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.
Barry Lynn should heed Jesus's words that whomever offends the faith of a little child, it would be better for him that a millstone be hanged around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. By his vendetta against Jesus in the schools, Lynn is certainly offending the faith of God's little ones. He deserves God's punishment for it.
By the way, did anyone hear of the four fine families in Plano, TX who are sueing the Plano school district for interferring in their excercise of religion? Yep, theclass A dunderheads in the Plano ISD decided that no religious references would be allowed such as CANDY CANES, no carols should be sung, and they instituted a ban on RED AND GREEN NAPKINS at class parties! Three elementary school principals have been singled out as being personally sued as well. Oh, how I would LOVE to be on that jury! Part of the punishment would be that they would have to go to every campus and lead the students in singing carols for one hour at every party, where candy canes and red and green napkins would be featured, of course. Now the pathetic PR guy at the central office said they had changed their directive on Dec. 1, but forgot to tell anyone about it....yeah, right.
Good God, what a fool. Never studied history, eh Rev. Jim?
My niece has a part time job working at a concvenience store a couple of years ago, wished someone a Merry Christmas, and suffered a tantrum at the hands of the PC woman.
My first impulse was to be glad I was not there. Wanting to kick someone to death over Christmas was an unpleasant and novel feeling- A real "First".
I sold my Target stock to protest the retailer's snubbing of the Salvation Army...I made the sale on principle."
I had fuel oil delivered this morning. when I placed the cll for the delivery yesterday the conversaton ended with the young lady wishing me a Merry Christmas and the parting comment of the Delivery man this morning was "Have a Merry Christmas."
My daughter attends public school - they are having a Christmas Party tomorrow, and school is being dismissed early next Wednesday for Christmas vacation.
blessedly - the PC crapola is not everywhere.
Merry Christmas all.
I guess I'm really fortunate in that in this reason, it's practically expected. I had a part-time job in a convenience store a few years ago and the manager informed us we WERE to wish all customers a Merry Christmas.
"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."
It doesn't have anything to do with George Bush, jerk. And Merry Christmas to you!
Some people are just real class acts.
Has anyone else noticed that the MSM has been mislabeling this as a battle against the secularization of Christmas?
It's not, of course. That battle has been raging for decades. This year, even the secular observance of Christmas is on the defensive.
[Insert shameless plug for blog comment here]
And CBS is still a piece of crap news organization.
And that's a good thing. Target hasn't seen any of my Christmas spending stash this year and won't until they rescind their foolish Salvation Army ban. That has to be the dumbest PR move of the decade.
Class Act is correct.
I was wished a Merry Christmas by every person I encountered in every store I was in today. After reading so much here about so many not hearing it makes me feel so good.
Merry Christmas.
Oh yes I forgot.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
ENJOY THE ADVENT SEASON
Don't forget what it is all about.
Because it would be plain stupid to do so, Reverand.
reverand = reverend
Too true. Just in case anyone is lurking from a Media Consultancy outfit digging for opinion on CBS....
Search Engine results: CBS News + crap
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Search Engine results: Dan Rather + crap
60,000
Search Engine results: Dan Rather + fake
79,000
Should be a thread on its own.
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