Posted on 12/02/2006 9:27:41 PM PST by Coleus
The Christkindl, or Christmas Fairy, is welcome at a Christmas festival in Chicago. So is Santa Claus. But a film about the birth of Jesus has provoked city officials to lower the boom. Chicago officials deny actually ordering Christkindlmarket officials to cancel an exhibit of “The Nativity Story.” They just sort of asked them to dump it, kind of the way Da Bears ask an opposing runner to gently drop to the turf. Dose Bears would be embarrassed, however, by the sheer cowardice and political correctness on display this week in Chicago’s Daley Plaza.
Here’s what happened. Christkindlmarket, based on a German Christmas market dating back to 1545, has been staged, with the city’s blessing, since 1997 at Daley Plaza. It’s a German-themed open air extravaganza, complete with bratwursts and beer, Christmas music, cookies, craft booths and women wearing dirndls. The Christkindlmarket website boasts that it is the largest such event in America, drawing about one million visitors from November 23 to December 24. For you ACLU types, the closing date is the eve of Winter Holiday.
The current trouble began when city officials got wind that New Line Cinema, one of the corporate sponsors, would have a booth featuring clips from “The Nativity Story,” which depicts the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. According to early reviews, the movie is a powerful, true-to-Scripture portrayal of Joseph and Mary’s travails and Jesus’s birth in a stable in Bethlehem.
For being too upfront about the real meaning of Christmas, the studio was sent packing--by the very city officials who welcome annual Gay Pride Week, complete with, well, you know. Okay, maybe you don’t, because the media airbrush out the most shocking depravities. Suffice to say that city officials welcome “Mr. Leather” and friends, but feel that too much Jesus might be offensive. The good news for the studio is that you can’t buy this kind of publicity. When a film is so moving that it poses a threat to non-stop shopping, beer guzzling, and wurst gobbling, it must have something going for it. Since this hit the news, the bureaucrats have ladled more PC dressing over their ham-handed action than street vendors pour mustard on a Chicago hot dog.
The Associated Press reports that Mayor’s Office of Special Events spokesgrinch Cindy Gatziolis argued that the event already has a nativity scene, and that other religions are represented in the square with displays erected by private groups. OK, fair enough. But she stressed that the city doesn’t want to appear to endorse one religion over another—at the Christmas fair. It’s all about inclusion, you see, which is why they have to exclude a film about Jesus that might move people’s hearts. Jim Law, executive director of the same office, issued a statement that the film would be “insensitive to the many people of different faiths who come to enjoy the market for its good and unique gifts.” In effect, Mr. Law is saying the City of Chicago prefers its Christmas to be the commercialized, Santa-centered kind. You can display a pretty nativity scene, but keep the stronger spirituality behind closed doors.
Never mind that the whole reason behind the Christmas tradition of gift giving is to reflect on and emulate God’s gift to the world of his Son. This doesn’t mean that non-Christians can’t enjoy Christmas. A recent survey shows that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas, and growing numbers of them are fed up with the media-fed PC diktat to say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” After hearing from countless unhappy customers, a number of retailers, most prominently Macy’s, Sears, Target, Kohl’s and Wal-Mart, have reintroduced the C-word in their ads and/or greetings. Last year, Lowe’s quickly abandoned a “holiday tree” marketing campaign after incensed consumers asked them, “Never mind those. Where are the Christmas trees?”
Judging from recent movies, the pendulum seems to be swinging back toward unselfconscious celebration of Christmas so long as it’s safely secularized, as in “The Santa Claus III,” “Deck the Halls,” “Elf,” “Christmas with the Cranks,” etc. The time may have come to fulfill Peanuts character Lucy’s wish to be the Christmas Queen, another character you won’t find in the Book of Luke.
What’s still problematic, judging by Chicago officialdom’s absurd stance, is public acknowledgement of the Reason for the Season—the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. He’s why Christians put up Christmas lights and welcome everyone to celebrate.
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:4,5)
“The Nativity Story” opens today in 3,000 theaters nationwide. Theater owners probably won’t be offended if lots of people pass through their turnstiles. Merry Christmas.
