Or ignorant bliss?

California Man Sets Himself, American Flag, Christmas Tree on Fire to Protest Religious Names
Saturday, December 23, 2006

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A man used flammable liquid to light himself on fire, apparently to protest a San Joaquin Valley school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter vacation.

The man, who was not immediately identified, on Friday also set fire to a Christmas tree, an American flag and a revolutionary flag replica, said Fire Captain Garth Milam.

Seeing the flames, Sheriff's Deputy Lance Ferguson grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the man.

Flames were devouring a Christmas tree next to the Liberty Bell, where public events and demonstrations are common.

Beside the tree the man stood with an American flag draped around his shoulders and a red gas can over his head.

Seeing the deputy, the man poured the liquid over his head. He quickly burst into flames when the fumes from the gas met the flames from the tree.

The deputy ordered the man to drop to the ground as he and a parole agent sprayed him with fire extinguishers.

"The man stood there like this," the deputy said with his arms across his chest and his head bent down, "Saying no, no, no."

The man suffered first degree burns on his shoulders and arms, Milam said.

Kern County Sheriff's Deputy John Leyendecker said the man had a sign that read: "(expletive) the religious establishment and KHSD."

On Thursday, the Kern High School Board of Trustees voted to use the names Christmas and Easter instead of winter and spring breaks.

People just go to far. What is wrong with this country?
Kat

Natural selection works as long as no one intervenes.... Law enforcement defied the natural cycles of life by extinguishing the fire!

Well, in my opinion religion has no place in the schools unless it is a parochial school but to light everything on fire to protest is a bit much

first of all Easter is a Pagan holiday... and Christmas is so damn commercially exploited that it doesn't have to be a religious event if you choose not to celebrate it as so. Easter can be chosen to be celebrated as a religious holiday but it originated as a celebration to the god of fertility... This is how the easter bunny came into the picture....

how about they are both pagan holidays?

I never said they were both pagan

Christmas was originally a celebration of the winter solstice before Christianity was invented. So I guess both of them could be considered "pagan" in originality. Christianity adopted already existing celebrations into their religious traditions.

In second century Europe, the predominate spring festival was a raucous Saxon fertility celebration in honor of the Saxon Goddess Eastre (Ostara), whose sacred animal was a hare.

Exactly ... The answer lies in the ingenious way that the Christian church absorbed Pagan practices. After discovering that people were more reluctant to give up their holidays and festivals than their gods, they simply incorporated Pagan practices into Christian festivals.

yep they did this to help conversion rate

astronomically speaking true cristmas would be in july

i think this comes from the wise men following the bright star

i do not remember where i read this but i do remember reading it

Here in Kentucky its called Spring Break and Christmas break. Never thought it had opposition?