Oh holiday tree! Oh holiday tree!-American liberals should listen to conservative whining

Jerusalem Post ^ | 12-8-05 | JONATHAN S. TOBIN

[claudiustg]

---Nor could any court in its right mind expunge Dec. 25 from the list of federal holidays.---

Which means there really is a danger of its happening. :^)

[L98Fiero]

OK. The first half the article describes liberals fight against the word "Christmas" and the last half says there is no such thing. I'm not sure I get this article.

[frogjerk]

It's especially dumb when you consider that no one tries to rename the Hanukka menorahs that are often placed besides the trees in public spaces.

Good point! Why isn't this renamed to the Holiday Candelabra?

[frogjerk]

All Atheists, ACLU members and nonbelievers that are offended by Christmas and Christianity are welcome to work on December 25th.

[dynachrome]

"conservative whining" Being against the removal of Christmas is not whining!

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

The term "Happy Holidays!" is not offensive to me as a Christian, nor should it become so. Too many seem willing to be offended by it.

That being said, the secularization of a day I consider to be Holy has become blatant in the last few years. The assertion that it is ok to offend me because by that offense others will be spared offense is ludicrous.

That is regulating me, based entirely on my being a Christian, to second-class citizen status. This is intolerable action by those screaming loudest for tolerance.

[aimhigh]

hard-core conservative Christians should realize that the fears and insecurity felt by the other side are real.

What hogwash. Christians aren't telling Jews to stop their celebrations, or keep them hidden. Christians aren't telling Jews that any mention of Hanukka is offensive. I know from experience what it's like to get an employee wide email telling everyone not to say "Merry Christmas." And it comes from the same liberals who tell us to be inclusive.

[Corin Stormhands]

Perhaps what this country really needs at the end of the calendar year is not so much a holiday season as a cease-fire.

Amen.

[GOPJ]

But recently the sound of Jewish complaining has been drowned out by another contingent of malcontents: Christians who claim that church-state separation mania has transformed the celebration of Christmas into a forbidden activity.

There's a special sweetness with huddling together celebrating our forbidden customs...

[IronJack]

insecurity always trumps common sense

Else, to paraphrase Robert Browning, what's an ACLU for?

[ladyjane]

According to this guy it's farcical, and "easy to make fun of carping." Nice. And I'm sorry he doesn't want his 4 year old child to see others celebrating a religious holiday.

[HairOfTheDog]

the "dilemma" continues to generate angst

And I just don't want angst to be one of my Christmas traditions.

The fact that we have this angst over a decorated tree in a school, and the front of our religious freedom war is focused on what songs a elementary school choir sings or what words we are greeted with in a store, we ~should~ stop and realize just exactly how free and spoiled we are. In a world where real religious oppression exists, where people are persecuted and ~killed~ for their religion, when all we have to fear is an open and free debate about silly things like Christmas trees in the town square, life is good :~D

[Corin Stormhands]

In a world where real religious oppression exists, where people are persecuted and ~killed~ for their religion, when all we have to fear is an open and free debate about silly things like Christmas trees in the town square, life is good :~D

Well said.

[Piranha]

I also think that this article is incoherent.

[Gabz]

Well said.

You beat me to it :-)

[SuziQ]

Rather than being so quick to go to the barricades against their fellow citizens, true believers of all creeds (both religious and secular) must understand that the public square of our heaven-blessed republic is big enough to hold us all.

And everyone should be free to place their symbols in public without fear of lawsuits! Heck, the pagans could even light up a giant Yule Log in the Town Common! Come one, come all!

[RatRipper]

"Moreover, Christianity is not America's problem. The freedoms that all Americans enjoy here do not exist in spite of a Bible-based Christianity, but to no small extent because of the faith and values of Christian Americans."

Why can't Leftists understand this undeniable truth?

[HairOfTheDog]

We always had a Yule log we'd burn in the fireplace on Christmas eve, which I could never reconcile with the idea that Santa was supposed to come down the chimney.

As a kid, it was just one of those imponderables in a confusing world ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

Is it OK for me to say "Good Morning" on this thread? :~D