Barry Lynn shows himself to a bigger chucklehead every time he opens his mouth.
Posted on 12/16/2004 2:45:25 PM PST by fanfan
AP) Some ultra-conservative Christian groups around the country are trying to put more Christ into Christmas this season.
In Terrebonne Parish, La., an organization is petitioning to add "Merry Christmas" to the red-lighted "Season's Greetings" sign on the main government building and is selling yard signs that read, "We believe in God. Merry Christmas." And a Raleigh, N.C., church recently paid $7,600 for a full-page newspaper ad urging Christians to spend their money only with merchants who include the greeting "Merry Christmas" in ads and displays.
"There is a revival taking place in our nation that is causing Christian and right-minded people to say, 'Wait a minute. We've gone too far,"' says the Rev. Patrick Wooden Sr., pastor of the Raleigh church. "We're not going to allow the country to continue this downward spiral to the left."
In California, a group called the Committee to Save Merry Christmas is boycotting Macy's and its corporate parent, Federated Department Stores, accusing them of replacing "Merry Christmas" signs with ones wishing shoppers "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays." The organization cites "the recent presidential election showing political correctness is offending millions of Americans."
(Federated, for its part, says that is has no ban on such greetings and that its store divisions can advertise as they see fit and store clerks are free to wish any customer "Merry Christmas." Macy's says its ads commonly use the phrase.)
The push from the religious right troubles Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
"This mixing of secular and religious symbols ought to be seen as a bad thing, not a good thing, for Christian believers," he says. "Unfortunately, some of the Christian pressure groups seem to have it backwards." He adds: "I think it's fair to say it's a mistaken notion that they have a mandate to put more nativity scenes up because George Bush was elected."
The battle over the manger on the city hall lawn is nothing new. People expect the annual tussle over the separation of church and state.
But the "keep the Christ in Christmas" contingent is particularly agitated this year over what its members see as a troubling trend on Main Street: Target stores banning Salvation Army bell ringers; UPS drivers complaining to a free-speech group that they have been told not to wish people a "Merry Christmas" (an accusation UPS denies as "silly on its face and just not true"); and major corporations barring religious music from cubicles and renaming the office Christmas bash the "end of the year" party.
"I think it is part of a growing movement of people with more traditional values, which make up the majority of people in this country, saying enough is enough," says Greg Scott, a spokesman for the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund.
Amid stories of schools banning the singing of carols on buses, Scott's group has distributed to more than 5,000 schools a seven-point legal primer citing 40 years of case law that says it is OK to mention Christmas in public places. And the group has about 800 lawyers waiting in the wings in case that notion needs to be reinforced.
To that same end, the Virginia-based Rutherford Institute, which says it received the UPS driver complaints, has reissued its "12 Rules of Christmas" guide to celebrating the birth of Jesus.
"I think the businesses and the schools have just gone too far; this is the final straw," says Institute president John W. Whitehead. "It's supposed to be a time of, what, peace and freedom and fun. And they've kind of made it into a secular ... kind of gray day."
Conservative radio and TV talk show hosts have chortled over some recent incidents of what they consider political correctness run amok.
In Kansas, The Wichita Eagle ran a correction for a notice that mistakenly referred to the Community Tree at the Winterfest celebration as a "Christmas Tree." And the mayor of Somerville, Mass., apologized after a news release mistakenly referred to the Dec. 21 City Holiday Party as a "Christmas Party."
But to many, the threats and demands that stores put up "Merry Christmas" signs are no laughing matter.
"Why not simply require stores owned by Jews to put a gold star in their ads and on their storefronts?" the Rev. Jim Melnyk, associate rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Raleigh, wrote in a letter to the editor.
I say let their pockets books help them decide whats right.
BTW, Merry Christmas, everyone.
The contempt and outright hatred for Christ and Christians just oozes out of every word of this "report."
Wow. That report lost me on word three. "Ultra Conservative" indeed... PLONK!
APf
I'm already boycotting Target for their SA Santa Claus banning decision. Ho-ho-hope you have a rotten holiday sales season Target.
Barry Lynn shows himself to a bigger chucklehead every time he opens his mouth.
""Why not simply require stores owned by Jews to put a gold star in their ads and on their storefronts?" the Rev. Jim Melnyk, associate rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Raleigh, wrote in a letter to the editor."
The good Reverend is another prime example of the depths the episcopal church has sunk to. I would expect all men of the cloth to support putting Christ back into Christmas.
When was the last time CBS reported on the activities of "ultra-liberal" groups?
Ping
Political correctness, by its very nature, is "running amok". There is no acceptable level of political correctness.
You just gotta love this "reverend" comparing Christians objecting to Christ being obliterated from His own birthday, to the Nazis carrying out their pogrom against the Jews.
He and Maureen Dowd need to marry. Just think how miserably they could be together.....
At least the "journalist" didn't refer to him as the Reverend Barry Lynn.
What a vile preacher. I'm guessing his flock is pathetically small.
Maybe he'll revert back to dust soon.
Hey Barry, where's your critique outlining your 'troubles' with the 9th Circuit deciding that Islam education can be taught in California schools because it's "educational" not religious? You know, "educational" stuff like reciting Koran verses, taking Muslim names for the day, etc. Where's your dedicated concern for the separation of mosque and state?
(crickets chirping)
What if they don't say anything even remotely holiday related? What if they stick to the "have a nice day" that works the other 11 months of the year?
Being not a chatty person pretty much the only thing a clerk says that I pay even the slightest attention to is how much of my money they want, the rest is immaterial and I am unconcerned.
Ohhhhh you're "ultra" conservative if you love the Lord and are just plain ole sick and tired of seeing the meaning of Christmas (you know the birth of Christ!) being diminished year after year in the name of commercialism and political correctness.
In the small southern town where I grew up the Jewish merchants had no problem with having their newspaper ads with Santa Claus and the words Merry Christmas. While the stores didn't have the nativity in them. There were decorations that had Merry Christmas on them. Most of those same merchants had ads that wished their customers Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in the Christmas day addition of the paper. Granted they were a very liberal synagogue, but it was never an issue. If the leftists have their way I doubt that most Americans will get all that enthused about buying presents to open around the Yule Log. If Christmas goes a lot of small merchants who depend on the Christmas season for their yearly profit will go out of business.
Simply demanding, as the communist/socialist democrats always whine, EQUAL TIME!
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