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Merry Christmas |
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Cheerful and Bah, Humbug comments all in one place Principled backlash proving
successful It won't work, guys. You are trying to take something precious from us, and we intend to reclaim it -- in a kindly, persevering, Christian manner, of course. Scripps Howard News Service chimes in: To insist that the placing of a nativity scene in a government building at Christmastime represents an effort to establish a state faith is a laughable absurdity, and there's an appropriate way to describe those who carry on about it: secular fanatics. Real diversity works like this Our neighbors were Observant Jews, not Assimilationists. Indeed, their older daughter chose to move to Israel. Neither the Catholic nor the Jewish family felt in any way diminished or offended by that neighborly annual exchange of religious goodwill. More bah, humbug ruminations 2004 will likely be seen as a watershed-year when even Luke-warm Christians began manifesting what I have previously called "principled backlash" against politically correct attacks. That backlash is actually being strengthened by the renewed, more intense, challenges from the politically correct this Christmas season. The guess is that we are seeing a secularist backlash to reports that President Bush's reelection was partly the result of values-based voting. It's not just Christmas and Holy Family scenes on public property and prayer in school about which principled backlash is occurring. Consider:
The manner in which the politically correct preach and practice "diversity" seems dreadfully intolerant. Contrast that with the inclusive attitude of the Protestant or Catholic who joyfully spreads seasonal goodwill to Jews, Atheists, Moslems, Hindus, Agnostics, Buddhists by wishing them a "Merry Christmas." A friendly exchange about
"Merry Christmas" South Washington retailer
Lori Broesamle, of Mia Mahalo, wrote: To which VersagiVoice
replied:
And Lori Broesamle came back
with:
Every Christmas: . . . and some say they are offended because Christian music is included in school concerts or other public gatherings. That second custom continues to puzzle me. If there is such a thing as a unifier of mankind, it is music. For centuries, around the world, listening to music has provided inclusive and broadening experiences; people have appreciated the melodies, harmonies, rhythms of "others" without sensing spiritual or religious intimidation or contamination: Leonard Bernstein, a Jew, composes a masterful Mass . . . American and European audiences attend Ravi Shankar recitals . . . Catholics and Protestants appreciate equally the Ave Maria composed by their respective co-religionists, Gounod and Schubert. Music is unique, yet universal; specific, yet diverse. Whether through hypersensitivity or malice, there are those each year who manifest ill-will during a season of goodwill, by making it a point to publicly complain that religious Christmas music is "offensive" to them. That offends me. (FJV: 09 Dec 2004) Cheers to the Fox News Network for using biblical quotations and wishing its audience a "Merry Christmas." The ultimate politically correct
Christmas greeting -- 2004 Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for
an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,
non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice
holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious
persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the
religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their
choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all;
"plus" a
fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated
recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year, but
not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures
whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to
imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is
the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to
the
race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of
computer platform, or sexual preference of the wisher.
Disclaimer By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms.
This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely
transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no
promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for
her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is
revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted
to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for
a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday
greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement
of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
wisher who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress
these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.
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A friendly exchange about "Merry Christmas" Click here for the ultimate politically correct Christmas greeting. Hanukkah Bush
This
is diversity? Principled
Backlash Religious tolerance The furor reminds those of us who had forgotten that England was Catholic for hundreds of years longer than it has been Protestant; has a State Church (Anglican); maintains enforceable laws which specifically ban Catholics -- and, apparently less often, Jews -- from certain areas of public life. Ah, the enlightened English! -- 07 April 2005 It's so easy
to be offended Jews are rightly offended by the gibe based on the stereotype of Jews as obsessively money-driven: "The favorite Christmas hymn of Jewish merchants is What a friend we have in Jesus." Christians bristle when they hear some Jews boast that Irving Berlin's outstandingly successful song, White Christmas, "has nothing to do with religion -- and neither has his famous Easter Parade." Will the time ever come . . . ? One last
"Happy Holidays" comment: It's a cheery message wishing you pleasant times and happiness. A vitriolic dimension to the Bah Humbug
dialogue Concerned that the extreme language of "ideological atheism" may destroy the more thoughtful positions taken by "liberal atheists," writer Damon Linker points out that hundreds of years ago "atheist thought split into two traditions: one primarily concerned with the dispassionate pursuit of truth, the other driven by visceral contempt for the personal faith of others." Linker places in that second category the recent anti-God, anti-religion books by such famous/popular writers as scientist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Christopher Hitchens (God is Not Great). He quotes Dawkins: " . . . the long psychological damage inflicted by bringing the child up Catholic . . . " and cites what he terms "Hitchens's wildly excessive denunciations of Mother Teresa." With his focus on defending "secular liberalism," Linker comments, " [T]oday's atheists feel perfectly justified in dispensing with such moral luxuries as tolerance and civility." His hope: "The task for the rest of us -- committed to neither dogmatic faith nor dogmatic doubt -- is to make certain that combatants on both sides of the theological divide fail to get their destructive way. And thereby to ensure that liberalism prevails." -- Dec 2007
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