This time of the year there are billboards and bumper slogans with the pithy slogan: Keep Christ in CHRISTmas and variations on that theme. There was even an "American Dad" episode about 2005 where conservative Christian Stan Smith gets annoyed at everyone saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" which he believes to be the proper thing since this is a Christian country and all, right?
Um, not exactly. Yes I'm aware the Founding Fathers were Christians and all that (though some like Franklin and Jefferson might have had some contrary ideas), but they did write in that whole freedom of religion thing into the Bill of Rights. At the time it was pretty much because of the divide between different branches of Protestant churches and the Catholics. The reason being, there weren't a lot of Jews around back then. Even fewer Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. Atheists probably would have been burned at the stake or stoned to death.
But then about a century later came the whole Melting Pot thing. At first a lot of the immigrants were still Christians, many of them Catholics from Ireland or Italy or Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe. But at the same time the population of Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, etc. all grew as well.
Slowly but surely that whole "freedom of religion" thing that at first just meant the Catholics could eat fish instead of meat on Fridays during Lent started to take on a new meaning. It meant that non-Christians also had the right to practice their religions, or lack of religion. It meant we had to be tolerant not just of other Christian sects, but of other religions and cultures too.
The "Keep Christ in Christmas" people are those who still have trouble accepting that idea. They still think this is a Christian country. But it's not. It's the Great Melting Pot, which means it's for everyone. That's America, baby. So if you're one of those people saying this time of the year is only for Christians, you're unpatriotic as well as small-minded.
Here's the truce I would strike with those unpatriotic, small-minded people: I'll be happy to say "Merry Christmas" to you on Christmas. And Christmas Eve. Maybe a day or two before too if I'm not going to see you for a few days. Other than that, I'll say "Happy Holidays" because there is more than one holiday between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. There's Hanukkah and Kwanzaa and maybe some other ones I don't pay attention to because I don't really care. That's not just the secular thing to do, it's the American thing to do.
God(s) bless you all this holiday season!
Okay then. As long as your cool with keeping the 'East' in Easter then I'm fine with it. Because, dammit, it's the only holiday named after a direction, and I'm hell bent on making sure we never forget.
ReplyDeleteMerry Xmas is how I address all my packages.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, despite the fact that conservatives cling to the Christianity of the founding fathers, many of them were not, including Franklin, Jefferson, and Washington. They were Deists, which is not a "denomination" that meets the standard definition of "Christianity."
ReplyDeleteAnd Michael, that "X" in "Xmas" mean "Christmas." The "X" is a shortened symbol of the fish that means "Christ." It was a symbol of the early church to keep Romans from knowing where Christians were gathering.
I love Rusty's comment.
ReplyDeleteWhen Sweetie and I were talking about religious orthodoxy the other day... we really were ... I mentioned that anybody who says "My God tells me to hate this" or "You have offended my God" seems to be starting from an incorrect presumption; to that, I'd add that it's a pretty poor religion that cannot withstand the existence of other beliefs.
If someone were to accidentally wish me a "Happy Hanukkah" or somesuch, I might say "Thanks" and take the intention of what they meant. When people say "Happy Holidays," I don't get offended because (a) I think like Grumpy, here -- there are lots of holidays and (b) I don't think they're TRYING to offend me. Why take offense at someone who's not trying to do that?
The real problem is that the "War On Christmas" folks get all the press for the same reason "Man Bites Dog" is news: There's so few of them. When 99% of the people don't get outraged about anything, but some wingnut goes batty over the fact that they are or are not calling it a "Holiday Tree," it's the wingnut who makes the news that night, which can give a skewed picture of what people actually think and care about.
Where's your link to the Shaws!?!?!?!?! Don't you want $20? And the glory that goes with it?
ReplyDeleteEverything is stolen from pagan tribes in the first place, right? So happy winter solstices, Gaia galas, and sun worshipping soirees for everyone.
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