Mr. Knight is director of the Culture & Media Institute, a division of the Media Research Center that examines how media bias undermines faith and traditional American values. Knight, a former Los Angeles Times news editor and writer, has held fellowships at the Hoover Institution and Heritage Foundation and founded the Culture & Family Institute at Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council's Cultural Studies Department.
Islam murders Christians. The ACLU buries Christians. May this dual evil both soon be wiped from the face of this Earth.
It wouldn't be any other way.
Priceless:
"For being too upfront about the real meaning of Christmas, the studio was sent packing--by the very city officials who welcome annual Gay Pride Week, complete with, well, you know. Okay, maybe you don’t, because the media airbrush out the most shocking depravities. Suffice to say that city officials welcome “Mr. Leather” and friends, but feel that too much Jesus might be offensive. The good news for the studio is that you can’t buy this kind of publicity. When a film is so moving that it poses a threat to non-stop shopping, beer guzzling, and wurst gobbling, it must have something going for it. "
I'm hoping someone will take me to see that today as a birthday present. ;)
The absurdity of these scoundrels knows no bounds.
Cindy Gatziolis and Jim Law will be hearing from me shortly, that's for sure.
Guess old (corrupt to the core) Daley hasn't heard that CHRISTMAS IS IN this year!!!!
"Jim Law, executive director of the same office, issued a statement that the film would be "insensitive to the many people of different faiths who come to enjoy the market for its good and unique gifts."
Sure, "The Nativity Story" is too darn Christian for the Christmas event!
PC run amuck
“Nativity” Film Sponsor Kicked Out of Chicago Holiday Festival
Chicago city officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to oust New Line Cinema as a sponsor because ads for its film “The Nativity Story” might offend non-Christians. The decision angered both the studio and Christian groups.
“The last time I checked, the first six letters of Christmas still spell out Christ,” said Paul Braoudakis, spokesman for the Barrington, Illinois Willow Creek Association, a group of more than 11,000 churches of various denominations. “It’s tantamount to celebrating Lincoln’s birthday without talking about Abraham Lincoln.”
Cindy Gatziolis, a spokeswoman for the Mayor’s Office of Special Events called Braoudakis’ argument “bogus.” “We don’t celebrate Lincoln’s birthday,” she said. “We celebrate ‘presidents’ day.”
“Besides, this festival isn’t about religion,” said Gatziolis. “It’s about merchandising. People come to enjoy the food and unique gifts, not to be inundated with Christian mythology. The Christkindlmarket emphasis should be on the market, not Christ.”
read more...
http://www.azconservative.org/Semmens1.htm
Amazing.
I got this from Wikipedia. Whatever they do, they cannot sever Christ kindl (Christ child) from Christ. It's the kind of pretzel apin that libs do all the time to try and force religion out of the public eye.
"The Christkind ("Christ Child") is the traditional Christmas giftbringer in Southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Südtirol and Liechtenstein."
"Originally invented by Martin Luther, explicitly to discourage the figure of St. Nicholas, it was adopted in Catholic areas during the 19th century, while it began to be gradually replaced by the secular Weihnachtsmann ("Father Christmas") in Protestant regions."
"The Christkind is a sprite-like child, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. Martin Luther intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus as an infant. It is presumed by some to be so, but seems to be rooted in the Alsatian-born myth of a child bringing gifts to the baby Jesus."
"Christian MYTHOLOGY?" This woman deserves all the hellfire the public can muster. Talk about an offensive, cantakerous, unprofessional dirtbag...
I think it's more than PC run amok. Judging by the comments made by city officials, it sounds like outright bigotry to me.
I started to post something else, decided did not want to get banned. Actually this is usual King richard BS, tries to please everyone and just ends up looking like a fool.
Perhaps bigotry possible discrmination, but in the land of King Richard does not surprise me.
Chicago Christmas Festival Nixes 'Nativity Story' Ads Over Fears of Offending Non-Christians
Mayor Daley will go out of his way to accomodate Islam, however.
The place has always been that way.
Please, please, please do not ever "bait" the police up there ~ they are far from professional, and it goes downhill.
[In Chicago, a Fairy and Santa Are In, Jesus Is Out]
And the fereral politicians and judges and executive departments of government continue to do nothing but allow the 1st ammendment rights of Christians to be violated.
America is being destroyed from within.
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