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SCVNews.com | Opinion/Commentary: What War on Christmas? | 12-03-2012
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What War on Christmas?
The Real Side | Commentary by Joe Messina
Joe Messina | Monday, Dec 3, 2012
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There is a war on Christmas. No, really. Every year around September or October, we start to hear about the Christmas (holiday) programs at our schools, or the Christmas displays at our city halls and community centers.

And every year the “anti”-Christ-anything people come out of the woodwork.

Recently the Arkansas Society of Freestinkers – sorry, I mean Freethinkers – asked the Little Rock School District to cancel a school outing to a Charlie Brown Christmas play.

Really. Why? You ask.

Reason One: There is a scripture reading about the story of Christmas, just like there is in the cartoon version that has been airing for 50 years and consistently pulls high ratings on TV.

Reason Two: The play is held at a church. Why at a church? Well, it’s a very sinister reason: It’s the only facility for a play that could hold that many kids. Well, we can’t have that.

And how many parents were up in arms over this field trip? Exactly one. YUP, just one.

A North Carolina college recently told a student group that it would not post notices about the group’s Christmas tree sale. Why? Because the college could not contribute in the promotion of a religion. Are you kidding? No, it’s true.

Since when is there a “Christmas tree” religion? And who follows it? Tree huggers?

Here’s a little history on the subject. The Christmas tree used to be called a “yule tree”. It had nothing – and still has nothing – to do with the Christian religion. The tree is sometimes referenced as a reminder of the cross – but that’s relatively recent.

The tree, mistletoe, presents, Santa Claus, lights, etc., have NOTHING to do with the Christian religion.

Actually, the “Christmas” season is a mix of many religious, non-religious and cultural beliefs including pagan, Nordic and German, just to name a few.

So why is all this “anti” aimed at Christians? Why not the Muslims who celebrate Ramadan in this country and take time from work and school, or the Jews during their high holy days, or even the atheists on April 1 – never mind. Scratch the last one.

And why is it that Democrats in power, governors, senators and others want to call it the “holiday tree”? We can’t celebrate a Christian holiday in the public arena, but most can take off the Christmas holiday and get paid for it, or work it and get paid time and a half or double-time. Really?

Most Republicans – you know, those Bible-thumping, gun-toting religious nuts – have no problem celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or any other religious or non-religious expression you might want to have.

Why is it the party of tolerance is mostly intolerant to those of us who want to express ourselves with our particular holiday celebration, while the so-called party of “no” is more than willing to allow all people to celebrate their religious or non-religious celebration during the “holiday season?”

The so-called “party of the people” wants to squelch the wishes of more than 77 percent of the American people who say they have no problem calling it Christmas, the Christmas season, or a Christmas tree, and the party of “no” is willing to allow all people to celebrate as they see fit.

Has there been a change in the dictionary? Is it backwards day?

People, we have lost our minds. “Live and let live” is yesterday’s news. Respect for other people’s belief systems is almost completely gone. You’d better pay attention and speak up before it gets to the point where we’ll all have to read our Bibles, Korans, Torahs or even Wall Street Journals in the closet with a flashlight.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then merry “whatever” to you – and if you are offended, so be it.

 

Joe Messina is host of The Real Side (TheRealSide.com), a nationally syndicated talk show that runs on AM-1220 KHTS radio and SCVTV [here]. He is also an elected member of the Hart School Board. His commentary publishes Mondays.

 

 

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Comment On This Story
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  • kindasickofscv

    so – essentially – ‘why is everyone always pickin’ on me’?!

    journalism at its finest

  • http://www.facebook.com/armine.jones Armine Savadian Jones

    I’m with you on this, Joe. Merry Christmas!

  • Anonymous

    While I agree with the message Joe is delivering, I think his logic is fundamentally flawed and his writing is nothing short of immature. The commenter “kindasickofscv” has it right in purporting this article, sarcastically, to be ‘journalism at its finest.’

    I’m fond of the idea of articulating Christmas’s traditional spirit and even the pettiness of the backlash (I won’t go as far as to call it a “war”) it faces, but I don’t think this message shines through when dulled with such immature diction as “Freestinkers” and inappropriate references as “atheists on April 1.”

    Furthermore, it is a tad ignorant to not understand that Christmas (as are other Christian holidays) is more widely recognized than any of the others Joe mentions; while it is true that Muslims may take time off of school for Islamic holidays, Christians are always freely given the time to celebrate their holidays. The Christian tradition was the point of origin for what we now refer to as “winter break” and “spring break”–which I personally prefer to call “Christmas break” and “Easter break”–and is recognized Federally while banks close on Christmas day.

    While I think it wholly unfair to prevent Christians from enthusiastically expressing their holiday traditions without distilling them through the filter of political-correctness (and that the public school system is perhaps the biggest culprit in such cases), I also don’t see it as productive or justified to bluntly insult those who are offended by Christians’ use of Christmas paraphernalia and terminology or those who wish (if over-zealously) to proactively protect other, more sensitive individuals from feeling excluded during the Christmas season.

    • EJody

      “While I think it wholly unfair to prevent Christians from
      enthusiastically expressing their holiday traditions without distilling
      them through the filter of political-correctness (and that the public
      school system is perhaps the biggest culprit in such cases), I also
      don’t see it as productive or justified to bluntly insult those who are
      offended by Christians’ use of Christmas paraphernalia and terminology
      or those who wish (if over-zealously) to proactively protect other, more
      sensitive individuals from feeling excluded during the Christmas
      season.”

      That is not what is happening. It is CLEARLY an assault on freedom to express religion. It’s not about someone feeling excluded from the 77-80%. It’s about the 77-80% being PROHIBITED from expressing their faith and celebrating the birth of their God. You do NOT see this discrimination against Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics or atheists. It’s only Christians– the ones who originally enshrined Freedom of Religious expression in our Constitution– that are the victims of that very document by activist judges who have disdain for them and reinterpret the Constitution to match their worldview, and those in their micro-culture.

  • Pingback: ‘War on Christmas’ Sociopaths: 49% of Republicans Believe ACORN Stole The Election For Obama | PoliticalArticles.NET

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