It's the holiday season
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10355980/
I don't understand why people are getting so worked up. Or, I suppose I do understand, but I don't think that they could be more in the wrong.
Religious freedom is something that America prides itself on...needless to say, of course. I mean really, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" largerly refers to religious freedom in Iraq, at least from my admittedly limited understanding of the situation. Freedom of religion has always seemed to me to be one of the "true American values."
So why all the hoopla over the word "Christmas"? Calling the tree at the Capitol the Capitol Christmas Tree and not "holiday spruce" is one thing, but insisting that retail chains adverstise "Christmas sales" and not "holiday specials" is another. Don't Jews, and Muslims, Wiccans, and athesists and agnostics and...don't they shop anymore? Don't their kids go to public schools? Why have "Christmas vacation" if half the kids at school (or more) may not celebrate Christmas? I would think that calling it "Christmas vacation" and not "winter break" provides logic for the argument that there shouldn't BE a break--not everyone goes on Christmas vacation, so we may as well keep educating those who don't. (And Lord knows, as a teacher, I need a break!)
Don't even get me started on the Bush cards. It's just so ridiculous, for all the same reasons. He's not sending them from one friend to another, he's sending them as President. As a politician. It would be stupid, even for him, to say "Merry Christmas" on cards he's sending to people of all faiths. (Oh my God. I'm defending Bush. Hell must have just frozen over!)
Yeah, sure, the founding fathers were Christians, and Christianity was what they had in mind when they established freedom of religion. But face it America, the religious climate has changed in the last 250 years or so. Not everyone is a Christian. Get over yourselves. Oh, and by the way, since you claim to be Christian, you might want to start acting like it, just a little.
Yeesh.
I don't understand why people are getting so worked up. Or, I suppose I do understand, but I don't think that they could be more in the wrong.
Religious freedom is something that America prides itself on...needless to say, of course. I mean really, "Operation Iraqi Freedom" largerly refers to religious freedom in Iraq, at least from my admittedly limited understanding of the situation. Freedom of religion has always seemed to me to be one of the "true American values."
So why all the hoopla over the word "Christmas"? Calling the tree at the Capitol the Capitol Christmas Tree and not "holiday spruce" is one thing, but insisting that retail chains adverstise "Christmas sales" and not "holiday specials" is another. Don't Jews, and Muslims, Wiccans, and athesists and agnostics and...don't they shop anymore? Don't their kids go to public schools? Why have "Christmas vacation" if half the kids at school (or more) may not celebrate Christmas? I would think that calling it "Christmas vacation" and not "winter break" provides logic for the argument that there shouldn't BE a break--not everyone goes on Christmas vacation, so we may as well keep educating those who don't. (And Lord knows, as a teacher, I need a break!)
Don't even get me started on the Bush cards. It's just so ridiculous, for all the same reasons. He's not sending them from one friend to another, he's sending them as President. As a politician. It would be stupid, even for him, to say "Merry Christmas" on cards he's sending to people of all faiths. (Oh my God. I'm defending Bush. Hell must have just frozen over!)
Yeah, sure, the founding fathers were Christians, and Christianity was what they had in mind when they established freedom of religion. But face it America, the religious climate has changed in the last 250 years or so. Not everyone is a Christian. Get over yourselves. Oh, and by the way, since you claim to be Christian, you might want to start acting like it, just a little.
Yeesh.