christmas/holiday/Grinch/Santa/tree” emails and conversations have caused you. I will do my best to communicate the expectation from here on out, which aligns with my interpretation of our expectations as a public school who seeks to be inclusive and culturally sensitive to all of our students.

I’m hopeful we can avoid the discomfort of me directly questioning something you’ve copied, posted, and had your kids do. That makes me uncomfortable, and I know it doesn’t feel good.

She signed it, “The (Unintentional) Grinch who stole Christmas (from Manchester).”

She included a list of which items are okay and which items are banned here. For example, candy canes are banned because their ‘J’ shape stands ‘for Jesus.’

She offered advice on how to determine if an item or an activity is allowed or banned:

2. School Principal Placed on Administrative Leave

Statement from the Elkhorn Public School District:

“Elkhorn Public Schools District administration promptly addressed the issue at Manchester Elementary School regarding the memo that was sent by the principal to Manchester elementary staff,” the district said in a statement.

Ahhhh. That’s better.

Where Did The Use Of “Xmas” Originate?

I had always thought of it as a quick way of writing Christmas. But while putting together a list of Christmas trivia questions for my annual Christmas Eve party, I learned that the first written use of “Xmas” dates from the 16th century.

The  “X” in Xmas comes from the Greek letter Chi which looks like an “X”. The letter “X” has long been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the Greek word for Christ begins with what looks like an “X”. Christ was often written with the letters Chi (X) Rho (p) which looks like Xp. The Chi-Rho symbol representing Christ looks like this:

Quote of the Day:

“In philosophy seminars, the choice is usually between good and evil. In the real world, however, the choice is often between a bad guy and a worse guy.”
― Dinesh D’Souza

As Always, This Is An Open Thread!