Those Nasty Christmas Wars!
Every year it seems, Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Pope James Dobson trot out their wares and tell us that Christians are being discriminated against because retailers won't say Merry Christmas or Court Houses won't put up creches.
Look at this from the Focus on the Family website. Not only do they have petitions (I signed a counter one), but they have a shopping guide.
Say "No" to the Secularization of Christmas!
Focus Action's National Petition
to Retailers: "I Stand for Christmas"
For years, the retail industry has made a steady move to secularize the Christmas season. Many national retailers refuse to even use the word "Christmas" in their promotions. Focus on the Family Action has been monitoring this trend, which is part of a larger movement to purge Christian references from the public square. Many retailers are quite willing to take money from Christians but refuse to even acknowledge the Christian basis for Christmas! With more than 90 percent of Americans believing in and celebrating "Christmas," we believe it is time for the secularization of Christmas to end.
Tell Christmas-Purging Retailers: "I Stand for Christmas"Focus Action has launched a nationwide grassroots campaign to challenge the secularization of Christmas. Called "I Stand for Christmas," Focus Action is using radio, e-mail and the Internet to ask concerned Christmas shoppers like you to sign a petition calling on retailers to stop purging Christmas.
What I would suggest instead is telling Focus on the Family to keep the Spirit of Christmas by promoting "Peace on Earth and Good Will to All" (Luke 2:14 -- based on KJV). I would also ask why Focus on the Family would raise concerns about commercialization of Christmas by recommending where we should shop. This whole thing smacks of commercialization -- indeed, it's probably a money maker for them!!!
Oh, and the petition I signed, the one circulated by Faithful America, puts it this Way
In this time of national crisis, elected officials, media figures and religious leaders should be concentrating on the real challenges facing this country's families, not bickering over holiday greetings.
With a record number of Americans now on food stamps and thousands being foreclosed on every month, we urge you to refocus your efforts to make sure these basic human needs are met.
Help for those most in need is much closer to the true spirit of the holiday than saying the words "Merry Christmas."
Comments
While conservative, I feel Dobson often misses the point in his views. For instance.. as culture turns Christmas more and more into a "get what you want" event, maybe its good stores aren't using the term Christmas. I heard an ad that essentially said "get this gift so it will be the best Christmas ever". SERIOUSLY? Does giving some crap that will be thrown away and forgotten next year make Christmas??
As Christians.. I would love to give over the Christmas title to retailers for the gift giving event. Christians celebrate Advent, or some other term.. to show our preparation and celebration of the birth of Christ. Petitioning over the name in an ad seems to miss the point completely!
-Chuck
-Chuck