Complaints about the so-called "war on Christmas" are already cranking up. One of my friends on facebook posted about it this morning and copied a forwarded email that's been traveling around for a couple of years. It's the one that claims the Obamas are having a "holiday tree" in the White House instead of a Christmas tree (they're not; check Snopes) and goes on to blame Hurricane Katrina on the lack of of prayer in public schools. The writer insists that since we "God from the schools" that God chose to "be a gentleman" and leave us alone (i.e. withold divine protection.) You might like to see my response:
Here's a very interesting article about the language concerning December holidays:Seriously? Seriously? God punished people with a massive hurricane because we don't have government coerced prayer in public schools? (Because that's what school official-led audible prayer would be.) How about God is a gentleman and doesn't intervene with the consequences of our actions - like building major cities on flood plains, destroying the coastal wetlands that protect us from the severity of hurricanes, neglecting to keep the levees repaired, and not bothering to take at least some responsibility for the climate change that is increasing the severity of extreme weather events.
Jesus himself made it very clear that natural calamities are NOT God's punishment for human sin: "The rain falls on the just and unjust..." and "His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus...... You know, it is simply not true that people have been forbidden to pray in school. People do it all the time. They just don't get to impose that prayer on others. For those who insist that such prayer be official, formal and audible they need to remember that Jesus told us to go in our room and shut the door when we pray and to pray in secret. (He had very harsh words for the Pharisees who prayed publicly in order to be seen by others.)
Finally, I'd like to say that there are places in this world where Christians really are persecuted and, I'm sorry, but hearing someone call a decorated tree a "holiday tree" simply does not begin to rise to that level.
Why the 'War on Christmas' retail controversy is so absurd
The comments by reader are particularly illuminating.
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I think people have lost their collective minds. The sad thing is, there really are people who believe that if we had prayer in schools (coerced, Christian) that there would have been no Columbine, etc. This is a world view that is mind boggling to me.
ReplyDeleteI know, Stacy. I'm with you.
ReplyDeleteWith so many other things going on both within the US and around the world, you'd think these folks would have more important things to talk about/fret about than whether or not we have mandated prayer in school or if the Obamas have a Christmas tree or holiday tree or a Bo the dog tree.
ReplyDeleteThat article and comments do make some good points...this issue would be much, much smaller if there weren't the enormous retail earnings to go along with it. Kind of makes me want to hide until after the Christmas retail season is over just to avoid the constant bombardment of 'buy buy buy.' And to avoid another round of 'Happy Holidays vs. Merry Christmas vs. the destruction of mankind or whatever they go with this year. *sigh* This is why my family is getting knitted things for Christmas. :)
As long as there are exams, there will be prayer in school. ;)
ReplyDeleteYo Tracy!
ReplyDeleteYou rock.
annie c