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Christmas Won’t
Go Down Without a Fight
It
seems that “Merry Christmas” really did strike some
nerves for people in this part of the country, but not the same
bundle of nerves that some people first expected. Actually, it
wasn’t “Merry Christmas” that made people mad,
it was the lack of it! It seems that it is not greeting someone
with “Merry Christmas” that makes them angry, but not
being told “Merry Christmas, or worse, being told not to
say “Merry Christmas.”
A
couple of weeks back I wrote an opinion about what I consider
an outrageous wrong, the fact that many retail employers instructed
all of their employees not to say “Merry Christmas,”
but to use the words, “Happy Holidays,” or something
similar, in order not to offend non-Christians. I explained there
is absolutely nothing illegal, immoral, or even offensive to the
vast majority of people, about saying “Merry Christmas”
(Why should anyone have to explain anything like that?) On the
other hand, being told by employers not to use such a greeting
amounts to no less, in my opinion, that a violation of one’s
rights to freedom of speech. Since the time I submitted my two
cents on the subject in a local setting, many more dollars have
rolled in from the public sector, even on the national scale.
The
mayor of Boston decreed that the name for the city’s “Holiday
Tree” would revert back to “Christmas Tree” after
the people in the town protested angrily over the change. Evidently
the people of Nova Scotia had been offended. Nova Scotia always
donates the tree to Boston each year since World War I for an
act of bravery in that war when a munitions ship was exploded
in Halifax harbor. It was said that one Canadian doctor said he
would rather the tree be thrown “in the chipper” than
to be called a “Holiday Tree.” Mayor Dan Dalager, of
Encinitas, California, took a stand and renamed their “Holiday
Parade” a “Christmas Parade” which is what it had
been called for decades, despite the fact that he offended a great
number of leaders of the “politically correct” crowd.
It seems that reactions have taken place all over the country
to the annihilation of the word “Christmas” from the
season.
Meanwhile,
in our own county, I have had the largest response that I ever
received from a single article, and all of it positive. One gentleman
wrote me, telling me he was not even a Christian, but he felt
really bad about not using or receiving the greeting in some public
settings this year, like something was wrong. That dear man was
absolutely right, and although he may not have been able to put
his finger on the problem, it is about time we all took a hard
look to determine what the problem is, and what needs to be done
about it. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must
take this opportunity to re-emphasize the same theme I have stated
so many times before to the good people of our area.
Why
is it that rebellion against Christmas causes such a backlash?
Why is it that some cities and counties stubbornly insist on continuing
to put up nativity displays? Why is it that so many holiday secular
events continue to feature Christmas carols? Yes, it is true that
there are many secular institutions who are shutting these things
down, but why is there such resistance? Is it because these officials
wish to antagonize people or “flaunt” their Christianity?
Is it because they are “daring” an atheist to bring
on a lawsuit? To say, “I don’t think so” would
be a mild understatement!
These
leaders believe that Christmas, and yes, Christianity, is more
than just private, form of worship in America. They believe Christianity
is an interwoven foundation in the fabric of our culture. If you
take a finely tailored jacket and pull all of the interfacing
and lining out of that jacket, it will no longer be a jacket;
it will no longer be useful for anything more than a scrap rag.
Christianity is completely embedded in our morals, our mannerisms,
our habits, our laws, and every aspect of our culture. If we let
the “politically correct” crowd, or atheists, or another
religion strip Christians of their right to be public about their
Christianity, then we will not only lose our freedom of religion,
but we will destroy the very underlying essence of America, and
God’s blessing upon us. “Blessed be the nation whose
God is the Lord!” For one last time this year, Merry Christmas,
and Happy New Year to you all.
James
Sanders
Pastor,
sandersjc@yahoo.com
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