I don't know the details of this story... outlaw Christmas? Adventists celebrate Christmas too... I have no idea why there would be any attempt on my church's part to outlaw it.
Sounds fishy.
Are you series? That just blows my mind. Christmas is a major cash cow in Williamsburg.
Did they really think they could succeed?
You can't have true religious liberty without a profound respect for minority rights.
Most Americans take their religious liberty for granted. But public opinion no longer supports the basic premise behind religious liberty: that in matters of conscience, the majority has no power. This is why most Adventists don't believe that the government has any business exalting the religious holidays of one religion above another in the public square.
Both Conservatives and liberals alike seem all-too-willing to subject religion to majority vote. I personally am committed to the truly historic Protestant Principle of religious freedom: that we are all responsible, individually to God, for our religious beliefs and worship, that government must stay out of it.
This is what made our country a beacon of religious tolerance and freedom all over the world. This love of religous liberty is what caused the founding of our great nation.
If we deviate from the pattern laid out by our Founders, we will end up going the way of France, that would be a disaster for religious freedom worldwide.
Are you sure that was Adventists? That doesn't sound at all like the church I've been a member of for 48 years now. We celebrate Christmas, have Christmas trees and wreaths, and a good share of us have a good time and take our kids trick or treating on Halloween. We seem to be frequently mistaken for Mormons, Christian Scientists, and Jehovah's witnesses, all of which are quite far from our own beliefs, which are probably closest related to those of the Methodists. Our lawyers are very active in preserving religious liberty NOT in suppressing it. One of our SDA chaplains (much to the disgust of the Baptists in the town) went to bat for the Wiccans when they wanted a place to celebrate at Ft. Hood, again in the spirit of religious liberty.