So my Happy Christmas-Jesus is Born! thread got closed down as it was a ‘witnessing’ thread and should have been apparently in GD.Just curious-if had been for example a Happy Martin Luther King day-celebrate his birthday and achievements here,would it have been allowed to stay?Is informing Dopers that we are celebrating a birthday ‘witnessing’? 
Just curious…I notice none of the other Happy Christmas threads that don’t specifically mention Jesus have been removed…
“the creator of the entire universe,who made stars and planets and galaxies,waterfalls and mountains,came to Earth as a baby in a manger in a stable in an insignificant town.”
That statement is pretty debatable. Not everyone holds it as ‘the truth’ the way you do.
“Happy Birthday Jesus” probably would have been OK, IMO. But you went a little overboard with your OP-- making sure to point out that he is the creator of everything, etc. This is your belief. Sharing it with others in a Matter of Fact way is witnessing.
Considering that there are people alive who knew MLK, that we have video footage of him, and documents that HE wrote, I wouldn’t think the existance of MLK is up for debate. MLK was a real person, that’s a Fact.
Jesus may not have even been a real person, let alone the creator of everything…
There have been a number of threads started over the years that try very hard to sound innocent but have the motive of preaching the word of god/jesus. These threads have a habit of turning into debates.
If you want to go into how Jesus created everything (which is fine if that is your faith but someone is going to call you on it) you might as well start that thread in the right forum.
There are a billion and one boards out there designed to praise Jesus, this board was designed for another reason.
At least that’s how I understand it.
And yet we still celebrate his birth OK…I’ll re-open the thread over in GD then
OK.It was just to celebrate his birth.Which for a post on Christmas Day seemed fairly reasonable. I’ll open it in GD (if there aren’t billions already). As long as the Happy Christmas threads in MPSIMS stay open
Iceland - I’ve met you, and you strike me as smart enough and then some to know the distinction between your faith-based assertion concerning the man known historically as Jesus Christ and a ‘happy birthday’ message concerning, to take your example, Martin Luther King. Here are just a few points of divergence:
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we do not have, and cannot have, the foggiest clue on which date Jesus was actually born (use any calendar you like, we still don’t know). There is simply no reliable documentation on the matter, which is why the christian church adopted Dec 25 as a convention.
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we do not have any factual evidence to support the contention that he was the son of god… which is why it’s called faith
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we do not have any factual evidence to support the contention that this man had anything to do with the creation of anything on a cosmological scale; once again with the faith word
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millions of people choose to share your faith, which is their right and I respect it. Millions also choose not to do so, ditto.
If you want to proclaim something or other based on your chosen faith, i.e. to ingulge in witnessing, then you can, and there’s a place for it.
Ah I didn’t realise that a ‘Happy Christmas’ general thread and a ‘Happy Christmas-this is why we’re celebrating’ thread lived in two different forums. I do now and so this thread is settled 
We? :eek:
A large group of people in the collective sense.
Such as: “We on the Straight Dope Message Board are dedicated to fighting ignorance,” even though some might be more seen as working for the enemy.
Christopher Columbus was, it has been fairly well shown, not the first European to lay eyes on the North American continent, but we still celebrate Columbus Day. Jackie Robinson wasn’t the first black MLB player, but his number is retired in honor of his particular supposed accomplishment (and there’s certainly plenty to be celebrated about Robinson, but he wasn’t the first). Etc. Just because a large group of people celebrates something happening doesn’t mean it’s the entire truth of the matter:)
If not Robinson, then who? I’m not trying to call you on this, I’m just interested.
Bud Fowler, first black on a pro (minor league) team. This link may be of interest. First (Post-Robinson) Black Players on Each Major League Team.
Moses Fleetwood Walker was the first black Major League player. There were, I believe, two other black players in the 19th Century, before the color line became established firmly.
As Polycarp mentioned, Moses “Fleet” (I’ve seen articles listing his nickname as Fleet and articles listing his middle name as Fleetwood. What the truth is, I have no idea) Walker - and his brother - played in the 19th century, and there are others from the 19th century. Someone more in tune with the King Kelly era, or previous to that, of USA professional baseball (I hesitate to say “MLB” because way back in 1885 it wasn’t quite as organized as that; there were a lot of smaller leagues) might be able to detail more. I coulda sworn there was a post several months ago (maybe a year or more?) by someone who knows a hell of a lot more than I do, and among the names listed was Johnny Estrada’s grandfather.
I believe either Josh Gibson or Buck Leonard (my recollection is Gibson, but I could be wrong) was signed to a contract subject to approval by the commissioner at the time, who I think was Landis. Denied, of course. However, my memory of the story is hazy at best, so unless someone comes along with reliable information I wouldn’t assign any useful credibility to it;)
Meantime, here is an article on the subject, which is not rife with documentation but is roughly in line with what I have read elsewhere.
I think if the boards were in danger of filling up with MLB glurge (make that MLK glurge, what a freudian slip) then suitable rules would follow.
I, for one, celebrate the days getting longer after the winter solstice, as my people has done for a thousand years. We celebrate Jól, Yuletide, not 'Christ’mas. I’m just pointing out that not everyone celebrating in the end of December is celebrating the birth of your saviour Jesus Christ; heck, wasn’t he even born in June?
And there have been several “Happy Solstice!” threads on the boards as well.
That’s not why I celebrate Christmas.
Thanks for the informative links, Polycarp & iampunha!
I thought it was October, but I have no reliable answer beyond “probably not December 25, AD 1.”
So I guess this means I can’t start witnessing in here like me and my sister do in chat rooms. We are the Queens of the Elfin People, and all who do not believe in the magical powers of the Elfin People are doomed! Bow down to the Elfin People! Kiss the bells on our shoes!
Disclaimer - At the moment, I am full of turkey and very sleepy.