Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’
Beating Back Christmas Angels
I would think an ex-Marine would be able to just suck it up.
California Official Orders Removal of Christmas Angel After Complaint
There’s no place for angels atop Christmas trees, according to one California man who successfully lobbied for the removal of religious symbols at county buildings after spotting a yuletide decoration last week.
Stars and other religious emblems were ordered removed from Christmas trees in all government buildings in Sonoma County on Monday following a complaint by Irv Sutley, a disabled 65-year-old Marine veteran who said the symbols were “extremely offensive” and part of the “cult” of Christianity.
“I just don’t believe government has the right to intrude on anyone and force them into sectarian behavior,” Sutley told FoxNews.com. “I’ve opposed Buddhist statues, the star of David — anything of a religious nature.”
Sutley said he filed the complaint with acting County Administrator Chris Thomas on Dec. 18 after noticing an angel atop a six-foot tree in the lobby of the county recorder’s office. Sutley, a lifelong atheist and chairman of the county’s Peace and Freedom Party, said he visited the office last week for his re-election bid next June.
Sutley said the angel violated previous court rulings concerning holiday displays, including a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found that government-sponsored Christmas trees decorated with religious symbols constitute an illegal endorsement of Christian doctrine.
Tags: Angels, ban, Christmas, ex-marine, trees
Santa Briefs NORAD
7 days before Christmas Santa Claus updates NORAD.
Suspended for Drawing Jesus
Apparently if you’re 8 years old and asked to draw a picture of something that reminds you of Christmas then you’d better stick with pine trees and Santa Claus.
Cause the real reason for the season could land you in hot water.
Taunton second-grader suspended over drawing of Jesus
Taunton, MA —A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross.The father said he got a call earlier this month from Maxham Elementary School informing him that his son, a second-grade student, had created a violent drawing. The image in question depicted a crucified Jesus with Xs covering his eyes to signify that he had died on the cross. The boy wrote his name above the cross.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re violating his religion,” the incredulous father said.
He requested that his name and his son’s name be withheld from publication to protect the boy.
What’s really outrageous here is the idea that if a child creates a drawing depicting Jesus on a cross then something is so wrong with him that he requires a psychological evaluation.
How much more marginalizing can the school possibly be?
Tags: Christmas, MA, pine trees, psychological evaluation, Santa Claus, Taunton, War on Christmas
Christmas Missing on White House Cards
Like this is a big surprise.
But at least one lawmaker is firing back.
White House Christmas Decorations? Yes. White House Christmas Card? No.
A Republican lawmaker with a mission to save Christmas is aiming his latest salvo at President and first lady Obama, who’ve followed in a recent tradition to eliminate the mention of Christmas in the White House holiday cards.
The card selected by the Obamas announces: “Season’s Greetings.” Inside, it reads: “May your family have a joyous holiday season and a new year blessed with hope and happiness.”
But Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., said abandoning Christmas at Christmas is just plain wrong. On Tuesday, he introduced a resolution calling for the protection of the sanctity of Christmas. So far, 44 lawmakers, Democrat and Republican, have co-signed the bill.
“I believe that sending a Christmas card without referencing a holiday and its purpose limits the Christmas celebration in favor of a more ‘politically correct’ holiday,” Brown told Fox News Radio on Thursday.
“This kind of reproach is exactly what my Christmas resolution, introduced to the House of Representatives earlier this week, is against as the resolution expresses support for the use of Christmas symbols and traditions and disapproval of all attempts to ban or limit references to Christmas,” he added.
76.5% (159 million) of Americans identify themselves as Christians, you would think that the Obama white house would be interested in representing a demographic this large.
After all they pander to everyone else.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas wars, Obama, pander, white house
School Bans Religious Symbols
Funny how this always comes up around the same time of year ain’t it?
Connecticut School Official Defends Ban on Religious Symbols in Class
“Happy Winter” just doesn’t have the same ring as Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah, but in one Connecticut elementary school, that’s about all you’ll see and hear this holiday season.Erik Brown, principal of Walsh Elementary School in Waterbury, Conn., has reportedly banned all religious festivities and many decorations from the classroom since arriving at the school five years ago. Brown, who declined comment through a spokeswoman to FoxNews.com on Friday, explained to The Republican-American newspaper that state law mandates that a public school cannot knowingly exclude children.“This is not a church,” Brown told the paper. “It’s a school and it’s a public school. I have to do things that include every child. So what we do is celebrate winter.”
In a statement, Waterbury Public Schools Superintendent David Snead defended Brown, calling the issue of religious celebrations “especially difficult” in December and reminding all staff at the district’s schools that holidays festivities can proceed but without religious overtones.
“This a constitutional issue — separation of church and state — and is not up to individual discussion,” Snead’s statement read. “The issue of religious celebrations is especially difficult during the month of December.”
Waterbury Teachers Association President Donna Vignali, who could not be reached for comment Friday, has said neither she nor union officials at Walsh Elementary have received any complaints related to the policy.
“I don’t know where that complaint came from,” Vignali told The Republican-American in reference to reported objections to the policy by one teacher and one parent at the school.
Board of Education member John Theriault told the paper that many of Waterbury’s 20 elementary schools display Christmas ornaments and allow Christmas parties.
“I felt there was inequity,” Theriault said. “If one school has Christmas parties for the kids, then others should too.”
Brown told the paper that songs celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa will be sung during Walsh’s “Winter Celebration” on Dec. 21, and as in previous years, presents will be given to students.
Snead, meanwhile, stressed “balance and equality” regarding any in-class celebration.
Tags: ban, Christmas, Christmas wars, displays, diversity, religious
Annual Bash Christians and Merry Christmas Festival
Here it is folks….the annual bash Christians and Merry Christmas festival, complete with disenfranchised gays feeling the rejection on to and including The American Humanist Association.
For the first, of what I am sure to be many, salvos we have this:
‘Why Believe in a God? Just be Good’ Ads Set to Run Next Week On D.C. Buses
Washington, D.C. — You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.
Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.
In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.
“We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group. “Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”
I suppose somebody has to protect all those agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists from the “be of good cheer” and happy holidays crowd.
I’ll be posting the hand wringing and pulling out of hair over the anxiety of “peace and goodwill” as it happens. Should be an interesting season.
Tags: agnostics, atheists, Christians, Christmas, non-theists
