I am pretty sure I qualify to be a card-carrying member of the "religious right," but truth be told, they scare me. I have been trying to figure out why there exists such a chasm between me and "them." I mean, I go to church AT LEAST twice a week and read scriptures everyday. I love Jesus and I try to follow him, I am a registered Republican, fiscally conservative and mostly socially conservative ( I know they'd have my hide on the sujects of abortion, public education, and stem cell research, to name a few "departures"). I think I should feel more in common with these folks than I do.
But mostly the whole catgory makes me shudder. This year's crusade is to put CHRISTMAS back into the "Holidays." "They" are boycotting stores that advertise "Holiday Sales" instead of Christmas Sales and stuff like that. Thing is, I am all for separation of church and advertising, just as much as church and state. I mean, if it's a Christmas sale, does that mean you can't get the discount for Hannukah, Ramamdan, Kwanzaa, or just cuz you WANT it? Let's just call it holiday. You dont' step on my toes and I won't step on yours.
For the record, I believe that public things should be ethical and religiously neuutral, and private things should be deeply spiritual, religious, commited, and meaningful--to each his own. And pleeeeease crazy religious right people, stop speaking for Christians as if we all agree onthis stuff.
End of rant. Your thoughts?
14 comments:
Not to mention stores save a little money on sign making if they say "holiday sale." Then they can put it back up for New Years. Or any other holiday for that matter.
Amie
That's my wife, always being thrifty!!! i came to agree with you, but look at it this way, if they start the fight to put christmas back in the swing of things, then just think of what might be next.... they may stop trying to take down the ten commandments everywhere, or leave our money alone. just my thought. i think it may come to work out for the better.
matt. love you all, and that means you Amie!
Yes, yes, MAtty! It's a fine fine line. I just worry about it from an historical point of view, "Our people" for instance, having once (sometimes still?) been on the receiving end of religious discrimination. It's better to follow the hands-off (Jefferson's "Wall of separation") approach than to risk creating laws and mores that may one day come back to bite you in the booty. Like John Roberts said in his hearings, liberty is striking the perfect balance between "freedom from" and "freedom to". Amen.
Jamie,
I'll have to refer Dave to your post. Just this morning he was clucking his tongue at me for buying cards that read "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas."
My Mother-in-law recently went to a store in California and during her purchase she said "Merry Christmas" and the clerk did not respond. She asked "You can't say Merry Christmas?" and they said no, and so she said "I've been a customer for 40 years and tell your management, they have just lost a customer!". I'm thinking, Is that why you shop there? To hear Merry Christmas? I personally am not offended if they just have a Holiday display and wish me Happy Holidays. On the other hand, I do think its really silly to call a Christmas Tree a Holiday Tree. The tree is part of a "Christmas" tradition, so it's ok to use the name Christmas. It also doesn't bother me if there is no prayer in schools. Believe me! I said lots of silent prayers before a big test, in my day. And I consider myself extremely religious, and I've raised my children to be religious. And I'm a conservative Republican, but sometimes I feel we jump on these issues only to please our base. ok- Ive already rambled too much. I could go on forever.....
When I say "happy holidays," I am talking about Christmas AND New Years. Plus I used to have tons of Jewish friends, so Happy Holidays was useful. I think this year's complaints are bordering on "being easily offended" which the prophets have warned us about. It's like on THE APPRENTICE when Omarosa decided to get furious because one girl said "The pot is calling the kettle black" because it's a racial slur and offensive to her people. Gimme a break. Chill, people.
Although, on the other hand, I believe anyone should be able to celebrate their holiday proudly. If you celebrate Christmas, say "Merry Christmas," for Pete's sake. No one should have to feel ashamed of their religion in this great country, and no one should be offended by our differences. Oh, shut me up now....
