The Big Picture: Nerd Gods

[Woodsey]

Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa Clause (or even the red and white suit I believe, they just put him in it since it went with the branding).

The Santa we know today was invented by coke. Look it up, it blew my mind when I first found out.

"Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache). This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast."

Wikipedia, with 3 sources attached, the first of which being Coca-Cola denying they created the modern image.

 

[Nurb]

It's sort of funny that christians have more issues with Santa than anything else.

Christmas was originally a pagan holiday called "the day of the birth of the unconquerable sun", where they celebrated the coming of spring and worshiped the god of agriculture. It was celebrated hundreds of years before Jesus, and was seen as a "catch all" in order to convert pagans by incorporating their traditions to make it seem familiar. There is no spiritual reason behind the date at all, it was just a matter of convenience for the early church because so many pagan holidays were going on at the same time.

In fact, most of the traditions we typicaly do at christmas are not christian in origin:
-Gift giving is based on the Romans exchanging gifts during Saturnalia, the holiday mentioned above, and having big celebratory parties. Sometimes orgies *cough*

-Christmas trees are based in the Roman tradition of decorating live trees and placing clippings around the home, and druids would hang fruit on evergreens. It was only in the 15th century when they taken into the home as a trend started by German nobility.

-Singing christmas carols came from Druid caroling circles during rites of fertility. During the conversion period as christianity spread through Europe, they co-opted the druid carols as a way to celebrate christmas around the same time

-Santa, ironicly enough, is the only tradition rooted in christian origins. Based on the real St. Nicholas, who lived in Myra in the fourth century A.D. He was born rich and inherited a great deal of money on the death of his parents, all of which he gave away. St. Nicholas is said to have thrown bags of gold into the windows of dowerless girls to save them from lives of prostitution or slavery. He was also well known for his love and protection of children. Folk writers later gave him the cheery persona and red suit, which out of the many descriptions writers in the 19th century (When the modern santa was really created) gave santa was the one to last.

Puritians canceled the holiday altogether and makd it a crime to celebrate it, instead spending the entire day in church. It was even outlawed by the English christians around the same period and fined people for "showing mirth".

So really, if you just want to make the holiday focused on Jesus, you'd have to stop decorating your home, stop singing carols, not have a christmas tree, not go to christmas parties, or give gifts. Santa is really the only one you could do going by it's roots if you want go the gift route.

 

[SensibleCrout]

Most religions are bad for two reasons:

• - They set up taboos, borders you must not think beyond, thus keeping you from finding the best solution by means of reasoning.
  - They offer a way of offloading responsibility that you have and should not delegate, especially not on moral issues.

Oh, and then there are the millions of people slaughtered in ancient or modern crusades.

As far as I am concerned I do accept spiritualism, I even think it is an important part of being human. So Holy Superheroes or Flying Spaghetti Monster? Why not? But I think religions like the Abrahamic religions are basically evil on every level.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

"Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache). This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast."

Wikipedia, with 3 sources attached, the first of which being Coca-Cola denying they created the modern image.

Really? Shit, well I saw a documentary about it on history channel... Oh well.

 

[Tdc2182]

The winter solstice never became Christmas. It was on a different day and is still practiced to this day.

But, yeah. This was pretty damn smart.

 

[Tdc2182]

Most religions are bad for two reasons:

• - They set up taboos, borders you must not think beyond, thus keeping you from finding the best solution by means of reasoning.
  - They offer a way of offloading responsibility that you have and should not delegate, especially on moral issues.

Oh, and then there are the millions of people slaughtered in ancient or modern crusades.

As far as I am concerned I do accept spiritualism, I even think it is an important part of being human. But I think religions like the Abrahamic religions are basically evil on every level.

But this here is explaining the opposite of what you said.

Guidelines of basically being a good person was what most comic book heroes preach. In a large metaphorical way.

 

[Mstrswrd]

How about YokaiChrist?

What? Byakuren is a Buddhist Yokai (Demon) Jesus.

http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Byakuren_Hijiri
http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/File:Hiji2.png

Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa Clause (or even the red and white suit I believe, they just put him in it since it went with the branding).

No, but as he pointed out in an article last week, the modern idea of Santa Claus, in that exact suit, looking exactly as he does, was codified by Coca-Cola for it's ads, Yeah, Saint Nick. already existed, but the "Jolly Fat Man in a Fire-Engine red suit" was mostly Coca-Cola. He mostly wore robes, Browns, Golds, etc, before that. You know, things you might imagine a Saint wearing. In fact, I know in other countries, he still does.

Apologies if I was rude.

Edit: I should mention that he did wear the red beforehand (as someone else mentioned), but he was just as likely to wear the red as he was some other color. Tryin to find a Santa not in the red suit nowadays, however, can be largely attributed to Coke (people loved Coke, and the idea stuck for some odd reason). Personally, I like Santa in Brown robes with Gold trim. More Saintly.

