| 
|
|
| Well, here we are, the world didn't end as so many insisted it would. The 'bug' seems to have been squished successfully and life goes on. But just in case all the hype, celebrations, Greenwich dome or apocalyptic portents, clouded the issue, we still just want to ask..... |
| So, Whose Birthday Is It? |
| It's not a trick question. The birthday of one person is used universally to give us a dating system, so we can say that any particular year is what it is.
Now we have arrived at the year 2000, its full title is 2000 AD. The 'AD' part is the giveaway. It is Latin, and stands for Anno Domini, which in English means in the year of our Lord. The person referred to as, our Lord, is Jesus Christ.
Of course, some people can't stomach the truth. The UK Broadcasting Standards Commission consider the terms,'BC' and 'AD' are not politically correct and ought to be dropped. Perhaps the BSC would do well to concentrate on its main role. If they did then maybe the broadcasting media would not be so full of sewage. So, no apologies to the Muslims, Bhuddists or anyone else, but this is the celebration of the 2000th birthday of Jesus Christ. Now, you could be forgiven in perhaps not noticing this, among all the tawdry glitter surrounding various Millennium projects (The Millennium Dome in the UK for instance), but them's the facts folks. What was interesting, viewing the televised events from around the world at Midnight on the 31st Dec 99, was how every country, of whatever religion, and of none, were joining in. Now either they were just having a good time, or they saw it as a good political act, who knows. However, the 'real' facts seem to have slipped past most people, including the Officials of the 'Churches Together in England', who had a £7million campaign to put a candle in every home as their part in the celebrations. Incidently, we know nobody near us who got one(!). With the candle came a pan-religious message which has been deliberately designed to exclude mention of God, Christ or any Christian Symbol. This was the "Millennium Prayer" ...... "Let there be respect for the earth, peace for its people, love in our lives, delight in the good, forgiveness for past wrongs, and from now on a new start". Yes, that's it. On British TV, where it was read out, it was so short that if you had a sip of your champagne, you would have missed it completely. We wonder how many hours were spent by how many committees dreaming up that little gem. The word, 'pathetic', springs to mind. So, as far as the great and good (but seriously faulty) CTE is concerned, it was, Happy Birthday BLANK.
Millennium Dome - Greenwich, London UK As for the 'Dome', try finding some imagery or symbolism which reflects the true nature of the Millennium, or the Christian history and heritage of the UK and aligns with the fact of the person whose birthday it is - you would be hard pushed. In fact, Archbishop Carey - the Anglican leader, who was at one stage reported as considering boycotting the festivities at the Dome, did in fact attend. We wonder if he should have done. The UK's controversial, 'New Brittania' figure (cost - £140,000 of public money) looks more suited to the long lost pagans of Easter Island, or the herald of some new age goddess. And while we're on the subject of the cost of the dome... Simon Heffer, writing in the Daily Mail on the de-Christianisation of the Millennium celebrations, (Sat. 6th June 98) made this valid point, "... the two worst blots on modern western civilisation - Nazi Germany and Communist Russia - were both atheist states, which, like the present government, tried to eradicate the symbols of Christianity?". So, why Jesus Christ, a person whose name to many people is nothing more than a convenient swear word? The Bible says that there is no other name given to people whereby we shall be saved. You see, the name, "Jesus" in Hebrew is "Yeshua" which means, "Salvation". "Christ" means "Messiah". Jesus Christ is the Messiah and Saviour of the world. That is why we celebrate his birthday above anyone elses!
Some of the 'great and the good' had this to say: |
| In an age of secularism, I hope that we will begin to rediscover a sense of the sacred in all that surrounds us. ~ Prince Charles |
Let it be the triumph of freedom wisely used to bring peace to a world in which we honour our differences and even more our common humanity. ~ President Clinton |
| Britain will not be the mightiest nation of the 21st century. It can be the best, it can be that beacon to the world. ~Tony Blair |
In some way we out-streaked the achievements of our ancestors. In others we fell short of what we hoped for and what was indeed possible. Now we must aim for the stars. ~ Nelson Mandela |
| However, one thing is certain, the clock is ticking for us all. If you would like to know more about all this, check out the little quiz. |
| There is also an interesting web site called "Y2000?" which is worth a look. | 
|
Since the Millennium rollover, we have begun a Campaign for a Real Christmas
|
||
| 
| 
|
|
|
||
All original material ©2000 The Curious? Web Site
Surprise! Yes, believe it or believe it not, the Millennium is all about celebrating the 2000th Birthday of Jesus Christ. Yes, we do know that it's a few years out, and Jesus was most likely born around 4 BC, but many Kings and Queens have 'official' birthdays, so what's good enough for them is good enough for the 'King of Kings!
Many people felt that the end of the 2nd millennium, and the start of the 3rd was a significant moment in history. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.