These calculating politicians are obviously trying to curry favor with select voting blocks to the exclusion of others. They'll sing a different tune when they see this. map. (MAP UPDATE Bush won Iowa and New Mexico later.)
Posted on 12/02/2004 8:06:57 AM PST by churchillbuff
The Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado has announced that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will once again light the community Menorah on the first night of Chanukah. The public is invited to join in the annual community lighting ceremony on Tuesday, December 7 beginning at 5:30 pm.
“I look forward to joining the Denver Jewish community in lighting the community Menorah again this year,” said Mayor John Hickenlooper, who will make his second consecutive appearance at the Federation’s ceremony. “Chanukah brings communities across Colorado and the world together in celebration of light, freedom and peace.”
The community Menorah is located at 300 S. Dahlia Street, corner of East Alameda and South Dahlia Street in Denver, next to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado building.
“We are honored that Mayor Hickenlooper will once again be taking part in our community Menorah lighting ceremony,” stated Doug Seserman, President and CEO of Federation. “The Mayor’s presence represents Denver’s support and observance of this important Jewish holiday and we appreciate his participation,” Seserman continued.
Lighting ceremonies will continue nightly through Chanukah beginning with the Mayor lighting on December 7 and ending on December 14. The lighting schedule for December 8-14 is still tentative, but Federation anticipates that various local Jewish agencies will host the lighting each night.
The simple solution would be for the city to adhere to Article II, Section 4 of the Colorado Constitution, to wit:
No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship, religious sect or denomination against his consent. Nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship.
For those who believe in Christ no explanation is necessary.
For those who do not believe in Christ, no explanation is possible.
Clearly he misspoke, you keep opinions like that to yourself. My impression, other posters who aside, is that Denver has an active athiest community. They'll make use of that.
Christians must learn to be more tolerant.
These calculating politicians are obviously trying to curry favor with select voting blocks to the exclusion of others. They'll sing a different tune when they see this. map. (MAP UPDATE Bush won Iowa and New Mexico later.)
The ACLU's silence on the Denver government's sanctioning, and even participating, in a public display of faith is deafening.
It's irrelevant to the thread, but do you have any citations for that?
Ummm because it's the Jewish people who celebrate Hanukkah and light a Menorah maybe
In the public display, which is the topic of the threads? Or involved in the Mayors aborted name change? I missed that.
The banning of the word Merry Christmas information you can find on this thread
Denver bans words 'Merry Christmas' from traditional downtown parade of lights
Needless to say you missed the addendum in post 1 relating to the commentary in the "title", as well as many of the posts. Or do we ignore those.
"Isn't it, a mayor, here in America, in attendence at a Jewish Community center. Horrorible!!"
No, it's not horrible. Religious tolerance in America is the legacy our Protestant forefathers who fled religious intolerance in Europe. That's what this is all about.
Are you saying it's tolerant for a mayor to further and actively emasculate a Christian celebration in a predominately Christian nation like this guy did? Sure he caved, but it will be the same crap next year.
Christmas celebrated by Christians does not threaten religious tolerance. Yet we've been forced to secularize it gradually to the point where any non-Christian can derail any expression of Christian faith anywhere, anytime.
That is just as bad for Judaism as it is for Christianity.
Re-read the posts .. that is not what's being posted
I myself have no problem with the lighting and have stated so in an earlier post
Folks (including myself) have a problem at the double standards and actions from this Mayor
No, read the thread, I've said nothing of the sort.
Please note that the comment you're responding to was to a poster who, in regard to the Mayor's visit, commented.
This is unbelievable!
I don't think it's unbelievable that a Mayor in America would visit a Jewish Community Center, it seems as normal to me as attending a Christmas tree lighting.
Not many, some. I'd disagree on the double standard, at least if you're contending it's in "favor" of Chanukah though. See post 73. Merry Christmas, Christmas Tree and Creche, all displayed on public property, with the Mayors support, at least this year. I've no problem with that. The display of a Menorah is banned, because the city doesn't want to include other religions. I've seen no indication that anyone want's a Menorah there, and personally I think the display is silly in that context. But if there's a double standard there it's not anti-Christian.
Amen and amen.
"No, read the thread, I've said nothing of the sort."
I read it, I was responding to you. I don't think you said you felt he was tolerant at all, but I did think that you all but called the poster anti-semitic with your sarcastic tone. I thought the discussion needed to evolve to one of our tradition, as Americans, of religious tolerance.
I wouldn't want an anti-semite lighting a Christmas tree anymore than you'd want someone hostile to Christianity lighting a menorah.
I'm not sure this mayor is either, but I don't see him as a good steward of our tradition of religious tolerance either.
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