Stupidity gone mad!

[Jonzjob]

I hope that something good comes from this stupidity!

http://www.connexionfrance.com/Montargis-Santa-Father-Christmas-Grand-Clos-14318-view-article.html

If there are people who don't want to see this sort of thing then let them stay away and NOT screw it up for those who do!

[Clarkkent]

What happened to the separation between religion and state?

It looks as though some of the worst features of "multiculturalism" have arrived in France! True multiculturalism would involve muslim parents accepting the traditions of their adopted country and using them as a source of personal cultural enrichment.

[YCCMB]

Is the Connexion an actual offshoot of the Daily Mail, or are they simply worried that Brits who have been in France for more than a few years have lost the capacity to get overexcited about stuff that (allegedly) happens in the UK and therefore need something of the same nature (only French) to rant about?

OTOH, this will certainly be a cause for concern among those "expats" who left the UK to get away from "this sort of thing"![:D]

My Muslim-owned-and-run local curry emporium is currently very festively decorated with tinsel and trees and other non-islamic seasonal expressions of festivity, just in case anyone's interested.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Clarkkent"]

What happened to the separation between religion and state?

It looks as though some of the worst features of "multiculturalism" have arrived in France! True multiculturalism would involve muslim parents accepting the traditions of their adopted country and using them as a source of personal cultural enrichment.

[/quote]

Father Christmas or Santa Claus is not actually a religious figure although is linked obviously with Christmas by tradition. The original Father Christmas came from pre-christian Norse mythology (hence reindeer) and was adapted, via St Nicholas, in to modern European christian culture yet whilst a powerful symbol amongst children he is nothing to do with Christianity and Christmas. In other words try and find him in the bible, he does not exist.

[PaulT]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]My Muslim-owned-and-run local curry emporium is currently very festively decorated with tinsel and trees and other non-islamic seasonal expressions of festivity, just in case anyone's interested.
[/quote]

A number of years ago I used to visit a curry house 2 or 3 times a week and therefore became friendly with the muslim owner.

At this time of the year he found things a little difficult, his daughter wanted presents as most of the other girls would get them that she went to school with but he would say 'this is not part of our religion'.

It does seem at times that certain minorities want what the majority do stopped even though the country they originate from prohibits christianity.

What a wonderful world this would be if there was no religion.

[idun]

Connexion, never read it. HOWEVER, this was on french national news France2 Journal de 20h last night or the night before, causing outrage.

I have to say that after we saw the article on the news we discussed this at home. What has Father Christmas really to do with religion. It is a fantasy character, sorry to those who believe in Father Christmas, because really, I think that your beliefs would be more valid than those which any religion on the planet could offer.

Apparently it was a couple of muslim families who had complained.

I'm glad that most christian festivals are based on ancient ones, it is the only thing that makes them palatable to me and it feels right that our ancesters wanted a bit of a bash in mid winter.

 And multiculturalism, and tolerance, which religion is tolerant? especially where women are concerned, none as far as I know. When women are treat with dignity in all religions, then maybe I will have some respect for a religion and pigs might fly eh!

[YCCMB]

I agree, but confess to finding it highly amusing that both in the UK and France there are remarkably few practising Christians, yet they all seem to develop an unprecedented degree of religious fervour if they perceive any threat to a religion in which they don't actually participate. Usually, the vehicle for such fervour and expressions of disgust and discontent is the annual "Christmas cancelled so as not to offend Muslims" story, which has become as much a part of the annual festivities as mince pies and Christmas pudding. The pagan origins of Christmas are conveniently overlooked.

I'm delighted to live in a part of the world where an array of religions are practised and festivals celebrated, both by their own members and others, in a spirit of tolerance and mutual respect.

[Quillan]

[quote user="PaulT"]

What a wonderful world this would be if there was no religion.

[/quote]

Exactly, I always say I don't have a problem with God, just religion.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="PaulT"]

What a wonderful world this would be if there was no religion.

[/quote]

Exactly, I always say I don't have a problem with God, just religion.

[/quote]I don't have problems with imaginary beings either. It's just the people who believe in them who can cause problems[6]

[Mr Ceour de Lion II]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="PaulT"]

What a wonderful world this would be if there was no religion.

[/quote]

Exactly, I always say I don't have a problem with God, just religion.

[/quote]

I doubt it would be any different to be honest. There'd be other excuses for mankind being so crappy to one another.

Christmas isn't even a christian festival anyway.

[woolybanana]

Bobo is recruiting, so if anyone wants to join Him, He will, be more than happy to service your needs.

[Jonzjob]

Wolly, my needs needs more than Bobos services, who ever the hell Bobo is?

The only reason that I ever get to look at Connexion is because somewhere along the line I must have looked at the site and now I get the freebe e-mail version. We used to sub to the paper jobbie in the dim and distant past, but no longer. Don't knock them too much, they have been right once or twice, but I must be careful lest they read this and bring their mighty power down on me têtê ? [:-))]

[idun]

jonzjob, don't you watch french tv news? and if not, why not, or do you get french newspapers instead?

[Jonzjob]

Idun, I do get the local newspapers and watch French TV news, but as yet I still have no idea as to the hell this Bobo is. As I said before we USED to have a sub to connexion but kicked it the head because it was right 'sometimes'. I still get the the e-mail version and it's a freebe. I have no idea as to why it appears but it does and has supplied some good gen.

I am not totally sure of what the hell you are asking? Plus if you NEVER read the connexion how do you know what is in it? And how can you possibly critise it? I do read it and I do critise it because I read it, or skim it most times!

