The War on Christmas?
We once again find ourselves in the midst of a Christmas season and once again in the midst of an ongoing controversy. Christians have come to understand that their religious freedom of expression is under attack each year during the month of December, with no relief in sight. In fact, with each passing year the battle grows more and more intense.
In his book, The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse than you Thought, author John Gibson looks at several case studies in this war. These “cases” constitute the chapters of Gibson’s book which include “Covington, GA: We Couldn’t Call it Christmas,” “Mustang, OK: Nativity Scene Bad; Kwanzaa and Hanukah Good,” “Baldwin City, KS, Santa Gets Bounced Because it’s Discovered He’s Christian,” “Plano, TX: a Red and Green – Free Zone,” “Eugene, OR: ‘Therefore we decided to Ban them,” “Indianapolis, IN: The Law School Evicts a Totally Legal Christmas Tree,” and “Maplewood, NJ: The Home of the Serial Christmas Killer.” Each of these case studies comes from the past decade or so.
There are a great deal of factors in the war on Christmas but one of the most glaring is fear. School boards and principles are becoming increasingly fearful of anything at all to do with Christmas. They are afraid of Christmas songs, Christmas plays, Christmas parties and even afraid of calling Christmas break, Christmas break! Some are opting for more mundane labels such as “winter break,” and “winter parties.” What is really going on is that people are being intimidated into conforming to a standard that is not really a standard at all. The legal battles are way out in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. It is simply easier for schools to “handle” the problem rather than take any sort of stand either for or against anything. Generally speaking, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
Our Constitution does state that “The government will make no law establishing religion, nor will it prohibit the free exercise thereof.” Our government can not proclaim that Christianity, or any other religion, is our “national” religion. The first portion of this statement prohibits the government from making an endorsement of any religious expression. But the second portion is where the battle rages. Groups such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) effectively seek to use the first clause to beat the second clause to death! The free exercise of religion, in this case Christianity, is under attack on a massive scale. For schools to call a Christmas party a Christmas party is not “establishing” a religion. To have a Christmas tree in the hallway is not “establishing” Christianity. But an overzealous ACLU is going hot and heavy after those who try to carry on traditions as old as our country itself. If we could even say they were “well-meaning” it would perhaps give us some solace, but I am quite confident they are not.
The war on Christmas is widespread and it is perverse. What is going on is serious “over-kill.” It is nearly the equivalent of calling the police on a couple of 3-year-olds who are not sharing their toys. It is embarrassing and it goes way out ahead of the law, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the culture as a whole. While the government cannot officially sanction religious expression, it has always been understood that the men and women who, comprised the government, had the freedom to express themselves religiously. This also filtered down to state and local governments, even the school systems. History is jam-packed with instances, quotes, and various writings proclaiming a faith in, and reliance upon God, yet none of it was ever viewed as being an “endorsement” of a religion. Our country’s monuments, memorials, and federal buildings express a rich and deep dependence upon God. In a National Day of Prayer Proclamation on December 5, 1974, President Gerald Ford quoted President Eisenhower’s 1955 statement:
Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first – the most basic – expression of Americanism. Thus the Founding Fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be.
(The American Patriot’s Bible; 461)
Neither when Eisenhower himself spoke these words, nor when Ford quoted his words nearly 2 decades later, was is believed that the government was somehow “establishing” religion. Unfortunately the ACLU has utterly gone berserk as the self proclaimed religious police of this country!
On page 134 of his book, Gibson gives a bit of background about the ACLU which is insightful.
The ACLU started in the 1920s. Their agenda has been a very left-wing liberal agenda, and it has never changed. Basically it is deconstructing the principles of the founding of our nation. The establishment clause was never meant to prohibit religious displays or the influence of religion on government. It was really to prevent government’s intrusion into religion. And the ACLU has been able to take the clause, turn it on its head, and now use it as a means to removing every vestige of religion from the public square. That’s what we’re fighting against . . . the foundations of our nation are Christian principles, and that once destroyed basically our culture is destroyed.
(John Gibson; The War on Christmas; 144-45)
Robert Muise of the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan says, “Liberals claim to be the tolerant ones. But look what they’re doing; Christianity has crosshairs on it, and it’s being excised and being removed. And I think people are upset about it and fed up with it.” (Gibson; War on Christmas; 146) The ACLU is anything but tolerant. They champion any and every liberal cause but fail to protect the civil liberties (freedoms) of virtually anyone who is outside the framework of their political philosophy. Clearly and overwhelmingly the suppression of religious expression they advocate has not been historically practiced in this country. In essence, what they are saying, via their actions, is that for the past 2 ¼ centuries the “practice” of our religion and the expression of it has been profoundly out of step with what the founders intended. In other words religious atrocities have been committed almost incessantly until, in a late breaking development, they alone have entered the scene to fight to suppress the horrid expressions of Christianity, particularly those which are in the fore-front at Christmas time
Realistically speaking, any thinking person knows that not to be the case. The ACLU clearly ascribes itself to the uniquely American adage that if “some” is good, then “more” is better. Well, in some cases, who could argue? But in many cases, this being one of them, less is more! I would encourage you to boldly and proudly wish others a very heart-felt Merry Christmas this year and enjoy the celebration of Christ’s incarnation as a man. Even though the euphemistic “Grinch” lurks in the background (not Dr. Seuss’s version but Satan Himself) don’t let that spoil your celebration of God’s inordinate love for mankind and desire to teach us the way!
In Christ,
Pastor Allen Raynor