Americans are in a war that pits the politically correct against
Christmas carolers, some say. They say it's a battle that plays out in
the halls of Congress, retail stores and public schools across the
country, and it's one that's been raging for years.
Republican
Rep. Henry Brown of South Carolina introduced a resolution this month
asking that the House express support for the use of Christmas symbols
and traditions and frown on any attempt to ban references to the
holiday.
"Each year, I could see a diminishing value of the
spiritual part of Christmas," Brown said. "It would seem like another
group would go from the Christmas spirit to the holiday spirit."
"What
I'm afraid of -- if we don't bring some kind of closure to this
continuous change, then in 20 years it will almost be completely
different from what we see today ... and so we would lose the whole
emphasis of what the very early beginnings of Christmas was all about."
So far, the resolution has one Democrat and 72 Republicans as co-sponsors. The House hasn't taken it up, but the chamber adopted similar resolutions in the past.
Barry
Lynn, an ordained minister and executive director of Americans United
for Separation of Church and State, isn't keen on the prospect of
congressional action.
Don't try to 'help' the baby Jesus by passing a resolution on his behalf.
--Barry Lynn, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
"Resolutions like this come up because there is this bizarre view by some members of Congress that there is a war on Christmas and that they have to be the generals in some responding army," he said.
"My advice to the lawmakers would be promote any religion
you have through your private acts, and don't try to 'help' the baby
Jesus by passing a resolution on his behalf. It is arrogant and
ridiculous at the same time," Lynn said.
Christmas is in no danger of being ignored, Lynn said, noting that signs of the holiday emerge as soon as Halloween passes.
"You
would literally have to be living in a very deep cave not to understand
that there is a religious holiday called Christmas that is soon to
come," he said.
In his view, some people feel a "false sense of
some kind of attack on Christmas" if a school holds a winter concert
instead of a Christmas concert, or if retailers declare "Happy
Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
In
California, Tea Party activist Merry Hyatt is trying to get support for
a ballot initiative that would require that public schools give their
students an opportunity to hear Christmas songs. (Parents could opt out
for their children).
Lynn said the move violates the principles of church-state separation.
"It's not being anti-Christmas to recognize that most Christmas carols are really hymns, and a hymn is a prayer set to music."
Mathew
Staver, law school dean at Liberty University, a Virginia college
founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, said, however, that some
schools and businesses are going too far to "censor" Christmas because
they don't know the laws.
Staver founded the Liberty Counsel, a
nonprofit litigation group dedicated to advancing religious freedom and
conservative values. The counsel provides free legal advice and defense
for government entities to ensure religious viewpoints on Christmas are
not censored.
One example Staver cited began in Oregon, where
an elementary school principal replaced Christmas trees with snowmen
and banned all religious symbols, saying Santa Claus fell into the
category.
Liberty Counsel sent the principal a letter telling
her the law doesn't require her to "secularize" the holiday. The
counsel also pointed out that by banning religious symbols for a
holiday with secular components, she risked violating the Constitution
by not being "viewpoint neutral," Staver said.
Parents were upset as well. The principal eventually changed course and restored the tree and jolly St. Nick.
Staver
keeps a "Naughty & Nice" list that shows which retailers include
references to Christmas in their advertising and which do not.
When he started the list five years ago, both sides were about even, but this year the "nice" list is longer.
"It's
better this year than it was in 2005, but I think it's better this year
because we and others have made a point to make sure that Christmas is
not forgotten," he said.
Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for
policy studies with the Family Research Council, which promotes
Christian values, said the "pro-Christmas side" has made progress in
recent years.
In some circles, he said, "Political correctness is preventing people from even sayings 'Merry Christmas.' "
He
said it's important to defend the right of people to celebrate the
holiday and noted that December 25 is a federal holiday the government
recognizes as Christmas.
"If we want to be concerned about the
fact that we are a multicultural nation, then the solution is to allow
everyone the freedom to celebrate what they want rather than stifling
the celebration of the majority because it might be offensive to the
minority," Sprigg said.
In Washington, Republicans have taken up the war on Christmas as their own battle.
"Republicans
and conservatives have definitely gained a lot of political points by
pointing out some of the silliest and more extreme examples of
political correctness," said Tom Smith, director of the General Social
Survey at the National Opinion Research Center.
But Republicans
also should worry about pushing it too far, he added, because the
American people believe in "good liberal thoughts" like "diversity and
different people all being treated the same." It's OK to attack
political correctness, he said, but the GOP must be careful not to come
off as "anti-minority or against diversity."
The attack can
backfire as well if voters think their representative is more committed
to protecting Christmas than protecting jobs or economic stability,
Smith said.
For Staver, the campaign to save Christmas continues, and it's one he will never abandon.
"What
happens this year is not necessarily an indication of what will happen
next year, so I think each Christmas has to stand on its own and I
think each one is worth fighting for," he said.
"I
think we are winning a lot of the battles in the war on Christmas, but
I don't think the war is done, and I don't think it ever will be."
Comments (0)
Tell friend
Print