I left my French lesson this afternoon a little wiser and after 8 years of living here I am so very pleased that I can share and hold a good conversation with our very good French friends and neighours. I just wish that I could do the same with some of our ex-pat equivalent!

[Ivor Nidea]

I've been here 11 years, never watched French news or read a French paper. I went to French classes for a term or two but gave up because I couldn't remember anything. I have French neighbours who appear to tolerate me, he even banged on my door a few nights ago to ask me to help with his canapes! I never had him down as a chap who spends a lot of time fiddling with little "fancies"...come to that his wife spends most of her time tending her massive veg patch, so imagine my surprise when I had to help him down the stairs and out the front door with a huge sofa.

Perhaps I should have stuck to the French lessons.

This is a reply to Idun, I don't seem able to do quotes.

 

 

[Rabbie]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Idun, I do get the local newspapers and watch French TV news, but as yet I still have no idea as to the hell this Bobo is. [/quote]I think Bobo is an imaginary figure wittily thought up by WB in reference to my post about God being imaginary.

[idun]

[quote user="Ivor Nidea"]

I've been here 11 years, never watched French news or read a French paper. I went to French classes for a term or two but gave up because I couldn't remember anything. I have French neighbours who appear to tolerate me, he even banged on my door a few nights ago to ask me to help with his canapes! I never had him down as a chap who spends a lot of time fiddling with little "fancies"...come to that his wife spends most of her time tending her massive veg patch, so imagine my surprise when I had to help him down the stairs and out the front door with a huge sofa.

Perhaps I should have stuck to the French lessons.

This is a reply to Idun, I don't seem able to do quotes.

 

 

[/quote]

 

Yes, Idun, can do quotes........ [:D]........ sometimes!  I didn't have many french lessons, but I watched french tv and listened to the radio and chatted as much as I could. My french is like a vache espagnole, doesn't stop me being tres bavarde[Www]

 

 

jonzjob, Connexion used to send us a copy, without us registering with them. How they got our address, I don't know, but we got it. And I just chucked it. So I've seen it, just never read it and wouldn't be interested. Some other expat rag used to send us a copy too, and I did look at the first one, but never bothered after that.

I only asked as this was on french news the other night, and causing quite a furore, so Connexion seemed an 'odd' source of this news, rather than french news and tv. Laicité is important in state schools and Le Pere Noel, is usually an acceptable imaginary being.

[woolybanana]

BOBO the Goat God is love, head of the ONE TRUE RELIGION. But we don't stone, cut of privates (except for child abuse) or deal in guilt. There are no saints or priests and very few sins. And the ultimate punishment is to be forced to stand upside down with your head in a bucket of whatever BOBO feels you deserve.

I gather that Clair and RH have been sounding out the possibility of joining us but they are having some trouble with Bobo's commandment of abundant love as they feel it is beyond them.

BOBO IS GREAT, WORSHIP HIM

[Quillan]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

BOBO the Goat God is love, head of the ONE TRUE RELIGION. But we don't stone, cut of privates (except for child abuse) or deal in guilt. There are no saints or priests and very few sins. And the ultimate punishment is to be forced to stand upside down with your head in a bucket of whatever BOBO feels you deserve.

I gather that Clair and RH have been sounding out the possibility of joining us but they are having some trouble with Bobo's commandment of abundant love as they feel it is beyond them.

BOBO IS GREAT, WORSHIP HIM

[/quote]

Then there clearly are similarities between your BOBO and my BOBO. Perhaps it is like the Muslims, different story but same God. In my case I always thought of him as "A Korean dude who muds like a maniac and farts uncontrollably." ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bobo ). Mud in this case is nothing sexual or to do with the earth. [:D]

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="woolybanana"]

BOBO the Goat God is love, head of the ONE TRUE RELIGION. But we don't stone, cut of privates (except for child abuse) or deal in guilt. There are no saints or priests and very few sins. And the ultimate punishment is to be forced to stand upside down with your head in a bucket of whatever BOBO feels you deserve.

I gather that Clair and RH have been sounding out the possibility of joining us but they are having some trouble with Bobo's commandment of abundant love as they feel it is beyond them.

BOBO IS GREAT, WORSHIP HIM

[/quote]

I could go with that Wooly and I was always under the impression that the Egyptians, who worshiped dogs, had a dyslexic scribe and we finished up with god and not dog?

Bobo   Bourgeois Bohême. Sounds about right, if I knew what that meant that is [:-))]

[Renaud]

From YouGov survey commentary -

Norwegians are looking forward to Christmas the most, while the French are by far the least excited for the holiday season, according to the results of YouGov’s EuroTrack survey, a multi-country study tracking public opinion in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway.

The poll found that 65% of people in Norway are looking forward to Christmas, while only 28% of people in France feel similarly. The highest proportion of Norwegians (53%) also say that Christmas is their favourite public holiday.

Lonely French

The explanation for this gulf in public opinion may lie in the fact that 19% of people in France say they feel lonely at Christmas, the highest proportion of any of the countries we surveyed. Meanwhile, people living in the Nordic countries are least likely to feel lonely at Christmas, with only 6% in Denmark, 7% in Norway and 8% in Sweden saying the holidays make them feel lonesome.

Sober French, drunken Brits

Interestingly, the French also claim to be the least likely to be drunk at some point over the Christmas period, while Brits are most likely to over-imbibe over the holiday season. Only 8% of people in France say they expect to be drunk over Christmas, while a third of Brits say the same.

[Jonzjob]

I have no opinion on that 'cause I can never remember it after all that I have to drink[:-))][8-)]