One of my neices posted a little remark on Facebook about "taking the Christ out of Christmas". I composed a lengthy note in responce to it. I have copied it here, without my signature, in the hopes that some might enjoy it this holiday season.
As a child, I had a preacher who decried "taking the Christ out of Christmas" and as an example used the "x" in "xmas". I suspect that for centuries before I was born, preachers were also decrying taking the Christ out of Christmas. It wasn't until I was older that I found out the greek letter used for Christ is a "chi" which is the same as our "x". I would like to extend to the preacher the benefit of the doubt and suggest that he did not know but, then the question becomes "why not?"
http://www.crivoice.org/...
And every year there are those who decry the "war on Christmas". Some poor shop keeper, somewhere in America, because he has customers of many faiths and seeks to expand his base, informs his employees to say "Happy Holidays". Next thing you know, the story is picked by Bill O'Reilly as part of his yearly "war on Christmas" tirade and the poor shopkeeper is inundated by complaints from angry Christians. The shopkeeper loses sales and Bill O'Reilly whistles an Irish tune on his way to the bank.
This morning, the same station did a piece about some atheists who had erected a billboard that said "Heathens Greetings" as yet another example of the war on Christmas. No mention, of course, that the billboard was on private property and paid for with private money. At least they did not create a three and one half ton megalith and have it delivered on the last hour of a friday afternoon to be erected in the lobby of a courthouse as Judge Moore did with the Ten Commandments. At least the athesist did not erect a huge monument in a public park as has been done with the Ten Commandments in cities throughout the United States.
Should you wonder how James Madison (he wrote the Constitution!) would feel about such violations of the principle of seperation of church and state, you can read his letter to Edward Livingston.
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/...
If there truely were an ongoing "war on Christmas" ( and there isn't!) it sure would not seem to be going very well for the ones waging it, because Christmas seems very alive and well to me, amongst people of many faiths and of no faith at all.
The greatest threat to Christmas, it seems to me, comes not from outside but from many (not all!) Christains themselves, who so often seem myopic, afraid of science and the truth (those evil-utionists!), and many times do not abide by the words of their "savior" of love and forgiveness. They also seem shockingly unfamiliar with the joint history of faith and the enlightenment that lead to our liberties, including Freedom of Religion.
Now, having said all of that, I would like to wish everyone a "Merry Chrstmas". For my Jewsih friends, I wish a "Happy Hanukkah", for those that prefer a "Happy Holidays". For my Muslim friends, I believe it is "Happy EID-UL-ADHA", but I must confess my total ignorance.
And, for my three atheists friends, whom I regard as the most moral & brilliant people I know, despite being amongst the group most hated in America today (so much for "tolerance"), I would like to wish a "Heathens Greetings"!
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Love and Peace to all!
My Signature Here.
When you are saying your prayers this holiday, perhaps add one for the soul of poor Giordano Bruno, who steafastedly refused to recant his beliefs in the face of persecution, and was burned at the stake on Feb 17th, 1600: thus marking the beginning of the movement towards Freedom of Religion.