Let's face it the whole world is going to hell. To hell in a hand basket. For you matty in Korean that is "Son Kabang an eh Geeok u ro kanda" Merry f'ing Christmas yall (sorry if I offended any gay athiest transvestites with a facial tick.)
ok- i still agree with my prior post, but had to come back because I have another comment to make. On the flip side, I also think it's just plain petty that non-christians DO get offended when they see Merry Christmas. Get over it already. If I lived in Israel, I wouldn't be offended with all the Hannuaka (sp?) signs and celebrations. I think we (as a country) is spending too much time worrying about this stuff. Christmas is a huge tradition in the USA, get over it! And yes, I still say Merry Christmas to everybody during this time of year.
It is a fine line. We are not only told to be tolerant of others, but infact to be-friend people not of our faith, and that's where a generic "one-liner" comes in handy.
I, too, have friends that celebrate Hannukah and Kwanzaa, BUT just as they are proud to celebrate their uniqueness and history, so do I think we should emphasize the Christmas part (especially the Christ) of the "holidays".
I think that society is so badly wanting to eliminate any extremes and make us all the same, gray, unisex society that we are loosing the fundamentally important things that makes us individuals and unique --the very essence of the "melting pot" we call America. Celebrate the differences. Variety is beautiful!
But I agree that people need to chill and stop boycotting stupid issues --there's more important work to be done. Just my thoughts.
If all those crazies want to dilute everything so that narry a soul is offended at anything then more power to them but they need to realize that the world around us would be so bland and PC that we would all want to kill our selfs. Cut to a scene in Mother Russia, cold war era, everything is gray and bland and people moping around the litter choked streets just trying not to kill them selfs or offend Mother Russia. That is what it will come to if we keep up this crap. Celebrate diversity and freedom! That is why our ancestors came here in the first place! Don't make me move to Canada you freaks.
Let me end on some lyrics you all know from the late great Kurt Cobain in the anthem of the grunge generation, the anthem that set us free from the cookie cutter corporate hair band rock that the 80's ended on.
And I forget just why I tastes
Oh yeah I guess it makes me smile
I found it hard it's hard to find
Oh well whatever nevermind
I DO object to being made to feel that the only diversity worth celebrating is the stuff that's NOT middle class white Christian of Western European derivation--like you can be proud of who you are UNLESS you're like the people who started this whole USA-thing. In that sense, I can see why whitey WASPs are getting a little defensive.
And now that one 60's song is playing in my head, except the roles are reversed and its the PC liberal thought police that's THE MAN who's gonna come take us away...
"The battle line's being drawn
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong ...
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step out of line, the man come and take you away..."
-For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield
(I looove that song soooo much, and YES I am still a conservative!)
whitey WASP? I love it! Is there any type of WASP other than whitey? well i guess some of the beach bums in California aren't very "whitey" in the summer. But by this time of year they are.
I try not to let any of the current stink about this subject trouble or influence me. I say what I want to say and hope that whatever greeting or otherwise comes out of my mouth will be postively reflective of my values and my God. It seems to me that speaking caringly about the things that matter to us is the only way we'll succeed in winning over the questioning or the confused. It's sad that so many people will forfeit the opportunity to participate in such a long-standing tradition of public praise. I don't want to waste a lot of energy fighting this battle or wringing my hands over it; there are so many more important issues. If a clerk isn't allowed to wish me a Merry Christmas, I can certainly wish him or her one with all my heart. I can still "speak of Christ". Here are some nice bits that come to mind:
Ps. 50: 22, 23
22 Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23 Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
D&C 108: 7
7 Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings.
1 Tim. 4: 12
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Jamie--- your dh so totally ROCKS for quoting nirvana. I just had to say that.
and I so agree with you on this one (but I am the only one in my circle that does..).
My whole thing, I love christmas, I love Christ, I totally say merry Christmas to any and all.
BUT
the whole 1st amendment thing. we have the potential to be a nation of christians, but we can't say we are a christian nation. what about the Jewish people, and everyone else? Just because we think we are right and they are wrong, doesn't mean that we have the right to force out beliefs on them.
how would most of my church family feel about going into Kroger, to be met with signs about muslim holidays? same thing..
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