Media Mum? Jesse Jackson Tells of 'Non-Christian' Merchants Singing 'What a Friend We Have in Jesus'
On yesterday's Rainbow PUSH Saturday Morning Forum, broadcast nationally on the Word Network, Jesse Jackson spoke of Christmas. The activist, 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential candidate, and former Clinton spiritual adviser told (video here) of "non-Christian" merchants who "use Jesus to lure you in to Santa Claus's birthday party." Here's what he said:
This (Christmas) is a holy day for the poor, not a holiday for the merchants. I once heard some people that I know say that when Christmas Eve is over, they have midnight services in the back of their shops. These were non-Christian people I was, they say we, say every December 24th around midnight we have, we close our shops and we're not Christian but we start singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." We use Jesus to lure you into Santa Claus's birthday party and unless you have the holiday spirit, which is his songs, his wine, and his stuff you're not welcome at the party of the man whose party it is. This is, Christmas should be a poor people's holy day.
He then went on to say that Jesus was "born under the cloud of who is his Daddy?"
If Pat Robertson or any other former GOP presidential candidate had said something along these lines, you can bet it would have received considerable press coverage. But this is Jesse Jackson, self-styled spokesman for the downtrodden and Leftist hero. So he gets a pass from the mainstream media.
Christmas had been of particular interest to Jackson for many years. In 1969, he announced his second "Black Christmas" boycott of white merchants. According to the Chicago Tribune at the time, Jackson claimed his initiative would include "a parade and the appearance in Negro areas, hospitals, and jails of 'Soul Saint,' a black Santa Claus."
In their 1985 book "Jesse Jackson and the Politics of Race," authors Thomas Landess and Richard Quinn write of the Soul Saint "who, according to Jackson, came from the South Pole rather than the North Pole and lingered along the equator sufficiently to take up wearing a dashiki of black, with yellow, red and green trimmings — the colors of the flag of Ghana. Henceforth, the Soul Saint would preside over the season of Christmas, a black figure whose gifts were not toys or sugar plums but 'love, justice, peace, and power.'"
Who wants an iPhone as a gift when you can have love, justice, peace, and power instead? Plus, you don't have to give your money to those non-Christian merchants who close their shops at midnight on Christmas Eve after a rough season of using Jesus to lure you into Santa Claus's birthday party. Sounds like a win-win for the Rev. But don't expect to see a story about it on network or cable news anytime soon.
- Mike Bates's blog
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Comments
JESSIE jACKSON is so innovative......
Submitted by Paarl on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 8:32pm.
each and every year he finds a new way to prove that he is a complete nincompoop !!! a total woodhead with nothing to contribute !!!
Please go away JJ
Paarl of Rhodesia
You know full well..
Submitted by zenman1661 on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 8:42pm.
that Jackson is just envious that he can't figure out a way to use Xmas as part of his own scams.
LOL, Mike
Submitted by Blonde on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 8:46pm.
Does Jesse, as the baby daddy of an illegitimate kid also have the poor little chile wonderin.... Is Jesse my daddy?
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
I wonder, Blonde,
Submitted by Mike Bates on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:13pm.
who JJ turned to as HIS spiritual adviser when the story of his youngest daughter surfaced. The Most Rev. Sharpton?
Undoubtedly, Mike
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:31pm.
Oh how I loathe the "JJ" thing. Always have, even before Da Rev.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Jackson hates Christmas.....
Submitted by notinstl on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 8:48pm.
....'cause he can't track down all of his kids. Or, more likely, is afraid they and his baby mommas may try to track him down.
What would the. . .
Submitted by rickbren on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 8:48pm.
. . ."Reverend" Jacks-hunnn know about Christianity???
Reverened Nonsense -- Prophet of Liberal Hypocrisy
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 9:46am.
JACKSON: "This (Christmas) is a holy day for the poor, not a holiday for the merchants. . . . I once heard some people that I know say that when Christmas Eve is over, they have midnight services in the back of their shops. These were non-Christian people I was, they say we, say every December 24th around midnight we have, we close our shops and we're not Christian but we start singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." We use Jesus to lure you into Santa Claus's birthday party and unless you have the holiday spirit, which is his songs, his wine, and his stuff you're not welcome at the party of the man whose party it is. This is, Christmas should be a poor people's holy day."
I'm not a Christian, but I was raised in a Christian church, and I've never heard Christmas described as "a holy day for the poor." I thought it was a holy day for all Christians.
