Abreviating Christ to an "X" Coming from a Christian School.

Run_to_da_hills

I can distinctly remember being told by a priest in school that we should never substitute Christ for an X. Now I see the very same religious order, the Holy Ghost Fathers, at Blackrock College with a large illuminated sign advertising "X" Mas trees on their grounds. I believe in freedom of speech but I find this rather offensive and hypocritical coming from the same order that formally thought us against using this abbreviated word.

Sacksian

They were just ignorant in originally asking you not to use the term "Xmas". I was taught the same but it's not offensive at all to use "Xmas"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#Etymology

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[3] "Cristes" is from Greek christos and "mæsse" is from Latin missa. In early Greek versions of the New Testament, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ. Since the mid-16th century Χ, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ.[7] Hence, Xmas is often used as an abbreviation for Christmas.

More here....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

AtomicHorror

Used to get the same anti-Xmas spiel from my very-religious careers teacher. Mind you he was also advising everyone to go work in Intel just a few years before that all went pear shaped. So I guess he was a total spoofer.

Fanny Cradock

I would be aware of the origins of the X in X - mass. However, I doubt this is the case for everybody, nor, for that matter, do I believe that ink is so precious that we need to replace the 6 letters of Christ with an X. If txt spk is generally not acceptable, I see no reason why this is.

studiorat

Blackrock College breeding ground for the NWO?

hivizman

My old philosophy teacher always signed letters "yours in Xt", which I thought was rather pretentious. I've just Googled "yours in Xt" and there are several examples of leading Churchmen and Churchwomen using this form, including John Henry Cardinal Newman. But then he was a convert and thus didn't benefit from an education at the hands of the Fathers.

djeddy

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I can distinctly remember being told by a priest in school that we should never substitute Christ for an X. Now I see the very same religious order, the Holy Ghost Fathers, at Blackrock College with a large illuminated sign advertising "X" Mas trees on their grounds. I believe in freedom of speech but I find this rather offensive and hypocritical coming from the same order that formally thought us against using this abbreviated word.

I heard some one say useing an x for christ in christmas is like taking jesus christ out of christmas

keane2097

djeddy wrote: »

I heard some one say useing an x for christ in christmas is like taking jesus christ out of christmas

I heard once that some people will complain about anything...

2Scoops

The War on Christmas™ continues...

Run_to_da_hills

djeddy wrote: »

I heard some one say useing an x for christ in christmas is like taking jesus christ out of christmas

For most people "Christ" has already been taken out of Christmas and has been replaced by Satan Claus.

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Other%20Pagan%20Mumbo-Jumbo/xmas.htm

EamonnKeane

Most churches have insignia reducing him to XP (short from XPIΣTOΣ), so how is this much different? (Is XP supposed to suggest "pax" also, or is this a coincidence?)

djeddy

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

For most people "Christ" has already been taken out of Christmas and has been replaced by Satan Claus.

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Other%20Pagan%20Mumbo-Jumbo/xmas.htm

Santa Claus got his name from Saint Nicholas as far as i know

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

Morbert

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

I would be aware of the origins of the X in X - mass. However, I doubt this is the case for everybody, nor, for that matter, do I believe that ink is so precious that we need to replace the 6 letters of Christ with an X. If txt spk is generally not acceptable, I see no reason why this is.

Well I don't think you can say it's anything more than a personal dislike; plenty of christians have no problem with the 'X'.

PDN

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Most churches have insignia reducing him to XP (short from XPIΣTOΣ), so how is this much different? (Is XP supposed to suggest "pax" also, or is this a coincidence?)

That just means that they're sponsored by Microsoft. Haven't you noticed the ⓒ after the letters XP?

I doubt if the P would suggest 'pax' since it is, in Greek, the letter rho (equivalent of our 'r'. The XP (or labarum) was adopted by Emperor Constantine as his miltary standard after he claimed to have seen it in the sky before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge and heard the words "In this sign conquer".

BTW, in our church XP means 'Executive Pastor', as opposed to SP or 'Senior Pastor'.

Run_to_da_hills

djeddy wrote: »

Santa Claus got his name from Saint Nicholas as far as i know

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus

I also think St. Nicholas would have wanted us to know what Webster’s New World Dictionary has to say, “Nick (nik), n. the Devil. Usually Old Nick,” as well as others referring to goblin and demon. It seems to me Old St. Nick was just another one of Satan’s tricks and it worked.