With Christmas drawing closer, I have investigated why it is controversial. It is not surprising to me that many people do not fully understand what Christmas is about. Over the years, we have fallen away from the true intention and meaning of Christmas.
I was surprised that the Christian-celebrated holiday of Jesus Christ’s birth is not the only celebration that has been observed on Dec. 25. According to Carm.com, the pagan holiday of Saturnalia was celebrated before Christmas was set on this date. It was not until the fourth century that the Roman Church adopted the holiday and made it a Christian celebration.
Knowing the history behind Christmas and the date of Dec. 25, a new question arises: How is the meaning of the Christian holiday under fire?
People mock the faith and ethics of those who speak about their religion. It is almost as if these people consider religion an obstruction. With this pressure, some may find it is easier to conform to those who have no faith. Is this because with no faith, there are no morals or values?
Keeping the actual meaning of Christmas in mind, some people feel that the aspect of Jesus Christ’s being involved with this holiday is offensive. Was there ever the thought that it may be offensive to some that they are trying to take Christ out of Christmas? Our country was founded largely on freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.
The holiday of Christmas has become a target for being politically correct. What does being politically correct mean? Is it supposed to mean not offending others?
It has progressed to not offending a small minority of people within America. According to Christiancentury.org, 80 percent of Americans consider themselves Christian. It is the other 20 percent that consider “Merry Christmas” offensive.
Why am I expected not to offend those who do not believe in the meaning of Christmas, but there is no expectation that they should go out of their way not to offend me? By crippling my freedom of religion they are trying to impose their values on me.
Earlier this month in Santa Monica, Calif., a 50-year-old tradition of life-sized nativity scenes in a public park was brought to an end. The cause of this was a billboard put up by an atheist group.
The billboard implicated that Jesus was a myth. The courts ruled that these nativity scenes could be put on private property.
However, this ruling is infringing upon our rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. When reading “Religious Liberty and Expression Under Attack: Restoring America’s First Freedoms” by Jay Alan Sekulow, I found this very interesting: “The fact that equal access litigation continues to be necessary is outrageous; almost 20 years ago, the Supreme Court held that denying religious organizations the same access to public facilities as secular organizations is unconstitutional.”
Even with this ruling, religious organizations have far from equal access to public facilities.
The nativity scenes were not put up with the idea of insulting others, and the phrase “Merry Christmas” is not uttered from the mouths of so many with the sole goal of infuriating every non-Christian.
I do not have a wager with my friends from church to see who can create the most disorder and hatred with those who do not accept Christmas as a Christian celebration. My goal is to brighten the day of someone else through the simple action of saying “Merry Christmas.”
Christmas is under persecution, along with the Christian faith. Do not argue for freedom of speech and then use it to silence freedom of religion. If this holiday is unbearably offensive to you, don’t partake in it and leave it at that. To all of you who share these beliefs with me, I wish you a Merry Christmas.
While I think Marco could have had a bit more tact with his comment, I do agree that this article falsely misconstrues those who celebrate Christmas as the victim. You cannot victimize Christians here, because being the overwhelming majority, they don’t have to suffer through other people’s holiday like others do Christmas. Someone may celebrate Hanukkah, but they basically have to experience Christmas with all of the media, news, and consumerism that is thrown in their faces. That isn’t fair to them.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that when you make a religious event such as Christmas public, people are going to be offended. And people are going to fight back because they don’t share those beliefs and don’t want to take part in them. I can understand where you’re coming from, and you make some good points. But if you want people to stop taking down your nativity scenes and making billboards, keep your holiday within your home. Decorating your own home, for example, is nice and all- it’s your property, go for it. However, decorating a public park is different, because it should be decorated to fit the public. I’m sure if they put up a giant menorah in that same park, the Christians would want to take it down or add Christian decorations.
Next time, consider the other perspective before acting offended. This is a classic example of the majority getting upset when some minority finally stands up and says, “Hey! You’re wrong!” Christmas is a great holiday for Christians… But keep it for Christians, because clearly it’s not for everybody.
Also, coming from a purely journalistic view, I would reconsider what sources you pull info from. Using religious statistics off of a Christian website opens the door for biased, skewed, or twisted facts. In this case, they were fairly accurate. However, this might not be the case in the future. Just a tip!
I think it’s disgusting that this article is even published in a newspaper at a public school! Jared needs to get over his oppression complex and stop acting like he deserves to get his way because he happens to be in the majority. I can guarantee if Ramadan was a state holiday, he’d be singing a different tune about “freedom of religion” (which he uses incorrectly btw)