There are so many inexplicable things to ponder in this universe that the idea of peace on earth, good will to all should be a problem is inexplicable as well.By Alicia Colon
President Obama said on a visit to Turkey in April that Americans "do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Muslim nation, but rather a nation of citizens who are, uh, bound by a set of values." While this remark outraged many Christian Americans who dispute this, others say that he diplomatically made this statement while visiting a Muslim nation. However, back in 2006, Mr. Obama said at a Christian conference, "Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers." This statement was reiterated several times between then and April and would seem to indicate that the president is downplaying the role of Christianity in our country. Then why the charade of having a Christmas tree lighting at the White House? Exactly what is this country celebrating at this time of year? Sales?
According to a minority of Americans that includes secularists and atheists, we're not allowed to display Christian symbols in public squares. This minority has been successful in persuading the courts to follow their dictates, which just goes to prove how our justice system has lost all credibility.
Statistics show that more than 88% of Americans believe in some form of religion and 76.5% call themselves Christians. Ergo, the majority should rule, yet the minority seems to pull the strings every time, especially at Christmastime. Its influence has been so great that some department stores have ordered their employees to stop saying "Merry Christmas" and replace it with "Happy Holiday." Conservative pundits have labeled this a War on Christmas and a few have written books on the issue. It may be more obvious at this time of the year but the tyranny of special interest groups has been evident for some time by using the power of the courts to circumvent public opinion. The entities most responsible for empowering these minorities are the ACLU and opportunistic trial lawyers.
The ACLU and Citizens United for the Separation of Church and State seek to remove any mention of God in the public arena. The ACLU took a California school to court after the September 11th terrorist attacks for posting a "God Bless America" sign, claiming that this is a violation of the church-and-state Constitution. (Note: There is no such clause. The word church isn't even in the Constitution.) These groups are trying to remove our national motto, "In God we trust" from our money and any reference to God in the Pledge of Allegiance. They've also fought to remove plaques of the Ten Commandments from state courthouses.
Interestingly, the ACLU hasn't been this diligent about attacking the totally make-believe holiday of Kwanzaa, which was invented in 1966 by a radical California professor with a highly dubious reputation, Maulana Karenga. Mr. Karenga was born Ronald McKinley Everett and was convicted of the sexual assault and torture of two of his female followers.
Secularists frequently cite quotes by a few of the Founding Fathers that suggest that they were humanists rather than God-fearing, but they ignore many of the passages that confirm the opposite. The majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were members of Christian churches, and leading political figures of that era used biblical principles and implemented them in our system of government. Using historical data, the 1892 Supreme Court decision Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States, the Court held that "this is a Christian nation."
Sadly, many anti-Semites try and place the blame for the anti-Christmas fervor on Jewish people, but they're dead wrong. I've never had one Jewish person indicate that he had a problem with this celebration. Most of them share the same sentiment as Ben Stein, who wrote on his Web site in December 2005:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat....
I tried to envision living in a country where the dominant religion was one I didn't believe in. I imagined how I'd feel if every year this country celebrated the birth of the founder of this dominant religion by giving gifts to friends, relatives, strangers, and the needy, decorating the town with bright lights and symbols of the faith, and made the feast day a national holiday for all; if companies gave their employees bonuses and held office parties; if good will, health, and happiness were wished for all -- and, yet, if taking part in this grand celebration did not require me to reject my own beliefs. Would I join in the celebratory mood? Of course. Why not? Would I hire lawyers to try and stop the religious celebration? That would be insane and yet this insanity by a miniscule minority is now the norm every year.
Nevertheless, this insanity does not incite my anger but rather my pity. There are so many inexplicable things to ponder in this universe that the idea of peace on earth, good will to all should be a problem is inexplicable as well.
I wish to all joy and peace and a better New Year.
Confront these secularist/atheists wherever they show their anti religion hatred. Ask them where they get their values from? Is it from a multitude of religious beliefs or more accurately from their own overvalued perception of themselves. They just know because they're so much smarter and more enlightened then you.
I was at a market yesterday and overheard the cashier in a lovely English accent telling the woman in front of me on line that she just had a customer who berated her after wishing her a Merry Christmas with "well, what about Hanukkah"? Her response should have been hey lady, Hanukkah ended on Saturday.
I think the secularist/atheists use their beliefs as a cudgel against anyone who doesn't see the world in their warped perspective. Scratch any one of them and you'll find the blood of anger, hatred and intolerance. I ask you at which ceremony do they express the joy of life? Perhaps they just celebrate at abortions.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment