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Christians fought back for Christmas
"Keep Christ in Christmas!" is the familiar refrain of Christians who fear the secularization of the holy day celebrating the birth of Jesus, their savior.
But in America, non-Christians often celebrate Christmas.
According to a recent poll by the Christian group LifeWay Research, "A majority of agnostics or those claiming no preference (89 percent), individuals claiming other religions (62 percent), and even atheists (55 percent) celebrate Christmas along with 97 percent of Christians."
Do you need to be Christian to celebrate Christmas? What is Christmas all about?
While many organizations are winding down and preparing for the next year during the holiday season, this is a busy time at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Each year we hear from towns, parents, and businesses asking about Christmas displays and the law or seeking legal assistance. The inquiries led us to provide an annual "Christmas Resource Center" on our website updated with the laws that affect city and local governments, business and retailers, and public schools. Our legal summaries clearly lay out what can and cannot be done, regardless of whether we agree with Supreme Court precedent.
Unfortunately, separation of church and state groups do not provide information this clearly.
We see similar stories each year. Someone complains about a nativity scene, a group like the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, or the Freedom From Religion Foundations sends a demand letter advising that the Nativity violates the constitution. If the town does not remove the display, they are told that a lawsuit may follow. Yet, these groups do not actually provide all of the law to cities and towns nor the legal options available if they would like to keep the Crèche.
The Supreme Court precedent on religious displays is a bit bizarre but easy for towns to comply with. In Lynch v. Donnelly, the Supreme Court created what many have called the "plastic reindeer rule." Quoting the ACLJ summary, "So long as the religious elements of the display are part of a larger holiday expression - with Christmas trees, Santa Clause, or the like - such that the primary effect of the entire display is secular, the display is constitutional." This is not reasoning I agree with but it is the law of the land. Cities and towns can avoid the threat of lawsuits by complying with current law and adding a few holiday decorations.
This year in Pennsylvania, a borough decided not to display a Crèche that had been placed in front of a municipal building for 57 years because a lone resident complained. I did a radio interview about it on a local Pittsburgh radio station explaining how the nativity could be displayed without risking a lawsuit the day the borough decided not to put up the crèche. The ACLJ provided information to borough officials about the law and now the Nativity scene is back up in time for Christmas.
A couple of years ago, a parent contacted us because her child's art teacher told her she could not use the word Christmas in a greeting card because it was religious. All it took was a letter to the school and the policy was changed.
Here in the United States, Christmas is a National Holiday celebrated "by the people, by the Executive Branch, and the courts for two centuries." Christmas must be defended because liberal legal groups have threatened and filed lawsuits against towns and cities for continuing traditions.
Secularists started the "War on Christmas" and now we fight back. Christians are ready and willing to utilize the full extent of our Constitutional rights and that is why we are winning the battle to keep Christ in Christmas.
By
Jordan Sekulow
|
December 22, 2010; 3:53 PM ET
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Posted by: BurfordHolly | January 6, 2011 8:11 AM
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What the author doesn't say is that Christians claiming authority in public life and government, even over holidays, is what *made* their 'War on Christmas,' which they claim is justified by anyone expressing anything *but* Christianity.
Posted by: APaganplace | December 27, 2010 4:37 PM
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In Sekulow's Jesuslandia, "non-believers" would just roll over to any form of evangelical theocon bullying to steamroller First Amendment rights. It takes two to war and blaming liberals for this disgusting annual display of American division is disingenuous if not dishonest at best. His "Christians" are equally culpable for trying to ram poor old Jesus down the rest of our throats and reap the backlash they find so appalling.
Posted by: areyousaying | December 25, 2010 4:30 PM
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Another nut fighting the wrong war. And, of course, "liberals," those God-hating socialists/communists, are to blame. There is no problem with faith-based displays, as long as they are on private grounds. And there is no problem with them, as long as either they are secular, or non-discriminatory. The right-wingers would have us believe that Christians are being persecuted. I am a pastor of over 30 years, and have never felt persecution - except by the right-wingers - because I choose to follow Jesus. I remember, however, that he was crucified, and not given any "pass." Christians do not get a pass either for being Christian - in fact, if we truly follow Jesus, we defer to others, love them, and are more concerned that their rights are not being violated, than we are concerned about our own. Those who fight for these "rights" for themselves are, in face, lazy Christians, fighting the wrong battle - which is love for the other. Maybe the author needs to discover the meaning of Christmas.
Posted by: garoth | December 25, 2010 2:31 PM
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By: "JJ" http://onwapo.wordpress.com
Posted by: beautiful-mind | December 25, 2010 12:11 PM
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This "War on Christmas" is a myth, but like so many other things, there is a piece of truth somewhere in there. Raised as a Catholic, I appreciate the nativity scene, and the displaying of it is no problem personally. The over-reach that I believe is what most Christians are trying to address, has occurred--to formally complain about nativity scenes, ect, is silly. But Christians have even more to feel silly about, I'm sorry to say. The speeches that get heard seem always to include statements like "This is a Christian Nation" or "Our founding fathers were all Christians, and that's what the country is based on." It is factually not true, first of all. Some of the founding fathers practised dieism, and please remember that they fled England to establish Freedom of Faith. It is implicitly understood that when one makes statements about how we are a Christian country, the agenda is to place Christianity above other faiths. There is no actual threat to anyone practising Christianity, and it sounds hyperbolic and, frankly, prejudicial when these comments are flying around. It reminds me of a school-yard fight, insisting on your way, unable to find room or respect for anything but what you want or for what you feel. The population of Christians is indeed, very large in the USA. There's no need to throw it around, like it's a contest or something. Each and every time I hear "We are a Christian Nation", I hear an agenda that is anything BUT Christian in its intent. And to use the word persacution is embarrassing if one truly understands the meaning of the word.
Posted by: shortsleevefeb | December 25, 2010 10:12 AM
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As I've previously stated, believers really need to know that right from the beginning, evil forces have been waging a war against the truth of God. Nothing in real life comes easy. Truth has the potential to break the stronghold of evil that continues to plague the American ideal. Romans 12:21 tells us to overcome evil by doing good! It is possible. Do it in faith!
Posted by: yeslovelife | December 24, 2010 11:30 PM
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Essentially all aspect of Christmas including the story and all symbols are pagan in origion.
Pounding everything into a storyline about good honest people being persecuted by "liberals" is Third Reich in origion. The "War On Christmas" crowd should read some "Mein Kampf" and ponder who they really serve.