Saving Christmas

Matthew Wikstrom

At one time the greeting "Happy Holidays" meant "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year". We didn't take offense at the phrases, because we knew that they were intended to be cheerful greetings, without ulterior motives. That was before "political correctness"(PC), which is the popular label for the campaign of secularists and anti-Christians to control the usage of words in order to achieve their political purposes. When secularists use the words "Happy Holidays" they deliberately intend to exclude "Merry Christmas", or to otherwise exclude Christ from Christmas. An example is N.Y. Mayor Bloomberg and his "Holiday" tree. There are no Passover trees, no Ramadan trees, only Christmas trees. Some cities now have "holiday" parties instead of Christmas parties. A few shopping malls will not permit nativity scenes, although they will permit a Hanukkah menorah. They don't know what the menorah means, just that it is not Christian. Large businesses and department stores run by those with no respect for Christ have also abandoned the greeting "Merry Christmas".

We are told by secularists that we will offend people of other religions if we say Merry Christmas. But that is not true. Devout people of various religions are not offended by the joyful celebrations and greetings of others. It is only anti-Christian, or anti-religious bigots who are offended by various religious celebrations. Devout Jews appreciate Christmas and are often more profound in their defense of Christmas than Christians are. See Charles Krauthammer It is quite rational for a Christian and Jew to argue with one another about which religious doctrines and traditions are true and try to convert each other, and at the same time to love one another, and respect and appreciate the other's religious observances. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to convert another to our way of thinking one day, and have an interfaith observance the next. Disagreeing with someone is not hatred. Trying to convince others of the correctness of our position is not intolerance. It is a real pleasure to experience, for example, a Hindu celebration in India, or a Buddhist celebration in Thailand, even though we disagree completely with their religious doctrines. Almost every religion has something valuable to contribute to all of us, even if they have errors, and do not properly understand or explain some very important truths.

The other rational for having a generic holiday is to include everyone. But to have a holiday to observe all religions is offensive to every one of the religions, because it is an attack on their legitimacy, their distinctiveness, and their rationality. It deprives celebrants of the real purpose and meaning of the celebration. That is like having one day of the year to celebrate everyone's birthday. It deprives each person of their uniqueness, and their special meaning to their friends and relatives. Celebrating our friend's birthdays lets them know we love them as individuals. Christmas reminds us of God's love for us, and of his gift of redemption and grace, through the work of his Son. Most truly religious people love Christmas because they also love Jesus of Nazareth. He taught us all that the operating principle of life is love. The Hindu Mahatma Gandhi and the Buddhist Dalai Lama both had great respect for Jesus, even though they did not become Christians. Even those who do not accept his deity would celebrate his life, and his birth. Even many non politically correct atheists would celebrate his life.

Matthew Wikstrom

Political correctness is just another name for intolerance. It is intolerant to meld all religions into one mold and deny the distinctions between them. Taking Christ out of Christmas is intolerant of Christ and of Christians. Real tolerance means letting other people disagree with you, and letting others observe practices that we refuse to observe (so long as they are peaceful). Real tolerance means Christmas can be celebrated in the public square, as well as the Jewish Passover, Muslim Ramadan, and so forth. It is intolerant to push celebrations out of the public square because they are labeled "religious". Government owned streets, parks, buildings, and land are public property, and we all have a right to assemble and celebrate in and around public property so long as we are peaceful, and don't interfere with a government mission. To deny reasonable use of public property to a group because they are labeled "religious" is to violate our right to the free exercise of religion.

Matthew Wikstrom

Secularists within Hollywood, our news media, the Courts, teachers unions, and corporate conglomerates would like to take Christmas away from us. They would like to re-define it to fit their purposes, like they want to re-define marriage, religion, and our Constitution. We need to save Christmas. We can do this by: (1) saying Merry Christmas, instead of Happy Holidays, (2) and sending Christmas cards that celebrate Christ. (3) Shop in stores with politically incorrect owners and managers, even if they are small and have to charge a dollar or two more. Stores that say "Merry Christmas", and let the Salvation Army Santas outside. (4) Put up Nativity scenes, Christmas trees, stars, and crosses, instead of cartoon characters. (5) Quit voting for mayors, city councilmen, and other politicians who are too cowardly to protect our freedom of expression from the PC secularists. (6) Vote for Presidents who will appoint Judges who will uphold our rights to freedom of expression, and free exercise of religion in the public square. (7) Rent the school and invite the children to voluntarily participate in real Christmas concerts with Christmas carols included. Quit participating and attending politically correct "holiday" programs put on by cowardly school boards and administration. (8) Help celebrate special days of other religious groups by attending and enjoying their presentations when they rent the local school. (9) Contribute to organizations like the Rutherford Institute or the American Center for Law and Justice who give legal assistance to schools and other institutions who stand up to the ACLU and other anti-Christian groups who don't want freedom "of" religion, but promote freedom "from" religion. (10) Contribute to the Boy Scouts and Christian charities, instead of the United Way and other politically correct charities.

Part of the program that God wrote to make us grow from one cell to a complicated human being includes code which causes us to desire to love God, to love others and to be loved. But many of us do everything we can to resist, creating gods of our own making, whether it be icons, money, power, drugs or deviancy. It is sin to live outside of the love of God, and to reject love as the operating principle of life. But there is a way out of this destructive lifestyle, out of sin. And Christmas celebrates that way out. We can turn away from sin, accept the love of God, and accept his love as the operating principle that guides our lives. We cannot redeem ourselves by what we do, however, because we will always fall short. We can never be perfect while we live here on earth. However, we have been redeemed by the grace of God. His Son died for our sins. That was his gift to us. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Imagine the loss to our lives and to our society if there were no Christmas season. We love God by celebrating the birth of his Son. We put our love for others into practice by buying them gifts, or contributing to Christian charities. The Christmas season is so uplifting that everyone who lives within our Christian society is caught up in the joy that it brings.