4thought.tv

Jim.
Just been looking at my Xmas cards. The most common themes are Xmas trees and Polar Bears this year. Last year vaguely remember some penguins (only two this year).
I've one traditional "god botherer" card with Bethlehem on, and five with Santa on.
If you succeed in replacing Santa Claus with St Nicholas my guess is would get more cards with Polar bears on.
Given there is no God all strikes me as rather futile.

Oh the irony. A Christian complaining that Christmas has been taken over by anything that isn't Christian.

While Santa Claus may well be Christian, Christmas itself most certainly is not.

And in the end its simply a made up celebration for a made up deity.

If our celebrations, of whatever kind, help us recover a sense of wonder and mystery, if they help us believe that people and situations can be changed, that we can be changed, then Christmas will be a gift for all of us.

Whatever the message, I think Canon Rosenthal (without the fake beard) is very good looking!!

Was it necessary for him to get dressed like this? Where I come from it is a Saint Basil who brings presents and was an actual bishop. I don't mind with the traditions mixing, more interesting.

I'm not a Christian, but I think it is nice to know where this came from.

When you realise that the alternative: Santa / Father Christmas was dreamed up by a marketing team at Coca-Cola, (which some of you don't appear to realise)it does make me, at least, rather prefer Canon Rosenthal's point of view.

As a result of seeing this on boxing day I looked up some websites about Saint Nick himself. All pretty interesting and certainly nothing offensive, racist or homophobic about any of the stuff I saw.

I don't really see anything wrong in this man's point of view that would provoke some of the comments here. Standing up for what one believes in without fearing retribution or ridicule is one christian teaching that I feel translates perfectly to the secular world. If anything I admire his dedication in promoting something he clearly believes in rather than simply accepting and promoting the popular and expedient 'Santa Claus'.

It's refreshing to see a member of the clergy with such conviction!

Enjoyed it. Agree with the message. Modern trend is too commercial and Jesus is being downgraded. Another worrying trend is the spelling of Christmas as CHRISMAS - so not to offend!!! The Salvation Army has been banned by some Councils in the UK as being 'insulting to Muslims'!!!! We need more priests like Cannon Jim to speak up.

Channel 4 Television,

I must say that I am a little disappointed that your website or the
computer server system that you use, actually replaces the rather stylish
New Testament Greek letters used in my original communication to you, with the somewhat boring question marks, that were never there in my original text sent to you. It also changes the exact meaning of what I am saying, to some extent. Indeed, it actually suggests that I have placed the question marks published, as this is clearly not the case. The replacement of the New Testament Greek letters with the question marks into the published text, actually detracts from what I am saying in my comment. Also, my text was not sent as a sub-comment to any other written comment. It was sent as a new comment and should be published as such, if possible with the original New Testament Greek lettering within the text, rather than the published question marks that were never there in my original comment.

Dr Mark Fernando, 28th December 2011