Santa Mord
Aussie Dave | Dec 26, 2004 | 3 comments
I trust that my Christian readers had an enjoyable Xmas with their loved ones.
I know at least one reader took offence to my Saddam/Yasser Xmas post (including the word “Xmas”!) While I do not see anything wrong with “Xmas”, I can see how some people could be offended by the image of a Santa Saddam or Yasser. I mean, there are just some people not meant to play Santa. Like this guy, for example:
Nuclear spy Mordechai Vanunu was briefly detained for questioning Friday night after trying to get into Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations in defiance of security restrictions imposed on him upon his release from prison, police said.He was released on bail early Saturday.The 50-year-old former nuclear technician, who converted to Christianity in the 1980s, was released from jail in April after serving an 18-year sentence for revealing Israel’s nuclear secrets.According to the terms of his release, Vanunu is barred from leaving the country’s borders, as well as from meeting with the foreign media and discussing his work at Israel’s top-secret nuclear facility.Traveling in a car labeled TV, Vanunu was stopped by Jerusalem police Friday night at a checkpoint in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo as he was making his way towards the nearby Palestinian-run town of Bethlehem for midnight Mass.During his police interrogation Friday night, Vanunu, carrying a Santa Claus stocking-cap, told investigators that he knew that in going to Bethlehem he was acting in defiance of the the travel restrictions imposed on him, but that he wanted to pray at the Church of the Nativity, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.
From rector to Santa..this guy gets around (especially for someone who is not supposed to be “getting around” much at all).
About the Author
An Australian immigrant to Israel, Aussie Dave has been blogging since early 2003.Filed Under: General
Xmas, contrary to popular belief, is no insult. It’s actually an old abbreviation used by Christian scholars themselves, at least in old manuscripts. “X” in this case stands for the Greek letter chi, used as an abbreviation for “Christ,” as in Christ-mas.
Sheesh.
For more information about Xmas issue, go to : http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=19981223
Thanks for that interesting link, David.
I never knew the origins of the term. I merely recall it from my time in Australia, and never considered that some people may take offence from its use.