Blogsnark: Getting Rid of Christmas

Is there a secularist conspiracy to get rid of Christmas? Some Christians seem to think so. They can't point to any examples of this occurring or the slightest bit of evidence to support their belief, but that doesn't stop them from believing it or trying to convince others that they are right. That's what it means to live by faith, I guess.

Ligeiya, a "Christian Wiccan," writes:

This whole "getting rid of Christmas" thing is getting really ridiculous.

I agree. No one is trying to "get rid of Christmas" and Christians who complain about it are just being ridiculous.

Oh, wait, that's not what Ligeiya meant...

By taking away all religious affiliations, you are basically favoring one national religion - atheism! When everything is secular, atheists are the only ones allowed to express their faith in public. How fair is that?!

A better question would be: how true is that? The answer is: not at all. When was the last time a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Wiccan was prevented from expressing their faith in public? I've never seen such a story. I do know, however, that a majority of people in America wouldn't vote for an atheist for president. Atheists who are public about their atheism have to be afraid of retaliation in many places around the country. Christians don't have to be afraid of retaliation anywhere in the country.

That tells us all we need about the silly claim that atheism is somehow "favored" in America.

No one is taking away "religious affiliations" and atheism, which isn't even a religion to begin with, isn't being favored when the state refuses to endorse or promote any religious beliefs.

I don't buy into the saying that "in order to have freedom OF religion we need freedom FROM religion." That doesn't make any sense.

I wonder if Ligeiya has even tried to understand it? The issue is pretty simple: no one is truly free to practice their religion if they aren't also free from the state trying to impose others' religious beliefs and practices on them. The concept "freedom from religion" doesn't mean being free from seeing other religions or from being exposed to other religions, it means being free from the state endorsing, promoting, or supporting others' religions.

Everyone's freedom of religion is predicated on the principle that the coercive power of the state cannot brought to bear on one side of any religious dispute, debate, or disagreement. Religious beliefs must remain subject to individuals' consciences, not fodder for political campaigns, compromises, or coercion.

If someone says, "Merry Christmas" to you, and you don't happen to celebrate Christmas, there's no need to fly off the handle and cry "intolerance";

This isn't the first time I've seen a Christian suggest that such things happen. For some reason, though, no one who makes such claims ever manages to come up with examples of it happening. Could this be because it never happens? Could it perhaps be the case that this is just made up by people looking for something to complain about?

That's one of the main problems with many Christians' complaints about modern celebrations of Christmas: so many complaints are about things that simply don't happen. Events are made up or distorted beyond all sense of reality. The truth doesn't support the all the whining and moaning, so myths will have to do. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised — this is religion we are talking about, after all.

 

What is Blogsnark?

Read More:

• Religion 101
• Theism 101
• Does God Exist?