Free Republic

A function held at the Austrian embassy in Germany still served traditional festive fare such as Lebkuchen but rebranded them as 'winter delicacies'. . . . A reporter attending the event wanted to know exactly what the Austrians suddenly considered "winter delicacies" and asked the embassy for a clarification. The ambassador then admitted that the traditional Christmas foods had been rebranded out of respect for Islam.

Grant Parish District Attorney Jay Lemoine pushed back against the ACLU’s letter, telling KALB News “It seems these days it is typical for everyone to rush to want to be offended.” Lemoine said the courthouse already has a secular display, a Christmas tree, inside the building. “The offense would be if the religious symbols were taken out of Christmas,” Lemoine continued.

This is the Tunisian asylum seeker who has become Europe's most wanted terrorist after his ID was found under the seat in the lorry used to massacre 12 people at a Berlin Christmas market. Police today revealed they are hunting Anis Amri, 21, a refugee who came to Germany earlier this year. His paperwork was found in truck's footwell. He is probably armed, 'highly dangerous' and a member of a 'large' Islamic organisation and has weapons training abroad, security sources say. Despite an unfolding international manhunt the first pictures of him released in Germany

A traditional nativity scene will not be put up in a Belgian town this year, amid claims it was scrapped in order to avoid offending Muslims. A former leader in Holsbeek, about 20 miles outside Brussels - claims there will be no manger to mark the festival because it would be 'too provocative'. . . . The decision not to put a nativity scene up was supported by the ruling coalition of the Christian-Democrats and the Green Party. But the Flemish-nationalist N-VA party called for locals to attend the town’s next assembly meeting - and to each bring a nativity...

FULL TITLE: Abortion Activists Sing Sacrilegious Christmas Carols: “Hark! The Nasty Women Sing, Glory to the Nuva Ring” WARNING: BARF ALERT On December 17, a crowd of women gathered on the snow-covered grounds of New York City’s Trump International Hotel. Dressed in red choir gowns, they pulled out songbooks and began to sing familiar Christmas tunes. However, upon closer inspection, listeners realized that the lyrics had been given a feminist twist. “Hark! The nasty women sing, glory to the Nuva ring! Joyful all erections rise, get an implant if you’re wise,” the “Nasty Women’s Choir” crooned. Then later: “You better...

--snip-- Angela Merkel said it was a “difficult day” for Germany and that she was “shocked” by the horrific “terrorist attack”. She added that the crime with “be especially hard for us all to bear if it were confirmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection and asylum.”

The secular war on Christmas recently trained its big guns on the door of the nurse’s office in a Texas middle school. Squarely in its sights was a homemade poster on the door, depicting lovable Linus quoting from the children’s classic A Charlie Brown Christmas: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a savior which is Christ the Lord. . . That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.” Horrors! The Bible quoted in a public school where impressionable schoolchildren passing by would surely be exposed to the alarming idea that Christmas has something to...

Those who want a new twist on the traditional crèche can buy a 10-piece Hipster Nativity scene that features Joseph sporting a lumberjack beard taking a selfie; baby Jesus and a peace-flashing Mary, holding a Starbucks cup, are included. The three wise men show up on Segways holding Amazon boxes full of presents; there is also a cow draped in a sweater with a “100% Organic” seal on it. This depiction is more trendy than it is offensive. A gun-rights activist in Columbia, South Carolina has hijacked Christmas to make his case defending the Second Amendment. It is the work...

Those who want a new twist on the traditional crèche can buy a 10-piece Hipster Nativity scene that features Joseph sporting a lumberjack beard taking a selfie; baby Jesus and a peace-flashing Mary, holding a Starbucks cup, are included. The three wise men show up on Segways holding Amazon boxes full of presents; there is also a cow draped in a sweater with a “100% Organic” seal on it. A gun-rights activist in Columbia, South Carolina has hijacked Christmas to make his case defending the Second Amendment. It is the work of the Palmetto State Armory. Billboards are being displayed...

Secularists are not necessarily anti-Christmas, but the radicals in their ranks are. At the top of the list is FFRF. Its tactics are twofold: If religious Christmas symbols and events cannot be banned, secular symbols and events must compete with them. Consider the following. For many years, the northern Michigan town of Menominee has displayed a nativity scene on public property. It was taken down this year after a complaint by FFRF. Chicago’s Daley Square has long been host to a life-size nativity scene, and in recent years that spot has been shared with a display by FFRF: it is...