 

[Woodsey]

How about YokaiChrist?

What? Byakuren is a Buddhist Yokai (Demon) Jesus.

http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Byakuren_Hijiri
http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/File:Hiji2.png

Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa Clause (or even the red and white suit I believe, they just put him in it since it went with the branding).

No, but as he pointed out in an article last week, the modern idea of Santa Claus, in that exact suit, looking exactly as he does, was codified by Coca-Cola for it's ads, Yeah, Saint Nick. already existed, but the "Jolly Fat Man in a Fire-Engine red suit" was mostly Coca-Cola. He mostly wore robes, Browns, Golds, etc, before that. You know, things you might imagine a Saint wearing. In fact, I know in other countries, he still does.

Apologies if I was rude.

Edit: I should mention that he did wear the red beforehand (as someone else mentioned), but he was just as likely to wear the red as he was some other color. Tryin to find a Santa not in the red suit nowadays, however, can be largely attributed to Coke (people loved Coke, and the idea stuck for some odd reason). Personally, I like Santa in Brown robes with Gold trim. More Saintly.

Look at my quote inside this one - even Coca Cola said it wasn't them:

"Santa Claus is generally depicted as a plump, jolly, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots (images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache). This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast."

Wikipedia, with 3 sources attached, the first of which being Coca-Cola denying they created the modern image.

Really? Shit, well I saw a documentary about it on history channel... Oh well.

Hold the phone - the History channel has stopped talking about the Nazis and/or Hitler?!

THIS IS MADNESS!

 

[Styphax]

Good post Bob. Grant Morrison has been doing the stuff that Alan Moore is credited with for a lot longer (all the Magick I mean). Do a review of his Documentary, I think you'll like it and it'd bring light to a lot of good comics.

 

[SensibleCrout]

Guidelines of basically being a good person was what most comic book heroes preach. In a large metaphorical way.

Well, ok, this is where things get complicated. If you happen to share values with a cult then there is nothing wrong with joining it. Things get nasty if you are lured into a cult by something you agree with and then find that this cult sets up rules you never had time to think about (or you even disagree with).

Now that I think about it, I am ok with nerds bringing a bit of spirituality to their nerd stuff, but if they did so with extreme devotion, I would consider this bad.

 

[Plurralbles]

I love the finale. ASll this leads up to: Scientology. I love how you mentioned science fiction writers then... BAM! scientology.


And this might be your most commented topoic ever, bob. YOu know, with religion and a bunch of assholes online getting together.

 

[addeB]

I consider myself a atheist. That does not mean that I don't believe in anything however as alot of Christians make it sound, I that I believe that we don't know how earth was created etc. It could have been big bang, it could have been god for all I know but it's very unlikely that someone would have "guessed right". So in short, I believe that we how no clue and can only guess... until we got time travel.

Oh, yeah I would also join those nerd churches.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

There is an entire religion based on the Jedi order? Where the fuck is the conversion papers! I wanna use the force!

 

[SensibleCrout]

There is an entire religion based on the Jedi order? Where the fuck is the conversion papers! I wanna use the force!

It was only a creative way of saying FU to the national census.

 

[Mstrswrd]

Wordy

Ah. You are indeed correct then. Apologies. I usually do research on things that interest me before talking out my ass about them, but he wrote that article when I was at home... and had to use a cruddy old Mac instead of my awesome new PC. Hell, a new Mac would have been fine, not this thing from 2001. I wasn't doing any non-vital thing (like research Santa) on that piece of crap.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

There is an entire religion based on the Jedi order? Where the fuck is the conversion papers! I wanna use the force!

It was only a creative way of saying FU to the national census.

N'awwww. Fuck it, I'm starting my own Jedi Religion. The meeting of the Jedi masters will be on Saturday if anyone is willing to come =P

 

[Kadamon]

Haarooohee, Bob? Haarooheee?

You just lost all nerd credibility with me. Stop your preaching now. Right now goddam.

It's pronounced Haruhi ffs visit a speech therapist.

That's like saying "Soliloquy, it's pronounced (soliloquy)".
Did not help at all.

 

[Amund]

Coca-Cola didn't invent Santa Clause (or even the red and white suit I believe, they just put him in it since it went with the branding).

They did however make Rudolf, unless I'm mistaken.

 

[Scarecrow]

The Church or Tali?

Hmmm... that could work out, right?

 

[Quaxar]

Praying to Spiderman? Oh please, I could find someone less whiny in a child daycare!

There is an entire religion based on the Jedi order? Where the fuck is the conversion papers! I wanna use the force!

It was only a creative way of saying FU to the national census.

N'awwww. Fuck it, I'm starting my own Jedi Religion. The meeting of the Jedi masters will be on Saturday if anyone is willing to come =P

Waaaaait a minute. You can't just come in here and declare yourself Jedi Master! You have to receive training. And face trials. And especially build your own lightsaber.
I'd really like to join Jediism, but I suggest we start small first.