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WASHINGTON, D.C. — You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars. Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.

Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas. "We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you," said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group...

A plan by a council-funded charity to ban the word Christmas from this year's festive celebrations has been criticised by religious leaders of all denominations. Oxford city council confirmed the events in the city would be renamed 'Winter Light Festival' to make them more inclusive, provoking outrage among shoppers in the city who called for a return to tradition.

With a stroke of the pen, a college has eliminated Christmas from the calendar. Likewise, Easter is gone, both now being branded "end of term" breaks at Yorkshire Coast College, according to the UK's Daily Mail. The reason? Apparently school officials wanted to make sure they didn't "discriminate." "Every school and college, wherever located, is responsible for educating its learners who will live and work in a country which is diverse in terms of cultures, religions or beliefs, ethnicities and social backgrounds," a spokeswoman for the college told the newspaper. "All employees at Yorkshire Coast College are encouraged to closely...

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two high school students who say they are offended by the school's policy of allowing prayer at voluntary events and holding Christmas concerts at churches. The students, from Pace High School in Pace, Fla., are identified only as Minor I Doe and Minor II Doe in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court because they are both under 18. The complaint alleges disclosure of their names would put the students at risk of "social ostracism, economic injury, governmental retaliation … and potential physical harm." Benjamin Stevenson, staff...

ANN ARBOR, MI — Today, July 31st at 10:00AM EST, a New Jersey Federal Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to a public school district’s policy totally banning Christmas music, including simple instrumentals without words, during year-end celebrations in its schools. The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan filed the federal lawsuit on the grounds that the school district’s ban on religious music conveys a government-sponsored message of disapproval and hostility toward religion in violation of the Establishment Clause. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center,...

AMSTERDAM, 06/06/08 - Amsterdam municipal transport company (GVB) bus-drivers and tram personnel cannot celebrate Christmas any more. GVB is axing the event to please Muslims, newspaper de Telegraaf suggested yesterday. Personnel association VTN has been told by GVB management that "the multicultural representation of the colleagues at the Christmas party is too one-sided." Supposedly, GVB meant to say that only white GVB staffs have been attending the annual event organised by management in the past years. It has therefore halted its financial contribution to the Christmas party. "We have a limited budget and want to organise something that is intended...

Over the last two weeks, leading American atheists have registered complaints about all the attention given to Christmas in the United States. These atheists have issued three challenges. First, they insist that being atheist does not mean being immoral. Second, they want other people to see that atheists are law-abiding, compassionate, and generous to others—that one does not have to be Christian or to feel “the Christmas spirit” to care for the poor and the needy. Third, they insist that monotheists have a harder time being tolerant of others than atheists do. Atheists, they think, are more humble, tolerant, and...

Group calls for end to Christmas Culture wars The outrage by some people over department stores using the phrase “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” is a distraction from real moral and social issues, according to a group of concerned Catholics and evangelical Christians. The group has called for a “cease-fire in the Christmas culture wars,” and challenged conservative talk-show host Bill O’Reilly and others who have lashed out against a so-called secular “War on Christmas.” In an “Open Letter to Christmas Culture Warriors” published as an advertisement in the New York Post, Washington Times and the National Catholic Reporter,...

For public school students, Christmas - as religious holidays in general - is fast becoming taboo. A memo from Intermediate District 287, a west-metro district headquartered in Plymouth, conveys the atmosphere succinctly. “In Intermediate District 287,” the memo instructs, “it is not appropriate to experience other’s [sic] religious traditions at work or school. . . . Decorating should be limited to celebration of the winter season,” with decorations confined to “snowpeople, snowflakes, skating scenes.” Prohibited images include “Santa Claus, . . . Christmas trees, wreaths, Star of David, Menorah, Buddha!, . . . and Christmas cards.” Staff must survey their...

In Christmases past, residents of Kingston House in West York hung a tree with Santa Clauses and decorated a common room with puzzles showing Christ in a manger. School groups and carolers came through the halls singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and other popular Christian hymns. But things are different this December. At Kingston House and other properties owned by the York Area Development Corporation, songs or decorations in common areas must be secular. The same policy applies to hundreds of tenants in York City's Delphia House and other apartments managed by the development...

