Back before Christianity was coopted by those who play to the stupid and ignorant and hateful; back before Fox News and the Aryan Nation, it was an inclusive holiday. As a non-Christian and an atheist and someone who knows all too much about Christian history, about early Christian, Greco-Persian, Roman and Norse practices that form the basis of Christmas: as someone who knows how the holiday (and yes, it's a goddamn holiday) owes more to Coca-Cola, Hallmark and Charles Dickens than to some Jewish baby born to a teenage mother in April of an indeterminate year about 2000 years ago, I've always celebrated it anyway. After all Christmas as we know it is an American holiday and one that used to bring about a spirit of tolerance, brotherhood and generosity to a unique degree. It was a holiday that brought out the liberal in most of us ....
Of course if their were any real Christians in this country they might propose at least to ignore this attempt to make it a holiday of hate ...
This commentary is in response to this article and this video, featuring Michelle Malkin on Fox and Friends.
And that's one angry comment for someone arguing that Christmas is about tolerance.
What a bunch of crap! I mean, the only thing I could agree with is that ANYONE can celebrate Christmas. But, it has been shunted to the corner because supposedly tolerant people can not take that some one may dare, dare I tell you, to utter such words, "Merry Christmas"! THE HORROR! Or the fact that "Christmas" pageants are now "winter" shows. There is no longer "Christmas" break but "winter" break. It is not the so-called untollerant people doing this but the so-called tollerant ones. BTW, love the cartoon! And, MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all!
ReplyDeleteI think this is much ado about nothing. I find it hard to believe that leftists are waging a "war on Christmas" and I suspect it is mostly a figment of the right wing's imagination. Gretchen Fox (or whatever her name is) talks about atheist displays; what atheist displays? Turn on an NPR classical station -- NPR, the dreaded, hated bogeyman of the right -- and what do you hear? The King's College, Cambridge choir singing -- gasp -- Christmas music. That's perfectly fine, but it's not evidence of a leftist "war on Christmas"; quite the reverse. There's also a national Christmas Tree in front of the White House that is lit every year with no fuss or objection from anyone, as far as I'm aware. Of course you can always find a few cranks wailing about non-issues, but that does not constitute a "war on Christmas."
ReplyDeleteI followed the link, and The Swash Zone is definately a hatemonger leftist.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the the Christmas cheer! I guess it's an honor to be the target of Mr. Douglass as some of our finest people and institutions have been, and particularly in this season of peace y'all are so observant of. And thanks most of all, for proving my point.
ReplyDeleteThat point of course, was the hypocrisy of the way Christmas is being used as a weapon against individual religious freedom. Hypocrisy, in that Jesus preached tolerance and tolerance is supposed to be Christian, yet it's obvious that some of the media and most of you feel it's too much to be tolerant of those free American citizens who celebrate differently, both Christian and non-Christian. After all, if you couldn't mandate religious observances lie "christmas pagents" through government power, you wouldn't be "pro victory" would you?
My perception is that the only people telling you it's not good to say Merry Christmas are those trying to make a case that the government, even though it has already declared it a national holiday, isn't making enough of a deal of it in its official capacity -- as the constitution prohibits. Is anyone telling you how to celebrate, or are you telling us? Think hard.
Surely I'm misreading you and you respect the right of private citizens and private enterprise to ignore or celebrate as they please. Surely you would rather not have the government dictate in religious matters -- or is the concept of freedom too liberal for you, too unworthy of power and glory and the war against heresy?
Other than my continuing desire to mention that I'm tired of every Christmas holiday being ruined by politics and angry ranting; by its being used as a lever to split the country apart when it used to serve as a model of inclusiveness for everyone to admire and participate in, I really don't care what you say and I support your right to say it. I will however continue to believe what I damn well believe and celebrate or not celebrate whatever and whenever I want to, regardless of what Saint Donald would approve of.
Apparently the sentiment is not shared amongst those who sniff power and victory from the paper bag here, unless I'm reading you wrong.
If Christmas has been "shunted," it's been, in my opinion, by those looking to gain something rather unchristian like political power and political "victory" by it and not by those looking only for a bit of freedom from having their kids coerced and proselytized and preached to with taxpayer money.
Perhaps that is,in part, why the Puritans outlawed it. People just can't be trusted not to screw it up. The Greeks are lucky to celebrate next week when Fox will be occupied with other Faux outrages.
I guess wishing that the Religious Right and a Religious government would stay the hell out of my private life and beliefs makes me a "leftist" but feel free to pin any other labels on me without thinking much about it. I'm sure it will make Douglass happy and feel "victorious" and that's what this site is about.
Merry Christmas . . . et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis -- like LFC and any others who may be lurking.
Oh yes, and it sentimental stories about Christmas in Austria at Swash Zone is "leftist hate mongering" there is something dreadfully wrong with you Tom.
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