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Is This the End of Christmas in America?
Food for Thought from the Chuck Wagon ^ | December 18, 2001 | Chuck Baldwin

Posted on 12/18/2001 9:04:01 AM PST by maggie

Is This the End of Christmas in America? By Chuck Baldwin December 18, 2001

All across America, Christmas is being expunged. In spite of the events of three months ago, there is little room for Christmas in America's public life. In fact, Christmas seems to be losing ground even faster than in the past.

School districts across the country are forbidding students from passing out personal Christmas cards. In Minnesota, two middle school students were disciplined for wearing red and green scarves. In Massachusetts, ninth grade students were warned to refrain from wishing friends "Merry Christmas." In Illinois, a teacher was instructed by her principal to not read a story about Christmas to her second graders. In Georgia, a school removed the word "Christmas" from its calendar after threats from the A.C.L.U.

Throughout the United States, nativity scenes and Christmas trees have been removed. In one South Florida veterans hospital, even a Christmas angel was taken down. In most public places today, all references to Christmas have been obliterated. Taking its place is the politically correct, "non-offensive," multicultural, full-of-diversity greeting, "Happy Holidays." What is with all this lunacy? It's as if "Scrooge" has been institutionalized. It is not hyperbole to observe that in many (if not most) American homes, Harry Potter is more popular than the Christ-child is.

America's Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves! In their wildest dreams, they could never have imagined such a display of religious intolerance happening in the land "founded by Christians on the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (Patrick Henry).

The longest-living Founding Father was John Quincy Adams. As such, he was a much sought after speaker for patriotic events. On July 4, 1837, he made a very astute observation. He said, "Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before?"

Adams' sentiments seem quite out of fashion today, don't they? His penchant for Christian liberty is as popular these days as limited government is. Then again, I remember a time when children prayed and read the Bible in public schools. That day is gone for good, and it appears that the public celebration of Christmas is nearing its end, also. However, people should not fret. In the new socialist Amerika now under construction, Ramadan and Kwanzaa are perfectly acceptable.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: christianpersecutio
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1 posted on 12/18/2001 9:04:01 AM PST by maggie
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To: maggie
The ACLU once again proving Ps 53:1

"The fool says in his heart "there is no god", they are corrupt, there ways are vile, there is none that do good"

The real shame is not the fools of the ACLU, but the fools who sit on court benches.

2 posted on 12/18/2001 9:19:36 AM PST by DaveyB
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To: maggie
For the fun of it, a little history lesson. Christmas was once banned in America, sorta. The sorta being that we were still a colony at the time and not an independant nation. The Puritans banned Christmas! Honestly, its true. They saw everyday as holy and not one day holier than any other and that it was an offense to God to celebrate one day above another. Can't remember the dates, but it was banned for something like 50 years.

When Christmas was "unbanned" it wasnt celebrated in any way near how it is celebrated today. It was a day when the men would go out to the local taverns, get liquored up, get in fights, and fire their guns into the air resulting in several deaths.

The history of Christmas in America is not as wholesome as people think. Until about the end of the 40's Christmas was a rather violent, drunkin holiday in most of the country.

3 posted on 12/18/2001 9:40:05 AM PST by Phantom Lord
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To: maggie
It is not hyperbole to observe that in many (if not most) American homes, Harry Potter is more popular than the Christ-child is.

I agree with the article, but this is just sensationalism.
Most Americans were ignoring the Christ-child long before Harry Potter came along.
Pick a date in history, you'll find a cultural icon that fits just as well.

4 posted on 12/18/2001 9:45:38 AM PST by Ward Smythe
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To: Phantom Lord
Amen! Bring back the good ole days. Ban Christmas. That'll get these whiners to shut up!
5 posted on 12/18/2001 9:46:56 AM PST by calvin
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To: DaveyB
Where is Mr. Hankie when you need him?
6 posted on 12/18/2001 9:47:08 AM PST by GSWarrior
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To: GSWarrior
Right here!