Ask any schoolboy what the meaning of Christmas is, and he will say it celebrates the birth of Jesus. Ask the ideologues at Microsoft, and they will say it means whatever their politics dictate. This year it represents an opportunity to exploit Christmas by pushing the LGBT agenda. Microsoft has released a TV ad, “Art of Harmony,” that is laden with Christmas overtones, yet absent of Christian content. “This holiday season we brought together a group of people who are making a difference in the world,” the ad says. It does not say what holiday is being observed, though we...

A school district in Oregon is joining many others around the country in a controversial decision to refrain from using religious-themed decorations during the holidays, including images like Santa Claus. KATU reports Santa Claus decorations are no longer welcome in Hillsboro Schools, outside Portland. The district sent this memo to staff: "You may still decorate your door or office if you like, but we ask that you be respectful and sensitive to the diverse perspectives and beliefs of our community and refrain from using religious-themed decorations or images like Santa Claus."

SOUTH BEND — The student and parents suing Concord schools over the annual Christmas Spectacular are still seeking a court order barring the school from reverting to older versions of the show that contain live Nativity scenes. In a filing last week in U.S. District Court in South Bend, the anonymous Concord Community Schools student and three parents suing the school district say school officials' promises to use mannequins instead of live actors to depict the Nativity aren't enough. A court filing in the case by the school district in early October says Concord Community Schools Superintendent John Trout and...

Politicians in Washington aren’t going to care much right now about a movie depicting the short life of a Christian girl, according to film producer Chuck Howard. But that’s not going to stop the Nashville resident from trying to motivate lawmakers to take on Google and dismantle what he says has become a biased media monopoly. ... faith-based film “I’m Not Ashamed,” .. film’s trailer garnered over 5 million views before YouTube removed the channel nearly a year ago. The channel was recently reinstated after The Hollywood Reporter contacted YouTube about the incident. However, the channel was hit with a...

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Montgomery County Public Schools will remove religious labels from school holidays, but members of the Islamic community say the adjustments to the school calendar do nothing to gain parity and a day off for the Muslim holiday of Eid.

Christmas and Easter have been stricken from next year’s school calendar in Montgomery County. So have Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. Montgomery’s Board of Education voted 7 to 1 Tuesday to eliminate references to all religious holidays on the published calendar for 2015-2016, a decision that followed a request from Muslim community leaders to give equal billing to the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Adha.

It is a well-known fact that the corporate world is powered by high-end coffees. With pithy corporate executives forced to work early morning hours to keep their companies competitive, they must find a good source of status-quot coffee to start their day and show they are in charge. Powerful liberals understand this fact and have thus encouraged young lesbians to start ‘exciting careers’ in the barista industry. By working at local Starbucks nationwide, lesbians have...

Valentine's Day is the first that will pass without notice at Bruce Vento Elementary. Celebrations of Valentine’s Day and the other “dominant holidays” are ending at one St. Paul elementary school, according to a letter from the principal addressed to families. Principal Scott Masini of Bruce Vento Elementary School, whose student body is overwhelmingly nonwhite, explained in the letter that “my personal feeling is we need to find a way to honor and engage in holidays that are inclusive of our student population.” With Valentine’s Day a little more than two weeks away, Masini noted, “I have come to the...

Today is the first day of Advent, which marks the start of the pre-Christmas season. It is observed by many, if not most, of the Catholic faithful. And it is in popularity among Protestants, particularly those of us who count ourselves evangelical Christians. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. During that four-week period, the Christian faithful prepare for the commemoration of the birth of Christ. Satan hates Advent. That’s because he wants to take the “Christ” out of Christmas. He doesn’t want Christmas to be a Godly “holy-day.” Rather, his aim is to reduce the...

If you plan on having a Christmas party at the University of Tennessee be sure to leave the Baby Jesus and Santa Claus at home. The taxpayer-funded university’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion recently released an “unofficial” edict calling for the campus to host holiday parties that do not emphasize religion or culture. “Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise,” the organization warned in an online document titled, “Best Practices for Inclusive Holiday Celebrations in the Workplace.”