In today’s America, a
nation overwhelmingly Christian, truthfully any sign of Christmas in public can
now lead to criticisms, legal action, animated remonstrations, intimidations, coercions
and hurt feelings… Secular liberals say they’re just protecting the
constitutional rights of non-Christians who don’t want to see or hear about
Christmas. But what about the constitutional rights of millions of Americans
who simply want to celebrate their traditional holiday—without insulting anyone
else but also without having to hide behind closed doors?
Freedom of religion is not just the freedom to worship as you please. Freedom allows faiths to freely celebrate their own faith and to acknowledge their place in the mosaic that makes America what it is. Seeing other faiths celebrate their own beliefs openly—from Jews celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kuppur or Hanukkah, to Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan—does nothing to diminish my faith in Christ. It reaffirms that a vibrant faith can be a driving force for good in a person’s life.
But with Christmas, the secularists are doing everything they can to take Christ out of the Christian holiday that celebrates the coming of Emmanuel—God with us. Christ did not come to justify Santa Claus or to provide another reason to support American commercialism. He came that through faith people might come to have a relationship with God.
Some have called it a War on Christmas, but it might better be described as a politically correct assault on the very word Christmas. Sure, Christians are still free to worship in their churches, but publicly acknowledging the Christ in Christmas is increasingly avoided for fear of offending.
Even the beloved Hallmark Channel loves to fill the season with emotional, even tear-jerking story lines of Christmas, but the focus is not on Christ, but on the “Spirit of Christmas.” I bet the reader did not realize that. Take it from someone who watches a Hallmark movie a night during the Christmas season - the spotlight is not on Christ. You could be hard pressed to find traditional Christian carols celebrating the coming of the Christ child on FM radio or Sirius stations. Not to be outdone, most public schools now refuse to include any Christmas carol in their holiday programs.
If there is a war on Christmas, where is Christ’s warriors? It appears that most Christians are settling for silence instead of holding up their side of the battle. Maybe we could let a little of Trump’s war on political correctness bring believers out of their trenches or bunkers. It’s time to let Christmas be Christmas. Let Hanukkah be Hanukkah. Let your faith be visible.
Freedom of religion is not just the freedom to worship as you please. Freedom allows faiths to freely celebrate their own faith and to acknowledge their place in the mosaic that makes America what it is. Seeing other faiths celebrate their own beliefs openly—from Jews celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kuppur or Hanukkah, to Muslims celebrating the end of Ramadan—does nothing to diminish my faith in Christ. It reaffirms that a vibrant faith can be a driving force for good in a person’s life.
But with Christmas, the secularists are doing everything they can to take Christ out of the Christian holiday that celebrates the coming of Emmanuel—God with us. Christ did not come to justify Santa Claus or to provide another reason to support American commercialism. He came that through faith people might come to have a relationship with God.
Some have called it a War on Christmas, but it might better be described as a politically correct assault on the very word Christmas. Sure, Christians are still free to worship in their churches, but publicly acknowledging the Christ in Christmas is increasingly avoided for fear of offending.
Even the beloved Hallmark Channel loves to fill the season with emotional, even tear-jerking story lines of Christmas, but the focus is not on Christ, but on the “Spirit of Christmas.” I bet the reader did not realize that. Take it from someone who watches a Hallmark movie a night during the Christmas season - the spotlight is not on Christ. You could be hard pressed to find traditional Christian carols celebrating the coming of the Christ child on FM radio or Sirius stations. Not to be outdone, most public schools now refuse to include any Christmas carol in their holiday programs.
If there is a war on Christmas, where is Christ’s warriors? It appears that most Christians are settling for silence instead of holding up their side of the battle. Maybe we could let a little of Trump’s war on political correctness bring believers out of their trenches or bunkers. It’s time to let Christmas be Christmas. Let Hanukkah be Hanukkah. Let your faith be visible.
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