John Donovan in an ABC news report today gives William Donohue of the Catholic League For Christian Rights a lot of airtime. Seems Donohue and the League are upset with President and Mrs. Bush because they sent out a Christmas card that he interprets as secular. Now the card I got (and probably 200 million others, as well), although it had a picture of the White House, Barney, Ms. Beasley and the cat on the front, quoted Psalms on the inside. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts;so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him."
You have to be pretty hard hearted not to take great comfort in those words from the President of the United States. And you have a very limited idea of what Christmas is if you think the President should narrow his focus to one group at this season.
Now I'm the first to yell "Merry Christmas" and to boycott stores who resort to only "Happy Holidays" and call a Christmas tree a "Holiday Tree." That goes entirely too far. But let's look at the season and at the President's Christmas wish.
After the quote from Psalms 28:7 (Revised Standard Version), the message is "With best wishes for a holiday season of hope and happiness. 2005"
We are a Christian nation, yes. And that should be our major focus. But that doesn't mean we leave out the Jews, whose Hannukah celebration has always coincided with the Christmas season. Mr. Bush is President of the Jews, too, and this season is their holiday as well. Our Jewish friends have always celebrated both holidays with presents; their children got a double treat every year.
Then there's the African-American community who, back in the '60s or so, decided to create their own celebration, Kwanza. Since they are American citizens and they chose the Christmas season to celebrate, of course the President of the United State wants to wish them happiness as well. So he did -- in this case, and especially with a quote from the Judeo/Christian heritage, he was absolutely correct to send everyone who celebrates the season best wishes.
So Scrooge Donohue with the selfish and hardened heart, here's wishing you a happy Christmas, a joyous Hannukah and a happy Kwanza. It's a Judeo/Christian holiday, but people of all faiths celebrate it and with love as its message, it's simply not fitting to join the Bash Bush Bandwagon over his Christmas card.
Thursday, December 8
Saturday, December 3
"Happy Holidays?" Bah HUMBUG
America -- the nation of Scrooges and Grinches. And Christian soldiers. That hymn, "Onward Christian Soldiers" never meant much to me before, but it sure does now.
Having successfully removed the Lord's Prayer from American schools, the ACLU and its like-minded allies are involved in an ongoing attemtp to remove the words "in God we trust" from our motto, our coins and our federal buildings. They ban creches from public display, sue to remove the words "under God" from our pledge of allegiance and decree that it's offensive to wish someone a "Merry Christmas."
Comes now a memo from an underling (subsequently fired) at Walmart proclaiming that Christmas trees will be called "holiday trees" and the phrase "Merry Christmas" will not be used on store property. When that little message was publicized and Walmart heard the uproar from millions of customers, the policy was refuted and the perpetrator fired.
But quietly, insidiously, "Happy Holidays" has replaced the joyous "Merry Christmas" wish. Stores (whose customers are 85% Christian) fear that they will offend people of other -- or no-- faith and refuse to print the "Christmas" word. Target refused to let the Salvation Army bell ringers on their property last year and this year they are ignoring queries by various groups as to their stand on "Merry Christmas."
Salesclerks in stores look embarrassed if I wish them a "Merry Christmas." But there is hope:
Walgreens has issued a statement saying that next year they will revert to the old-fashioned "Merry Christmas" in their stores.
Can it be true that Christians are poised to re-take the nation?
The United states of America was founded on Christian religious principles by people who fled Europe to get away from religious persecution. Now descendants of those Christian soldiers find themselves treated as a minority in the land they claimed in God's name; derided and slandered by whiners who, not suffering persecution except in their own minds, have no tolerance for the mores and culture of their adopted land.
It's time each of us who value the traditions, morals, ethics and lifestyles of our fathers stand up to the Scrooges and Grinches and refuse to let them spoil our nation. For they are spoilers -- johnny-come-latelies who don't have the guts to build a nation of their own but want to spoil the only nation in the world built on the Christian faith.
The history of our nation shows that the Christians have been tolerant of other faiths. In fact, so tolerant that the very core values of America are at risk. Let's rise up, Christian soldiers. Let's tell the other faiths (and non-faiths) that they are welcome to practice whatever they choose for themselves, but they will do it in a Christian nation. They will do it without further criticism of Christian values. Or they can simply go somewhere else.
Hey...it's CHRISTmas. December 25 is the day you get off from work. It's official.
Merry Christmas, everybody. And Happy Hannukah and Joyous Kwanza. But I'll be darned if I'll wish anyone a generic, mealy-mouthed "happy holiday."
Having successfully removed the Lord's Prayer from American schools, the ACLU and its like-minded allies are involved in an ongoing attemtp to remove the words "in God we trust" from our motto, our coins and our federal buildings. They ban creches from public display, sue to remove the words "under God" from our pledge of allegiance and decree that it's offensive to wish someone a "Merry Christmas."
Comes now a memo from an underling (subsequently fired) at Walmart proclaiming that Christmas trees will be called "holiday trees" and the phrase "Merry Christmas" will not be used on store property. When that little message was publicized and Walmart heard the uproar from millions of customers, the policy was refuted and the perpetrator fired.
But quietly, insidiously, "Happy Holidays" has replaced the joyous "Merry Christmas" wish. Stores (whose customers are 85% Christian) fear that they will offend people of other -- or no-- faith and refuse to print the "Christmas" word. Target refused to let the Salvation Army bell ringers on their property last year and this year they are ignoring queries by various groups as to their stand on "Merry Christmas."
Salesclerks in stores look embarrassed if I wish them a "Merry Christmas." But there is hope:
Walgreens has issued a statement saying that next year they will revert to the old-fashioned "Merry Christmas" in their stores.
Can it be true that Christians are poised to re-take the nation?
The United states of America was founded on Christian religious principles by people who fled Europe to get away from religious persecution. Now descendants of those Christian soldiers find themselves treated as a minority in the land they claimed in God's name; derided and slandered by whiners who, not suffering persecution except in their own minds, have no tolerance for the mores and culture of their adopted land.
It's time each of us who value the traditions, morals, ethics and lifestyles of our fathers stand up to the Scrooges and Grinches and refuse to let them spoil our nation. For they are spoilers -- johnny-come-latelies who don't have the guts to build a nation of their own but want to spoil the only nation in the world built on the Christian faith.
The history of our nation shows that the Christians have been tolerant of other faiths. In fact, so tolerant that the very core values of America are at risk. Let's rise up, Christian soldiers. Let's tell the other faiths (and non-faiths) that they are welcome to practice whatever they choose for themselves, but they will do it in a Christian nation. They will do it without further criticism of Christian values. Or they can simply go somewhere else.
Hey...it's CHRISTmas. December 25 is the day you get off from work. It's official.
Merry Christmas, everybody. And Happy Hannukah and Joyous Kwanza. But I'll be darned if I'll wish anyone a generic, mealy-mouthed "happy holiday."
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