But while the Right Reverend is addressing issues like faith and fortune, how does he explain the wealth he and his family has amassed while claiming to work on the behalf of the poor and social justice?
Why, for example, did two of his sons accept Anheuser-Busch beer distributorships in return for Jesse ending a boycott threat against the brewing corporation?
Was Anheuser-Busch singing "What a friend we have in Jesse?"
The liberal version of
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:20am.
The liberal version of Christmas.
A Note:
Submitted by stage9 on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 9:36pm.
Matthew 9:38-40
John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40For the one who is not against us is for us.
Regardless of the merchants' intentions, bringing attention to Christmas, a season celebrating the birth of the Son of the Living God, no more offends God than our praying in public offends Him. He is God at Wal-Mart, in our homes, and at our jobs. He is sovereign over it all and deserves our acknowledgement.
The courage of these merchants deserves praise.
"If God is dead, somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched fist or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner." — Malcolm Muggeridge
<throws BS flag>
Submitted by motherbelt on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 10:00pm.
Jackson was never told about non-christians having a "service" at midnight in the back of a store.
That line about non-Christians singing "What a friend we have in Jesus" is from a joke that's nearly as old as I am.
Exactly, MB.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 8:16am.
"What did your family do on Christmas Day, (little Jewish first grader)? It just re-circulated to me yesterday, right on schedule.
Da Rev think dat Chrissmus be "Santa Claus's birthday party?" He be a moe-ron, yo!
Can't wait for the government to declare a holiday in his memory. Maybe they can do it like they have "Presidents' Day" and lump all the race baiting assholes into one big holiday. I can think of more than a few names for it, starting with Dumb Ass Day.
Yeah, you left out the "and
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 8:58am.
Yeah, you left out the "and then we go to Bermuda" part.
"Non-Christian"....."merchants"......is that Jackson-code for "Jews"?
Code words
Submitted by Franksam on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 9:19am.
I think he was told to stop saying "hymie", so I'm guessing he's not talking about muslim merchants.
He's had to quit saying lots of stuff.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 11:36am.
After Bambi whipped Hillary, da Rev had to stop saying things like, "I'd like to cut dat n*gga's balls off" when referring to the President.
Excellent point, motherbelt!
Submitted by Galvanic on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 2:21pm.
I hadn't thought of that, but I think you're on to something.
I guess the Sloganmaster got his reverendship when he picked up
Submitted by Dave. on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 9:56pm.
...the matchbook that Al Sharpton discarded after he had written down the phone number for Revs 'R Us.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Day-um, Dave---
Submitted by matthewdean on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 10:20pm.
an alert, please, before dropping "Revs 'R Us" like that.
Hysterical !
Prolly true though, huh.
MD
Proper Ebonics, only, please MD.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 11:41am.
"Prolly true though, huh"
Dat be "Prolly true dat, dough, yo?" *
* From "Ebonics fo Dummies," chapter foody-fo, page fo-foody-fi.
Bubba---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:17pm.
Fo shizzle !
I be shuckin', you be jivin', an dem Revs be laffin' all da way to da vault whut be da Benjamins pad fo to crash.
Them two bruthas be lucky iff'n da Man don't catch 'em up and puts dey asses in da Gray Bar Ho-tel fo' bein' shim-shammin' mammy-jammas.
Nome' sayin', homes?
:o)
MD
You be throwin' down sum
Submitted by killa37 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:25pm.
You be throwin' down sum serious smack, muvva falkah...........I be down wicha!!! I ain't seen any signifyin' like dat since my main man MJ changed over from a cute little homie to an ugly white bee-atch!!! No whud I be tawkin bout??? Yo....................G's up..............ho's down!!!
odd isn't?
Submitted by MidAmerica on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 10:06pm.
Some ever so righteous Black reverends have been caught making disparaging comments about Jews but are also good friends to the Black Muslim community. just like our President
→ Jesse Jackson's Santa
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:45am.
Most of us think of James Earl Ray as one of the most disgusting humans ever to walk the earth.
Somebody remind me just when it was that Jesse Jackson's career as a snake oil salesman took off.
He had a Dream, They have a Scheme
Submitted by MidAmerica on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:56am.
MLK gave his life trying to move this country to a color blind society but some of those who walked with him have gotten rich making sure that never happens.
JJ
Submitted by Jersey Girl on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 8:53am.
I'm with MidAmerica. He said it best.
Jackson is and always was a charlatan.
Who has ever made the claim
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 7:43am.