Schools walk holiday line Season's symbols pose a dilemma By Gina Davis Sun reporter December 23, 2007 Ken Shapiro doesn't seem to be a Scrooge. He says he loves the holiday lights, has a Christmas tree in his home and hangs a 9-foot wreath outside. But Shapiro, a longtime Baltimore County teacher who describes himself as a nonpracticing Jew, grows angry when he talks about one particular evergreen that is strung with multicolored lights. That's because the tree is on the grounds of Carney Elementary School - and he says it violates his religious freedom. "In this case, Carney is...

A Midwestern university has mandated "Merry -----mas" as a holiday greeting, banning "Christ" in apparent violation of the U.S. Constitution, according to Liberty Counsel, which works to advance religious freedom and the traditional family. The events have developed at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla. The controversy began when the university's director of human resources recently visited various departments and said that decorations featuring the word 'Christmas' in any areas of the university must be immediately removed," the organization said. "He also instructed the employees not to say 'Christmas' while on the job. As a result the employees cannot...

Weatherford, OK – Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU), has issued a disturbing policy which requires all employees to refrain from using the word "Christmas" in oral or written form. This directive was given by the university upon legal advice of the Oklahoma Attorney General, W.A. Drew Edmondson. Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to SWOSU following a complaint from a university affiliate. John Misak, the Director of Human Resources, recently visited various university departments and employee groups and informed everyone that any decorations featuring the word "Christmas" in any work or public areas of the university must be immediately removed....

For most Minnesotans, December is a festive month of merrymaking and good cheer. But at the University of Minnesota it's the most dangerous time of the year. A Dec. 5 article on the University's website, "Reevaluating seasonal office parties," sets forth the perils. Its authors, Dee Anne Bonebright of the U's Office of Human Resources and Julie Sweitzer of the Office of System Academic Administration, exhort U employees to be on their guard. The memo makes clear that the limits most of us have learned to put on our Christmas spirit in recent years -- you know, catching yourself before...

Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford has issued a disturbing directive forbidding employees to say or write the word "Christmas." This directive was given by the University upon legal advice of the (Oklahoma Attorney General, W.A. Drew Edmondson). Liberty Counsel sent a demand letter to the University following a complaint from a University affiliate. The controversy began when the University's Director of Human Resources recently visited various departments and said that decorations featuring the word "Christmas" in any areas of the University must be immediately removed. He also instructed the employees not so say "Christmas" while on the job. As...

Officials in town of Queen Creek remove the name of ‘Christmas’from community tree, rename it ‘holiday tree’ - QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. — A reference to the name “Christmas tree” has been axed by misled officials in an Arizona town. ADF attorneys sent an informational letter to the town of Queen Creek stating that the use of the word “Christmas” does not violate the Constitution. “The American people, common sense, and the Constitution are clearly winning the war on Christmas waged by the Left. Unfortunately, the misguided belief that we must sanitize Christmas to keep from offending a small segment...

Pembroke Pines - The Pembroke Lakes Mall appears to have the standard holiday decorations. There's a photo booth with a Rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer theme by the food court; presents are wedged between palm trees; poinsettias rise from flower pots and combine into the shape of a Christmas tree. And next to a pair of benches in front of Dillard's, on a white-and-blue pedestal, stands a 5-foot-tall menorah. But for Len Torres, 79, of Plantation, who campaigns every holiday season to get Broward malls to include nativity scenes, that Jewish religious symbol makes Pembroke Lakes' refusal to set up a creche feel like...

War on 'Merry Christmas'? http://access.aikenstandard.com/archive_detail.php?archiveFile=./pubfiles/aik/archive/2007/December/09/site-localnews/143446.xmlhttp://tinyurl.com/26bjsbDecember 09, 2007 By HALEY HUGHES Staff writer What would you say if someone wished you a "Merry Christmas"? Would your response be "Merry Christmas to you, too," or would you ever so subtly correct them by throwing out the more politically correct term, "Happy Holidays"? Would you say anything at all? In an ever-increasingly PC world, it seems "Happy Holidays" is the more accepted greeting passed from person to person when the holiday season (whatever the holiday may be) arrives. The fear of offending someone by referring to Christianity's most treasured figure has driven individuals...

Help Sink Old Navy's Blockade Dear Craig, You would think a company that gets the vast majority of its business from Christians would be respectful of its customers. Such is true of companies that don't have an anti-Christian bias. But not at Old Navy. Old Navy has put a blockade around Christmas. Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic are owned by the same company. And all three boycott Christmas. At these stores, Christmas isn't allowed because a handful of non-Christians are offended. Old Navy doesn't want to offend non-Christians. But they sure don't worry about offending Christians. They will take...