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The Forum > Article Comments > Silent Night – a miracle in the making > Comments

Silent Night – a miracle in the making : Comments

By Warwick Marsh, published 24/12/2010

One song more than any other embodies the qualities of Christmas and has been there to prove it.

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Squeers:

Well squeers, the Christian utopia concluded almost before it began when man was pitched out of the garden of Eden with instruction from God to fend for himself. Sounds to me you are a few thousand years behind the times.

The sheep!
Now really Squeers, to be a Christian in these pages is to be a member of the minority flock. That would also put you and your anti view into the woolly majority pen along with other bleating atheists.

Anyway, cheer-up. Try to have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Posted by diver dan, Monday, 27 December 2010 2:44:38 PM
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Out of all the Christmas carols Silent Night is the least annoying - at least it has a nice tune. :)

However as for miracles regards the temporary truce this came about more from human goodwill and would have transpired whether it was a Christmas festival or a pagan one etal. That is, whatever the common religion or spiritual belief of the time.

It is always about the human rather than the supernatural and that is the way it always has been no matter how we dress it up as miracles or as anything other than a natural human response.
Posted by pelican, Monday, 27 December 2010 9:21:45 PM
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I would have preferred the 'miracle' of Silent Night to have prevented the world war in the first place.
Think how many lives would have been saved then?

What I really want to know is what the Shepherds were 'quaking' about in the song?
All the rest of the song is about sweetness and babies and virgins and silence, and then we have the 'quaking' Shepherds?
Posted by suzeonline, Tuesday, 28 December 2010 12:35:47 AM
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ahh...Suze...every person should have "prayed" and opened up their hearts and minds to God our father, Jesus Christ and Our Lady Mary, in the first place..."He who believes in Me shall be saved and rewarded" on earth and during the next life/hearafter.
Posted by we are unique, Tuesday, 28 December 2010 1:24:29 AM
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It's just the translation, suzeonline.

>>What I really want to know is what the Shepherds were 'quaking' about in the song?<<

The line in German is "Hirten erst kundgemacht", a more accurate translation of which would be "first made known to the shepherds".

Try fitting that into six syllables, and get it to rhyme at the same time!

The translation was made back in 1859 by an American, John Freeman Young. I guess he just anticipated those shepherds being told by the angels not to be afraid, hence the quaking.

Poetic licence.
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 28 December 2010 11:49:14 AM
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The anti-Christian bile is unnecessary, people draw whatever meaning, togetherness, sense of community and spirituality they like from the beautiful music and rich traditions of Christmas carols.

If hope, joy and good can come out of pagan festivals - and I personally haven't witnessed any broad-reaching charitable works out of a pagan festival - then let us have those pagan festivals as well.

The moral impact of Christmas carols is for the good and the intolerance of the scores and music seen here would be petty, comical even, if it were not for the underlying prejudice and bigotry. No-one is forced to listen or participate, just switch off your TVs and radios and avoid the public gatherings.

Talking about Christmas carols, I missed Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol this year. I wonder if it was screened because it has become part of the tradition of Christmas for many.
Posted by Cornflower, Tuesday, 28 December 2010 1:11:29 PM
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