Who has ever made the claim that Christmas is Santa's birthday? You would have to be an idiot of the highest order to not get laughed off the planet for making that preposterous statement. And making the statement that merchants are using Jesus as the lead in to Santa, is equally insane, when Jesus has been expelled from Christmas, in favor of Santa Claus.
If anything, you could say that Santa is used to lure people into celebrating Jesus' birthday, but never vice versa. That dog won't hunt.
...the claim that Christmas is Santa's birthday?
Submitted by vrwc13 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 11:10am.
We don't really know when his birthday is, but we do celebrate his death:
Saint Nicholas Day - December 6th
Saint Nicholas is not only the original Santa Claus, but a real person and saint. We celebrate his day, then put away all references to Santa Claus to prepare for the real celebration of Jesus' birth.
Many times after the 6th to the 25th our kids have been asked if they are anxious to 'see' Santa. We then get to witness the truth about the real Saint Nick and the real meaning of Christmas!
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Wow! Couldn't have said it better than Rev. Jackson!
Submitted by teg on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 8:09am.
"We use Jesus to lure you into Santa Claus's birthday party"
Wow, I couldn't have said it better than Rev. Jackson! You can't stick Jesus into something he never was in. Christmas is the birthday of the Sun god, as has been observed since the days of Babylon. I see people even still erecting the evergreen tree and adorning it with lights, everywhere. Just like in good ol' Babylon!
Jesus was born in the fall. You see that in the fact that when the angels appeared to the shepherds, they were still in the fields with their flocks.
So, Rev. Jackson is right for once! What's the saying? Even a broken clock is right twice a day...
Welcome, teg....4 comments in
Submitted by motherbelt on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 9:18am.
Welcome, teg....4 comments in 4 years....wow. You must save yourself for the really important things.
There's a difference in in "when Jesus was born" and when we "celebrate" Jesus' birth. Christmas was specifically placed where it is to REPLACE the pagan holiday.
But don't let facts get in the way of your lecturing...
See you in another year....
Thanks motherbelt, more to this than even that...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 11:11am.
I believe you are correct that " Christmas was specifically placed where it is to REPLACE the pagan holiday"
As Christians, I think it's great to see the world help celebrate His birthday, whenever. It's the day He came to establish something bigger though:
Knowledge and thus Truth are not so common anymore, though.
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Interesting, thanks for your insight but...
Submitted by teg on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:36pm.
I do not speak Hebrew so forgive my use of the English translations;
1. Passover
2. Feast of Unleavened Bread
3. Pentecost (count fifty days from the weekly Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Sabbath being Saturday)
4. Feast of Trumpets
5. Day of Atonement
6. The Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths?)
7. Last Great Day
Nope! No good Fridays, Easter or Christmas. Christ was a devout Jew. The only Sunday he would have been in church would have been on Pentecost. Christ was put to death the day before the first day of Unleavened Bread and he was buried for 3 nights and 3 days. Remember Jews count their days starting from sunset to sunset. They had to rush his burial so as to not break God's law on the celebration of the Holy Days. What is interestingly missing today is the fact the people Christ taught were following all those old, done-away-with, worthless days from the old testiment even after his death! Even funnier is they didn't change until the 4th century AD! Long after all those silly apostles were dead!
Makes you question those who claim to be Christian and become so self-righteous and indignant at their little days being soiled by unbelievers. What are they trying to hide?
And where, exactly, can I find the---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:40pm.
"old testiment' - in case I wanted to do some research?
Or should I maybe be looking for the "Old Testament" ?
MD
i only reply to idiots ;-)
Submitted by teg on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:26pm.
cheers! motherbelt
Someone seems to be looking for some attention.
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:28pm.
MB you must have hit a nerve.
I guess this makes 7?
Submitted by teg on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:32pm.
cool! I'm moving up in the world!
Do you make up this BS or do you really have any citations?
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:45pm.
Christmas has been celebrated in the same period as the Roman Saturnalia. You have that one wrong, as Saturnus was not the God of the Sun but instead father of Jupiter, King of the Gods. Apparently you never read Ovid or any Roman history. Saturnalia was actually a fertility festival. Got that one WRONG. And where did you find the evergreen tree references? The only evergreens that were native to the Babylonian lands were species that would not have been tall enough or hearty enough to survive being cut down and transported. The custom of a Christmas tree actually dates back to Germany during the medieval period. Got that one WRONG.
You aren't even a broken clock, teggie. You are constantly wrong like someone forgot to change your batteries and they corroded the contacts. Either that or your Namenda and Exelon doses need adjusted upwards, but I guess as a neurologist you would not consider me to be qualified to say that, eh?
