Explaining Christmas to Chinese Friends

[StuartJ]

I have a number of Chinese friends.

They are educated and cosmopolitan.

They know very little of Christianity. It's quite foreign to them.

How can I explain the details of Jesus' nativity ...?

[StuartJ]

[Replying to post 40 by bluethread]

As I have explained several times ...

My Chinese friends know very little of any religious "reality".

The issue people are dodging here, is that when you try to lay out the details of the Nativity of Jesus ...

You too recognise the tale as one of fantasy.

But when you are invested in the tale as one of reality ...

You will go to all manner of lengths to obfuscate.

If there were "facts" associated with the fantastical "Nativity" ...

They could be laid out for ANY audience ...

Regardless of background.

[bluethread]

[Replying to post 40 by bluethread]

As I have explained several times ...

My Chinese friends know very little of any religious "reality".

Then one would have to being by explaining religious "reality".

The issue people are dodging here, is that when you try to lay out the details of the Nativity of Jesus ...

Why explain the details, before explaining the understanding of the underlying philosophy?

You too recognise the tale as one of fantasy.

But when you are invested in the tale as one of reality ...

You will go to all manner of lengths to obfuscate.

I never said that I recognize that, nor am I obfuscating. I am tking this request quite seriously and telling you directly how one should explain the rituals of a culture to someone of another culture.

If there were "facts" associated with the fantastical "Nativity" ...

They could be laid out for ANY audience ...

Regardless of background.

So, are you saying that the facts of quantum physics can just be layed out and they would be understood by any audience regardless of background? How about the facts regarding the rituals of Buddism, Confucianism, Taoism, or any other ritualistic philosophy?

[StuartJ]

[Replying to post 42 by bluethread]

You are dodging, I suggest ...

Lay out the details here and I'll print them off and see what my Chinese friends make of them.

But I'm going to put on my prophetic hat here and predict that you won't.

Because, I suggest, you know perfectly well you are dealing with fantasy.

And, I suggest, you know you are dodging admitting it.

[bluethread]

[Replying to post 42 by bluethread]

You are dodging, I suggest ...

Lay out the details here and I'll print them off and see what my Chinese friends make of them.

Suggest whatever you like,. However, if by "facts" you mean physical details, the only such details we have is that an engaged woman had a baby and some people believe that he was the embodiment of their belief system.

[StuartJ]

[Replying to post 42 by bluethread]

You are dodging, I suggest ...

Lay out the details here and I'll print them off and see what my Chinese friends make of them.

Suggest whatever you like,. However, if by "facts" you mean physical details, the only such details we have is that an engaged woman had a baby and some people believe that he was the embodiment of their belief system.

You are beginning to demonstrate the difficulty my Chinese friends have in accepting that Christianity is anything more than the fantasy of any other primitive, superstitious culture.

Thank you.

[JoeyKnothead]

I have a number of Chinese friends.

They are educated and cosmopolitan.

They know very little of Christianity. It's quite foreign to them.

How can I explain the details of Jesus' nativity ...?

Get 'em to write down their recipes so's we can cypher'm, for they know how to fix up some groceries, then you write down what Christmas is all about so's they can do 'em them some cyphring on their end.

Or, "Some folks made 'em them up a bunch of goofy claims, stirred 'em all in with pagan rituals, and how 'bout that, Jesus is Santa Claus".

[StuartJ]

[Replying to post 46 by JoeyKnothead]

The cyphering of educated Chinese folks with no influence from the emotional manipulation of preachers is far different from those who have been brainwashed into "faith".

[FWI]

Explaining Christmas to Chinese Friends.

This should not be necessary. They (probably) already know what Christmas is and how it is or isn't observed in China.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... 680d7998bf

However, they could be told that the nativity has nothing to do with Christmas…Why? Because, the Christ was "not" born on December 25 and there is ample internal (bible) and external (historical) evidence to justify this reality. So, it would be best not to confuse them anymore than they already are, as related to the birth of the Christ.

[Bust Nak]

My Chinese friends know very little of any religious "reality".

They might know very little of any "Western" religious "reality" but they should be familar with Oriental religious "reality" and folklores, work off those.

You too recognise the tale as one of fantasy.

They don't have to accept it as non fantasy to understand Christmas, "it's like Buddha's birthday, except..."

[JoeyKnothead]

[Replying to post 46 by JoeyKnothead]

The cyphering of educated Chinese folks with no influence from the emotional manipulation of preachers is far different from those who have been brainwashed into "faith".

I don't prefer to think folks was 'em brainwashed into faith, as to think how proud they were to find 'em them another'n that used 'em them the same washcloth.