Cutting off your nose for Christmas?

I think Tim Minchin‘s Song “White Wine in the Sun“ really captures the spirit of Christmas down under. I heard it last year (see No gods required) and notice it is being promoted again this year with all proceeds going to charity.

Here is Minchin performing the song:

Vodpod videos no longer available.

The Salvation Army was a beneficiary of this because the song is included on the CD The Spirit Of Christmas, which raises money for the Salvation Army’s charity work in Australia. However, talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. They are now criticising the song and other Christian activists, even ones supposedly supporting family values, dubbed it  ‘disrespectful’ and ‘a sick joke.’

Tim wrote about the Sally’s rudeness:

“I gave my song for free, putting aside my philosophical objection to the Salvation Army for the sake of beneficiaries. Imbeciles.”

“I think the Salvos are idiots. I didn’t know they would benefit from the CD, but by the time I found out I didn’t want to make too much of a fuss. So I gave my song free, then they turn around and say that they don’t agree with the sentiment of the song.

“Part of me is hugely outraged by what imbeciles they are, to bite the hand that feeds them and put their proselytising above charity.

“I won’t make this mistake again. I tweeted that if people want to buy my version of the song independently, I’ll give the proceeds away to a non-proselytising charity.”

“Christmas means much to billions of people who don’t believe in Jesus, and if you think that Christmas without Jesus is not Christmas, then you’re out of touch, and if you think altruism without Jesus is not altruism, then you’re a dick.”

I understand that a secular charity Autism Trust is going to benefit from sales of “White Wine in the Sun” from now until January 1st. (Cost NZ$1.79 on iTunes – I wouldn’t buy the Sally’s CD).

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Posted on December 1, 2010 4 Comments

This entry was posted in agnostic, agnosticism, atheism, belief, religion, supernatural, superstition, tradition and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 responses to “Cutting off your nose for Christmas?”

  1. Tsuken | December 1, 2010 at 9:10 am |

    Absolutely agree. The “moral outrage” of these folks (irony aside) beggars belief. I went immediately to iTunes and bought it after reading Minchin’s tweet.

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  2. Ben Finney | December 1, 2010 at 9:33 am |

    I’d love to buy the song independently. That precludes buying it through iTunes, though.

    Anyone know of a way that doesn’t involve a megacorporation or supernatural charity stripping the funds before they get to Tim?

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  3. Matt | December 16, 2010 at 5:19 pm |

    Hmmm, so I take it that if the creation research instiute or the discovery institute donates money to auckland universities science department its irrational dishonest idiotic etc for Auckland Uni to respond with the claim they don’t endorse these organisations works or disagree with there message.

    After all can’t put prostelysing before charity can you.

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  4. Ken | December 16, 2010 at 5:52 pm |

    Matt, have you listened to Minchen’s song. I think it is one that most of us down under can identify with. The attacks on it by the Sallys and other Christian militants amounts to a war on our Christmas.

    I have heard of a paralell situation where Sallys have been sorting through gifted toys and throwing out any Harry Potter toys. Throwing away gifts made by ordinary people for underpriveligwd children!

    It all amounts to an attempt by bigots to destroy the christmas celebrations of others. An attempt to impose a restricted culture on what is a important time of celebration for us.

    They are carrying out a war on Christmas.

    What’s this about creationists funding Auclnbd University? I bloody well hope note. Christ that would really make NZ look silly. Did you jack this up?

    .

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