Posted on 12/18/2007 9:36:40 AM PST by King of Florida
Pembroke Pines - The Pembroke Lakes Mall appears to have the standard holiday decorations.
There's a photo booth with a Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer theme by the food court; presents are wedged between palm trees; poinsettias rise from flower pots and combine into the shape of a Christmas tree. And next to a pair of benches in front of Dillard's, on a white-and-blue pedestal, stands a 5-foot-tall menorah.
But for Len Torres, 79, of Plantation, who campaigns every holiday season to get Broward malls to include nativity scenes, that Jewish religious symbol makes Pembroke Lakes' refusal to set up a creche feel like "a slap in the face."
"Christmas to me is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ our savior. They want to deny me that," Torres said. "It's a trend in the United States to secularize and commercialize Christmas."
General Growth Properties, the mall's Chicago-based owner, has a policy against endorsing religious or political messages on its properties.
"We do have a menorah, but we also have a Christmas tree. The [U.S.] Supreme Court told us those are not religious symbols, they're cultural symbols. That's our way of recognizing both holidays," company spokesman David Keating said.
Torres and his organization, the Committee to Bring Jesus Back to Christmas, started in 2004 with an initially unsuccessful protest directed at the Broward and Fashion malls. The next year, the Broward Mall allowed Torres to set up his own nativity scene there. Last year, Torres persuaded four more local malls — Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, The Galleria mall in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Square in Coral Springs and Town Center at Boca Raton — to let his group install nativity scenes there.
But Pembroke Lakes, which according to Torres is the only major mall in Broward County still creche-less, refuses to budge.
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
http://www.ggp.com/Contactus.aspx
john.bucksbaum@ggp.com (Chairman and CEO)
If Jesus isn’t welcome, then I’m not welcome.
“The [U.S.] Supreme Court told us those are not religious symbols, they’re cultural symbols”
I guess we Christians are not permitted a “culture”
AMEN!!!!!!!!! Merry CHRISTmas to all!!!!!!!!
My sister sent me the following letter that Jesus might write about Christmas. It makes me feel a little better about things.
Dear Children,
It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting my birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all My followers did that there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.
Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish.
If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:
1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.
2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don’t have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.
3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.
4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can’t afford and they don’t need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.
5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.
6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don’t know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.
7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you a “Merry Christmas” that doesn’t keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day they’d close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families
8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.
9. Here’s a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no “Christmas” tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don’t know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army, or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.
10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
Don’t forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I’ll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I’ll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :
I LOVE YOU,
JESUS
Why would you not shop at a mall if they didn’t have a nativity scene? That seems rather odd. Do you not shop at stores outside of malls if they do not display nativity scenes? How about resteraunts...do you eat out at places that do not have a nativity scene out for your pleasure?
That is really backwards thinking.
“We do have a menorah, but we also have a Christmas tree.”
Depends on where they bought the tree. Many stores now refer to them as “holiday trees” or “family trees”.
At least he didn’t try saying that Rudolph was a Christian symbol.
They’re all for the business of CHRISTmas though, aren’t they?
As a poster said, “if Jesus isn’t welcome, I’m not welcome.”
Time to fight back, folks. Plenty of others out there who want our business.
YES!!!! YES!!!!! thank you for posting that. That’s JUST how I feel! mwahh mwahh mwahhhhh!!!!!
I wish others would remember this. All my friends really care for me, but they forget that this year is so hard and I’m so alone. I’ve lost the best friend/love I’ve ever had, among other things, and I’m so alone, and so lonely. I understand they are busy with all the blessings in their lives, their families, their own celebrations, but I feel like I’m standing outside the window with my face pressed against the glass.
To allow a menorah and not a nativity scene is just wacky.
If Jesus isn’t welcome, then I’m not welcome.
_______
Let me know when the bookstores in the mall stop selling Bibles and other religious literature. That you won’t shop there because they won’t display one particular symbol is, of course, entirely up to you, but you have made it so much more melodramatic than the situation warrants. Nice sound byte, though.
You have private freep mail....
WE WOULDN’T HAVE “ChristmasX-Holliday” without CHRIST and His Birth those 2000+ years ago..! These loonies have gone “~insane~”.
I pray you get to spend Christmas with some good friends/family you may have left ;)~! MERRY CHRISTMAS ;)
I guess Christianity isn’t really part of western culture..
Nothing like forcing your beliefs on everyone else. How Christian of you.
I’m sorry to whine. It’s just hard right now.
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