7 posted on 12/18/2001 9:50:18 AM PST by Phantom Lord
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To: Phantom Lord
Christmas wasn't even an official holiday until Charles Dickens published his sad story.
8 posted on 12/18/2001 9:52:41 AM PST by RightWhale
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To: Phantom Lord
It was a day when the men would go out to the local taverns, get liquored up, get in fights, and fire their guns into the air resulting in several deaths.

Asinine assumption; where is your evidence?

9 posted on 12/18/2001 9:54:19 AM PST by Old Professer
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: Phantom Lord
Wrong. You can read in countless places (novels, historical documents) how Christmas was celebrated. Maybe men got drunk out in a few areas of the "wild west" in gold rush areas or railroad towns, but anywhere there were towns, farms, families and civilization Christmas was celebrated. It was much quieter, more focused on Christ, and simpler and more modest than today's celebrations, but it certainly was not characterized by "drunken, violent revelry".
12 posted on 12/18/2001 10:02:32 AM PST by boxlunch
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To: maggie
I do believe that intolerance breeds hatred. Sadly, the seeds of the secular extremists' intolerance will at some point bare the bitter fruit of hatred. At some point, who knows when, the line will be pushed a little too far and people of faith will take no more. There are those that will not be banished. That will not go quietly into the night. It shall be a sad sad day when religious faith has been excluded from the realm of self-determination in a land supposedly governed by it's own people. On that day, one will truely know that freedom is lost.
13 posted on 12/18/2001 10:04:33 AM PST by Texas_Jarhead
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To: Old Professer
Asinine assumption; where is your evidence?

Well maybe A&E, HGTV, and The History Channel have been lying to me. But it is safe to assume that anytime you have a large number of persons firing guns into the air there is a good chance of the bullet hitting someone on the way down. Youve never heard of this happening before?

14 posted on 12/18/2001 10:05:22 AM PST by Phantom Lord
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To: maggie
taking away our 1st ammendment right to free speech and telling us what we have to say!!!!!! .This ACLU has to be stopped before it gets any worse and the American people need to stand up and say something.Why are we letting them get away with this.what people ought to do is no one go to the stores and buy anything and you watch how fast things change when it involves money.No one better ever tell me what I can or cannot say.The public school system is ruining this country and the future generation of the U.S. These kids will know not what rights are in 20 years they will have none and to them this will be normal.Only we can stop this now
15 posted on 12/18/2001 10:07:29 AM PST by classygreeneyedblonde
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To: maggie
Maybe it is the end of the commercialization of Christmas - something I have heard Christians wish for. Now that it is beginning to happen, I am hearing Christians whine about it. Maybe if these people would focus on their private celebrations, they might re-kindle what the season is suppose to be all about.
16 posted on 12/18/2001 10:08:38 AM PST by ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds
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To: ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds
That's a good point. I also find it interesting that all of these attempts to "eliminate" Christmas are being documented in a year when retailers are expecting their worst holiday sales in decades.

The day Christians take it upon themselves to avoid "celebrating" Christmas in a socially acceptable, commercial manner is the day the retailers of the United States will erect 50 foot-high Nativity scenes in an attempt to get them back into the stores.

17 posted on 12/18/2001 10:13:59 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: maggie
Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day?

For what its worth, most Americans don't celebrate Independence Day anymore either.

18 posted on 12/18/2001 10:15:06 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: ThinkLikeWaterAndReeds
"Maybe it is the end of the commercialization of Christmas - something I have heard Christians wish for. Now that it is beginning to happen, I am hearing Christians whine about it."

Naaaa, that's not it. De-commercialization would be great but that's not what's happening. It's the de-Christianization of Christmas that is the problem. It's not becoming less commercialized, it's just morphing from Christmas to Holiday or Season. If anything it's becoming more commercialized because it's being gutted of it's very meaning. As they say down South, Jesus is the reason for the season.
19 posted on 12/18/2001 10:15:09 AM PST by Texas_Jarhead
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To: Alberta's Child
PS - Merry Christmas and may God bless you and yours.
20 posted on 12/18/2001 10:16:41 AM PST by Texas_Jarhead
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