Also: Kohl’s, Macy’s, Sears and Target
Last year Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman argued, “The ‘Happy holidays’ greeting is more inclusive. With 130 million customers walking through the door and 1.3 million employees, it's safe to say there are a lot of different faiths out there."
Now Wal-mart has recanted -- turning their “Holiday Shop” into the “Christmas Shop” and including Nativity Scenes in their TV commercials. Spokesman Steven Restivo offered, “We learned our lesson last year; we are using Christmas this year at Wal-mart.”
The Presbyterians suppressed the celebration of Christmas in 1583 because there are no biblical references to Christmas celebrations, nor is it indicated that Jesus Christ was actually born on December 25th. Easter was seen as the prime religious holiday and Christmas was a normal working day until 1958.
Fidel Castro declared Cuba an Atheist country in 1962 and enforced his statement from 1969 to 1997, when Pope John Paul II’s visit changed his mind on allowing religious observation.
Christmas was banned from 1659 to 1681 in this state because Congregationalist Puritans decided Thanksgiving to be the most important holiday and Christmas wasn’t introduced to the colonies until 1836, with Alabama as the first state to observe it. Generally the Puritans thought of Christmas as a mainly “pagan holiday” because the Pagans celebrated the Advent period with mistletoe, holly, yule logs, candles, gift giving and wreaths.
The First Amendment declares, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...", an ambiguity that courts have struggled to define for decades.
Early statements by Thomas Jefferson and John Jay only serve to obfuscate matters more. Jefferson wrote to a concerned group known as the Danbury Baptists, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
But then John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said: "Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers" and he was backed by John Quincy Adams who thought Christianity was the triumph of civil liberties.
James Madison struck down their notions with a call for total separation of church and state in a letter to John Walsh stating, "Strongly guarded . . . is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States," Madison wrote, and he declared, "No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”
Lynch vs. Donnelly (1984): The Supreme Court ruled that a city-owned nativity scene did not violate the separation of church and state because it depicted the historical origins of Christmas.
Alleghany County vs. ACLU Pittsburgh (1989): The Supreme Court ruled that a Roman Catholic crèche with the words “In Excelsious Deo” placed in a downtown courthouse stairwell violated the establishment clause because the crèche was the ONLY display there and was located in the most beautiful part of the building, designed to give a particular impression or actively endorse one particular religion.
Alleghany County vs. ACLU Pittsburgh (1989): The Supreme Court ruled that an 18-foot Jewish menorah placed outside a county building next to a Christmas tree was not unconstitutional and given its surroundings recognizes cultural diversity.
New Jersey vs. Schundler (1994): The Supreme Court ruled that the city display of a menorah, Christmas tree and sign proclaiming the city’s “diverse cultural and ethnic heritages” was against local code but in 1995 when the city added Santa, Frosty the snowman and Kwanzaa symbols, it became in compliance with the guidelines. On appeal, these decisions were later revoked for violating endorsement laws.
Whether you swing right, you swing left or you straddle the divide, there’s no denying how outlandish some of these comments are. For some people, it’s a way of having your voice heard and basking in the media spotlight. For others, it’s an attempt to be culturally sensitive or objective, while staying within the framework of an unclear law. Regardless, you’d have to be a conspiracy theorist to subscribe whole-heartedly to the War On Christmas ideology. No Supreme Court or organization can tell us how to experience, discuss or celebrate Christmas. It’s something each individual just has to come to terms with in their hearts. Just like the mid-December snow, this flurry of conjecture is sticking and it looks like the War On Christmas may be the lump of coal in our stockings for years to come.
Most Recent News:
Christ-Loving, Jew-Hating Bigotry in 2007: Most recently, a Muslim from Bangladesh saved a group of Jews who were attacked on a subway for saying “Happy Hanukkah” in NYC!
Huckabee Unafraid: Mike Huckabee issued a "Merry Christmas" in his latest ad.
Obama Careful: Barack Obama's daughter said "Merry Christmas" in his ad, but he refrained.
The War Wages On: The Catholic League For Religious and Civil Rights reminds us that the war is, in fact, very much raging. Jesus was banned from holiday displays in Rhode Island, nativity scenes were taken down in Ohio, schools in Michigan banned the words "Christmas", "Nativity" and "Santa", and a host of activist groups are allegedly trying to rid the country of nativity scenes.
Arizona Town Has a "Holiday Tree": That's right. No Christmas Trees in Queen Creek -- just a holiday tree. (Fascists!)
More Holiday -- err CHRISTMAS -- Display Snafus: VDare.com will always keep you updated!
Billy Joel Hates On Christmas: This year Billy Joel wrote a song called "Christmas in Fallujah," which he performs with Cass Dillon. He says it was inspired by the letters from the troops and his own reflections.
Steve King Wants Legislation: Rep. Steve King introduced legislation that would recognize "the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith." His legislation passed.
Chinese Christmas Trees Dubbed Dangerous: I would love to read ONE Chinese product that doesn't contain dangerous amounts of lead... just ONE! Is that too much to ask?
