The perennial Christmas season song, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Everywhere You Go," may not be as true as it was several years ago.
Why? Because non-Christians have complained that the word Christmas -- as well as the nativity scenes of Christ -- somehow violate their rights. Consequently, nativity scenes in public commons and public buildings have had to be taken down in several communities in recent years because of these complaints.
Today, the tables were turned, as Christians in Boca Raton, Florida complained to its city government that it was discriminating against Christians by displaying menorahs -- but no nativity scenes -- in its public buildings. This situation is a good example of an old saying: What goes around comes around.
Unfortunately, the Christmas season is also a time when non-Christians prefer to use the saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," despite the fact that 69 percent of Americans prefer "Merry Christmas." Apparently, the Christ part of the word Christmas upsets some non-Christians.
Many department stores limit the use of the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- instead preferring to use the phrase "Happy Holidays" -- because they are afraid that they may upset non-Christian shoppers.
Wal-Mart -- which is currently in the midst of a multi-million dollar lawsuit for its discrimination in another matter -- is allegedly the worst offender for refusing to use the word "Christmas."
Wal-Mart refers to its Christmas trees as Holiday trees -- hard to believe, isn't it? -- and tells its employees not to use the word Christmas, even when returning a greeting to a customer who has said "Merry Christmas."
About 76 percent of Americans consider themselves to be Christians -- that is more than three-fourths of America's population. Only about 5 percent of Americans make up non-Christian religions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.), while the remainder (a little less than 20 percent) of Americans are non-believers or atheists.
With such an overwhelming percentage of Christians in America, it is only fair that religious minorities and atheists stop complaining about the use of the word Christmas or the public display of the nativity scene of Jesus.
The fact is that these religious minorities and atheists need to recognize that they are indeed minorities in a predominantly Christian society. That being the case, these minorities really have an obligation to respect the norms of the Christian majority -- after all, America is a democracy -- by allowing America's Christians to enjoy the Christmas season without being subject to unnecessary complaints.
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This is traditional Christian bullying in action. The commentary that the minority non-believers should succumb to the religious right flies in the face of what America embraces. Imagine that Abraham Lincoln ignored the minority slaves, or that women never had the opportunity to vote or that blacks never had equal rights. What a horrible place this would be.
ReplyDeleteAs the self proclaimed champion of size, christians need to be responsible with their power just as our predecessors were during their periods. Diversity is what makes this country great. ALL people are equal, regardless of race, creed and religion or non-religion.