I recently read this on a person's page and I about threw up. Besides the fact that the spelling and grammar reveal the ignorance of the writer, the thought itself is offensive and I am not going to "get over it."
Folks who post this stuff refuse to cite specifically who the people are who are taking Christ out of Christmas. I'm guessing either they have no idea who these people are, or they realize that to reveal who those people are would reveal their hate speech for what it is. Because you know who they believe these people are? They are the atheists, or the Muslims, or [[shudder]] the Jews.
Guess what, you pseudo-Christians, nobody is taking the Christ out of your Christmas! Nobody in this country is shutting down your churches. Nobody is stopping you from displaying images of Jesus all over your home. No one is forcing you to worship in secret or imprisoning you for your religious beliefs. Especially not the Jews who were imprisoned, tortured, gassed and eliminated for practicing their religion. To equate your whines about "Happy Holidays" to the struggles of people who have actually been persecuted for the way they worship God is despicable.
But, but ...you continue to argue. "We" can't put up crosses in public places. "We" can't view angels at the banks. "We" can't visit a nativity at the mall. If you would stop to think for yourself for just a moment, you'd see there's a reason for that. Between November 1 and the middle of January there are approximately thirty religious holidays celebrated by Americans. Where's the equal time for the display of their holidays? How about if mosques start signaling our communities with sirens starting the call to prayer? Would you drop to the ground and pray with these fellow Americans you expect to "get over" their beliefs to say Merry Christmas to you? I doubt it; you'd probably want them to be arrested.
What do you visualize when you think of celebrating Christmas? Christmas trees.Candy canes. Snowmen. Rudolph. The Grinch. Sleigh bells. Wildly decorated homes and lighting competitions. Santa at the mall. Santa at the restaurant. Santa on the corner ringing a bell. Christmas parties. Sentimental commercials telling you to make a memory out of a cup of coffee. Huge meals and enough sweets and goodies to get you woefully fat? Christmas shopping - especially the black Friday extravaganza. Presents, presents, and more presents. Lavish presents - gold and diamond jewelry, new cars with big red bows! Yes! Yes! Yes! These are the things that make Christmas fun! fun! fun!
And these same things are what would make Jesus weep were He to return to us during the peak of the season.
If Christ has been taken out of your Christmas, nobody did that to you. You tossed Him aside yourself.
Do you really want Christ in your Christmas? Then do what He asks of us every day of our lives. Love one another. Treat others with kindness and compassion. Tolerate what we are not used to and let God be the judge of how others celebrate, or do not celebrate, Him. Spread His word, but do not equate it to a greeting from a cashier at the department store. Seriously, why does what goes on in a store have anything to do with keeping Christ in Christmas?
Do you really want Christ in your Christmas? Help your fellow man. I am proud to be a part of the blessings my church practices year round: grocery give aways, free hearty meals, clothing give aways, quick responses to the specific needs of our community. I am super proud of my friends Erin Collins and Scot Sokolowski. One Friday night in October, they decided to go into the city with food for the homeless. This singular action has become Gavin's Army! Within weeks, many lives in Albany, New York have been changed forever! Look up the Facebook page for Gavin's Army to see Christmas in action. You'll be amazed at what can happen when one does the work of God.
In my opinion, there is no war on Christmas. To say so, to berate people for joyfully wishing you a happy holiday, to moan and complain that your religious rights are being taken from you, is silly and selfish. When one celebrates with Christ in one's heart, nobody has the power to remove you or Him from Christmas.
