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The Real Side | Commentary by Joe Messina
| Monday, Dec 3, 2012

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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8 Comments

  1. kindasickofscv says:

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

    journalism at its finest

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

  3. Anonymous says:

    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 says:

      “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.

  4. Ian Monk says:

    Y’all need to readyour bibles only heathens and sinners celebrate their birthdays. Christs mass is not in the bible. John the baptist was conceived in june and born in march Jesus 6 months behind John wasborn in september. Children were sacrificial gifts to tammuz on dec.25th before the catholics adopted it into christianty. Ezekiel8:12-18 satan deceives the world. Rev 12:9 many worship me in vainmark 7:6-9

  5. ian says:

    Mark 7:6-9 Jesus tells us many will worship him in vain. Deut 12:29-32 tells us not to do what heathens do to their gods. Jeremiah 10:1-5 says dont decorate green trees. Ezekiel 8:12-20 tells usits tammuzes birthdaynot Jesus. From johnthe baptists conception in june we can determine jesus was conceived in december. Thus a september birth atthe feast of tabernacles. The reason the inn wad full every one was keeping the feast God commanded. History shows likesundaylong after the resurrection the popes adopted pagan days into christianity. The bible prphecies this daniel7:25. 1 thessalonians tells us prove all things. Isaiah 56:3,6 warns gentiles not to defile Gods Sabbaths. Rev 12:9 the devil fools the world. 18:4 says come out of the world. I willgladly fwd resources to back up what I say here.

  6. Tony Misner says:

    I got to say Joe is thee man.I know of all these
    seemingly neverending religious clashes leads to
    violence.I only want peace and for all that partake in the holidays to have a very Merry Christmas now in 2013 and always.I also want more people like Joe here setting a fine example speak intelligently and bring peace and love for not by violence but with creative kindness the world so very lacks.

  7. ian says:

    The thing with christ mass is God said dont do to me what the heathen do to their gods. The tree thing is in jeremiah10 birthdays are never mentioned as a thing to obsrrve. On the 2 mentioned in the biblepeople were killed. The otigin of 25th dec. Celebrations is a bithday of the sun God not Jesus. He was born at the time of fall feast of tabernacles. So christs mass is idolotary and bars us from heaven.

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