A Few Words on THE WAR AGAINST CHRISTMAS!!!
This silly “War on Christmas” business has officially made my list. Let me tell you why.
First and most importantly, the argument is based on two completely contradictory pillars. The O’Reilly-ites making their case have to suggest both that (a) the Christian community in America is an oppressed minority whose rights to practice their faith are being taken away by a secularist majority and (b) America is a Christian nation, with Christian roots and a current Christian majority, and should thus celebrate this continuing heritage.
If you listen to the people waging the war against “The War Against Christmas,” you’ll hear them take both of these positions simultaneously. Christians are a minority. Christians are a majority. You can’t have it both ways, folks.
Second, whatever the argumentative basis, I have heard very little evidence indicating any sort of “war” against Christmas. What do we have? Some “Christmas trees” in public places being referred to as “holiday trees.” And W. sending out “Happy Holidays” cards instead of “Merry Christmas” cards. THAT’S the war??? When pressed, the advocates of the war against the war will cite “this one school in Indiana where schoolchildren couldn’t sing Silent Night” or something. But for the most part, not a whole lot of evidence. And let us remember that Christmas IS still a NATIONAL HOLIDAY. A very devious and indirect war against Christmas this is!
Finally, in the midst of all the blustering about the war against Christmas, other issues are still swirling around. We are deciding as a nation whether or not we should use torture as an interrogation technique. We are realizing that victims in both Pakistan and New Orleans haven’t received nearly the post-disaster aid that they have been promised. And we have now been confronted with another difficult case of capital punishment in California. Do you hear the “War Against Christmas”-ites discussing any of these issues? No. But to me, these are the true Christian issues of the day.
First and most importantly, the argument is based on two completely contradictory pillars. The O’Reilly-ites making their case have to suggest both that (a) the Christian community in America is an oppressed minority whose rights to practice their faith are being taken away by a secularist majority and (b) America is a Christian nation, with Christian roots and a current Christian majority, and should thus celebrate this continuing heritage.
If you listen to the people waging the war against “The War Against Christmas,” you’ll hear them take both of these positions simultaneously. Christians are a minority. Christians are a majority. You can’t have it both ways, folks.
Second, whatever the argumentative basis, I have heard very little evidence indicating any sort of “war” against Christmas. What do we have? Some “Christmas trees” in public places being referred to as “holiday trees.” And W. sending out “Happy Holidays” cards instead of “Merry Christmas” cards. THAT’S the war??? When pressed, the advocates of the war against the war will cite “this one school in Indiana where schoolchildren couldn’t sing Silent Night” or something. But for the most part, not a whole lot of evidence. And let us remember that Christmas IS still a NATIONAL HOLIDAY. A very devious and indirect war against Christmas this is!
Finally, in the midst of all the blustering about the war against Christmas, other issues are still swirling around. We are deciding as a nation whether or not we should use torture as an interrogation technique. We are realizing that victims in both Pakistan and New Orleans haven’t received nearly the post-disaster aid that they have been promised. And we have now been confronted with another difficult case of capital punishment in California. Do you hear the “War Against Christmas”-ites discussing any of these issues? No. But to me, these are the true Christian issues of the day.
posted by OleNelson at 8:49 PM
3 Comments:
The Times had an amusing headline on this topic last week - "This Season's War Cry: Commercialize Christmas, Or Else."
Look at this! Now who's fighting a war on Christmas?!
http://www.wonkette.com/politics/rnc/rncs-holiday-photo-fun-142616.php
Doens't it seem odd that the only war that the Republicans will admit to losing is the War on Christmas? All the other ones (e.g. War on Drugs, War on Terrorism, War in Iraq, War on Wars, War on John McCain, War on those Declaring War on Religion) we seem to be sucking at just as hard but you'll never hear it from them.
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