Falwell prepares to go to war over Christmas
The story:
Boston set off a furor this week when it officially renamed a giant tree erected in a city park a "holiday tree" instead of a "Christmas tree."
The move drew an angry response from Christian conservatives, including evangelist Jerry Falwell who heckled Boston officials and pressed the city to change the name back.
"There's been a concerted effort to steal Christmas," Falwell told Fox Television.
The Nova Scotia logger who cut down the 48-foot (14-meter) tree was indignant and said he would not have donated the tree if he had known of the name change.
"I'd have cut it down and put it through the chipper," Donnie Hatt told a Canadian newspaper. "If they decide it should be a holiday tree, I'll tell them to send it back. If it was a holiday tree, you might as well put it up at Easter."
Falwell and the conservative Liberty Counsel led a campaign that threatened to sue anyone who spreads what they see as misinformation about Christmas celebrations in public spaces.
The rest of the story is here.
Jeff's Controversy Starting Soapbox Comments:
I was planning a more in-depth look at the winter holiday season and its origins later in the month, but I have to comment on this now. I find it very amusing that Jerry and company are threaterning to sue people over Christmas. Maybe those of us who know the actual origin of Christmas should sue him right back for spreading mis/disinformation. Jerry...buddy...the winter holidays were being celebrated thousands of years before the Church co-opted the season for the birthday of thier Savior, even though it is fairly well known among the scholarly types that Jesus was actually born in or around April. The Pagan peoples of Europe and the Middle East had been celebrating the Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, the birthday of Mithras and many other things before Christmas came around...so calm down, have some eggnog and get into the spirit of the season that you are so vehemently "protecting". You know, Peace and Goodwill Towards Men and all that..
Peace and Light
Jeff
posted by Jeff @ 5:21 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Great job Jeff...I could not agree more!
D L
One thing I like about our blog, is that it is made up of individuals with diverse points of view. Each of us respects the other even if we reach points of disagreement.
I personally consider this a good thing. With each point of view you can see things from another perspective.
Open expression has been the key that makes this blog work. Lynchburg Virginia has moved in the top 100,000 blogs out of a universe of 22 million.
That is a pretty fair accomplishment for a blog that has only been in existence since mid July of this year.
I can thank all of the contributors for placing us this high on the pecking order in the blog rankings.
We have not employed tricks to improve our ranking, but just a sincere effort to inform our readers and challenge them to look at things different ways.
I want to thank all of our contributors for the efforts they have made, to provide you the reader with interesting and informative content.
Today our blog has found a world wide audience that continues to grow in the number of readers and returning readers. Who would of thought that a blog with the title of Lynchburg Virginia would gain such an audience? We never did, but as we continue to grow, we want to thank all those who have found our blog and have been faithful readers.
I think there is (or should be) a median in this situation. We have always tended to overcompensate. I tend to agree with the people who want to take IGWT off the money and the 10 Commandments out of public places simply because, if 1 is there, then they ALL should be there (In Ra We trust, or Macha? Or Bast?) The story about teens not able to wear Christian jewelry to school reminds me of the situation in Lincoln Park MI where a Wiccan student was told she could not wear a pentacle because it was considered a "gang" symbol. Again, if one is allowed, they ALL should be allowed. Better yet, none, then no one can say they are being discriminated against.
As for the Resident Advisor, if he was told when he was hired that he was a state employee and his room was also an office, then tough for him. If however he has 'off-duty" time and his room is simply a dorm room, then I agree they were wrong.
I think what is happening is, in part, a whiplash effect. The country has presumed that "Christian" was the only way for a long time, and now that we have a myriad of paths out there, people are overcompensating and going the other way. Typical if you ask me.
As for the rights of Christians...what we need is not someone who stands up for the rights of Christians, or Jews, or Wiccans, or Muslims. What we need is someone who stands for ALL rights and makes sure they are protected equally.
"If however he has 'off-duty" time and his room is simply a dorm room, then I agree they were wrong."
Sadly, state workers, like religious leaders, are never really off-duty. I could not put a candidate's sign in my yard before our last election because I lead a religious group and the congregation sometimes meets in my home.
My concern is that we will begin to take a scorched earth policy on these issues: no one will wear religious symbols in school-that's a shame; no city will be able to put up lighted trees, Christmas or no-how drab...
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