Orange County Archives

The origin of Christmas can be traced to the pagan holidays. It was in the year 354 AD that Christians in the West began the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December; before that time, it was celebrated on the 6th of January. At the time, Christians considered many of the pagan traditions and festivals of the season that was practiced in most parts of Europe and the Middle East as a means of making them increasingly irrelevant.

Christmas day or Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Although it is observed on different dates in some churches, it is a fact that the actual time of the birth and death of Jesus Christ has not been determined. There are many sides to the celebration of Christmas, some of which are religious and some secular, including the myth of Santa Claus, the exchange of gifts, display and decoration of Christmas tree, and religious occasions.

Christians celebrate Christmas by recreating or remembering the Nativity of Christ. While the Western Church most Christians prefer to celebrate the Advent of Christ, the Eastern Orthodox Churches engage in the Nativity fast in anticipation of the birth of Christ. Children usually sing Christmas carols that make reference to the celebration or celebrate the events of the Nativity. Some Christians place a small size recreation of the Nativity in their houses using small sculptures to display the key persons in the story of the birth of Christ.

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The joy of bringing hope to the lives of others, bearing the burden of others, easy loads of others and filling empty lives and hearts with generous gifts is the true essence of Christmas. It is a period when people do things that they usually don’t do. Be kind to others if you have demonstrated wickedness throughout the year and such things as kindness, love and compassion are infectious. You may find yourself becoming loving and kind for the rest of your entire life which will do you a whole lot of good.

Christmas is a time of the year when we let go of the painful realities of this evil world and adopt and embrace a more real universe (heaven) which represents the ideals that we cherish and believe in but find it difficult to follow through in an unforgiving and ugly world which is inclined towards eroding the real loving nature of man.

The post HISTORY AND MEANING OF CHRISTMAS appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.

Los Angeles County has agreed to pay the sum of $800,000 to the parent of kids who were taken to custody from home without a warrant by social workers and Sheriff’s deputy.

The payment is meant to settle a civil right violation lawsuit that claimed that the kids were unlawfully taken away from their parent’s residence at San Gabriel Valley about four years ago. The state kept the children for four months.

The lawsuit was filed by the parents of the two kids who believe that it was a case of a violation of their civil rights.

The parents, Mirtha Lopez and Sebastian Xoss leveled accusation against the county of unlawful, unreasonable and baseless removal of their 8 year old son and 6 year old daughter on February 10, 2011 from a hotel where they staying at the time of the event. According to the lawsuit, they went to the hotel in a bid to escape suspected violation of their daughter by an abuser who is a close relation of Lopez.

The lawsuit also states that the social workers at the Department of children and family services claimed that the parents created an endangering and detrimental home environment for the children. By falling short of their responsibility for providing immunizations and nourishing food for their children. They went on to accuse Xoss of having an untreated mental health problem that pose a threat to the children’s safety.

According to the case summary as prepared by the counsel to the country, staff from the Sheriff’s department’s social workers and Special Victims Bureau was responding to a complaint of abuse. It is, however, unclear who lodged the report.

The parents on their part denied the allegations claiming that they were fabricated. They said that they were raising their children in an academically, emotionally, loving, and financially supporting home. They also had letters from their doctors as proof that they were exempted from immunizing their children on the basis of their religious belief.

The parents made accusations in their lawsuit against the social workers and deputy that they entered their hotel room without having a search warrant to do so. The lawsuit reveals that the deputy mocked at the parents for not immunizing their children because of their religious inclination and also teaching them at home without sending them to school.

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The post Parents Receive $800,000 As A Settlement After Police Took Custody Of Their Children Without A Warrant appeared first on NIR News / National Investigative Report.