See ya, teggie.
Gee! I wonder who he is talking about?
Submitted by Herbster on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 12:36pm.
Eureka! It just came to me. The "Reverend" must be talking about MUSLIMS!
I haven't read all the comments...
Submitted by Jarhead68 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 1:26pm.
...so please excuse me if someone else has picked up on this:
Jesse Jackass is supposed to be a Christian reverend, right? In this single quote he just denied the virgin birth of Jesus Christ...""born under the cloud of who is his Daddy?"
How can he claim to be a Christian...he just denied one of the bedrock principles of his own "faith."
Maybe the 'reverend' is as much of one as he is a Christian...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 1:55pm.
Following his graduation from A&T, Jackson attended the Chicago Theological Seminary with the intent of becoming a minister, but dropped out in 1966 to focus full time on the civil rights movement.[6] He was ordained in 1968, without a theological degree; awarded an honorary theological doctorate from Chicago in 1990; and received his Master of Divinity Degree based on his previous credits earned, plus his life experience and subsequent work, in 2000. - wiki
hmmm...maybe this is why he is not to sharp on principle key Christian doctrine?
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Considering CTS is the same place...
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:46pm.
...where that idiot WaPo religion commentator suggested that Jesus would forgive student loans teaches her diatribe, why am I not surprised they would award any degree to an intellectual lightweight like Jesse Jackson? So the "Reverend" is nothing more than a "Mister" with the fake title.
What a disgusting bigot Jesse is....
Submitted by drsamherman on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 1:47pm.
...and how loathsome of him to use a bad joke to insult others...real class coming from "Hymietown" Jackson.
In Jessie Jackson's defense ....
Submitted by MissMinPhx on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 2:11pm.
Christmas can be a heartbreaking holiday for the poor and those living on the edge - and sometimes people need to be reminded of that. Children who are born into poverty don't ask to be born into their circumstances - and in this material world we live in - it can be a difficult holiday for them. The commercialism of the holiday does seem to heighten the awareness of how little some people have.
And in the end, Jackson is right that Christmas should not be about the gifts - it should be about the things in life that are far, far more important than an I-phone. I, for one, hate the commercialism of the holiday and I have a hunch Jesus would too. I think he would rather we remember the poor and the down-trodden during the holiday season.
That said, I really don't think we need a black santa and a white santa, but aside from being divisive, it really doesn't hurt anyone.
Personally, ...
Submitted by GeneralAl on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 2:25pm.
Personally, I'd rather take the myth of Santa Claus out of Christmas.Saint Nicholas was a real and generous person who lifestyle helped perpetrate the legend of Santa Claus. While I don't have a problem with telling about the "real" Saint Nicholas [Santa Claus], it should be told in line with the fact that he sought to carry out the message and mission of Jesus. As far as Jackson goes, he will answer to God at the day of judgement!
"Old Soldiers never die, they just fade away"!
Didn't hurt anyone?
Submitted by Abu_Nudnik on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 4:12pm.
I'm not so sure that divisiveness doesn't hurt anyone.
Jesse Jackson, Shakedown Artist Never Needed Christmas
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 2:21pm.
He was too successful shaking down corporations with threats of boycotts unless they contributed to his "Rainbow Coalition", err Personal retirement Account.
So he didn't need Christmas.
He didn't need a birthday.
He used race and threats to create his paydays.
No wonder he hates the real Christmas.
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
Newsbusters Videos
Submitted by Abu_Nudnik on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 4:05pm.
I don't know why these videos can't run better. Why do they take so much buffering? I have an i7 processor and 6gb of memory. I don't have any trouble at YouTube. NB videos are consistently bad. It's not like they're high quality either.
Mary went to a an old woman to find out what was going on?
Submitted by Abu_Nudnik on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 4:18pm.
Huh? I wonder if he's drunk. His tie all askew, he's just rambling and telling anti-Jewish jokes. Creepy!
Cut Jesse some slack- The
Submitted by reddog339 on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 8:05pm.
Cut Jesse some slack- The gay guy that worked for Jesse is suing him because he had to act as Jesse's pimp to find Jesse womens- Jesses girl wants more money( living in LA costs) and Jesses baby is asking "" Who's my daddy and why ain't he here?""
→ reddog
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Mon, 12/05/2011 - 10:35pm.
That would be the same employee with whom Jesse tried to engage in a little Obama-style down-low.