Attempts to Take Christ out of Christmas

God's Warrior · Attempts to Take Christ out of Christmas

Ad Campaigns Take Christ out of Christmas

“Don’t Believe in God? – You are not alone.”

That is the message that will be displayed on 11 billboards across Colorado this Christmas season.

An organization of 11 atheist and "freethinker" groups is spending $5,000 to spread its message in Denver and Colorado Springs, which is home to Focus on the Family.

"It's the ultimate grinch to say there is no God at a time when millions of people around the world celebrate the birth of Christ," Mathew Staver, chairman of the Liberty Counsel, told The Associated Press. "Certainly, they have the right to believe what they want, but this is insulting."

Across the country, Washington, D.C., buses are spreading this message: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake." The American Humanist Association unveiled the $40,000 ad campaign Tuesday.

Last month, the British Humanist Association launched a similar campaign on London buses with the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000008655.cfm
— Danielle Hohncke

God's Warrior

Humanists' ads take the 'Christ' out of Christmas

By Eric Gorski
ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 12, 2008
You'd better watch out. There's 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 yesterday.

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 nontheists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”

Edwords said the purpose isn't to argue that God doesn't exist or change minds about a deity, although “we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds.”

The group defines humanism as “a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism, affirms our responsibility to lead ethical lives of value to self and humanity.”

Last month, the British Humanist Association caused a ruckus by announcing a similar campaign on London buses with the message: “There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

In Washington, the humanists' campaign comes as conservative Christian groups gear up their efforts to keep Christ in Christmas. In the past five years, groups such as the American Family Association and the Catholic League have criticized or threatened boycotts of retailers who use generic “holiday” greetings.

In mid-October, the American Family Association started selling buttons that read, “It's OK to Say Merry Christmas.” The humanists' entry into the marketplace of ideas didn't impress AFA president Tim Wildmon.

“It's a stupid ad,” he said. “How do we define 'good' if we don't believe in God? God in his word, the Bible, tells us what's good and bad and right and wrong. If we are each ourselves defining what's good, it's going to be a crazy world.”

God's Warrior

Taking the Christ out of Christmas?
Pundits debate whether there's a culture war surrounding the holidays

Is there a war against Christmas? The ACLU and a lot of other people have been trying to take Christ out of Christmas for years. At this time of year, many people will believe that that's a real concern. Friday night, in Newport News, Va., 8,000 people are expected to show up for the town's Christmas celebration, except they are calling it that. They're calling it Hollydazzle. And instead of lighting the 40-foot Christmas tree, Newport News officials are going to be lighting, get this, the tree of illumination.

Read more of this story at the link below.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10297701/

God's Warrior

The question, "Where is Christ in Christmas?" or the common statement "Let's put Christ back into Christmas," begs the following questions. Who is keeping Christ out of Christmas or who has removed Christ from Christmas and why? Consider our outrage and shock if trends in our culture made the following similar questions relevant.

* Who took the pay out of payday?
* Who took mom out of mother's day?
* Who took veterans out of veteran's day?
* Who is preventing me from including my son in his public birthday celebration?

One reason that outrage among Christians and Christian churches has been minimal is that they have bought into false "separation of church and state" arguments that are being pushed by the ACLU and implemented into law by unelected activist judges that are forcing their religious worldviews upon us. Another reason that the censorship campaign to strip Christ from Christmas and eliminate even the word "Christmas" from public settings, speech, etc. is effective is the threat of lawsuits by the ACLU.

This campaign has been very effective. Go to any public school Christmas concert and you will notice the absence of traditional carols that relate to the real meaning of Christmas. Examples of extreme censorship of traditional Christmas displays, writings, symbols, and spoken words in our public schools are legion. David Limbaugh wrote a book titled, "Persecution: How Liberals are Waging War against Christianity" which detailed numerous examples of Christmas and broader censorship. Outside the mainstream press, numerous examples of extreme censorship are being discussed. Some examples are as follows:

* Preventing a California teacher from teaching the Declaration of Independence
* A teacher discontinuing all Christmas celebrations and substituting a celebration of Kwanzaa, the worship of ancestors
* A Pennsylvania principle telling a high school teacher that he could not include Christmas music in the annual Christmas concert
* A Texas first grader being informed that he could not mention Jesus during a class discussion on the origins of Christmas
* Student members of the Columbia High School brass ensemble in Maplewood, NJ being told that they could not play any Christmas-related songs, not even instrumental versions

Christianity is being treated like a deadly virus and the name of Jesus is being treated like a vulgar word. The diminutive assault on Christmas and its real meaning started with dilutions and diversions. It continued with substitutions and now includes the censorship discussed above. In addition to the commercialization of Christmas other factors that take away the real meaning of Christmas include the Santatization Fanticization, and Sanitization of Christmas.

We all like to fantasize about things. Stories like The Grinch that Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are fantasies that we all love. These fantasies in themselves are not a problem. However, when the result of all of these fantasies take Christ out of Christmas or change the celebration of the birthday of the historic Jesus Christ, the Creator/God, that became flesh to save us from the consequences of our sins in order to a celebration of fantasies, it is a tragedy.

In June 1961, in a case called Torcaso v. Watkins, the U.S. Supreme Court stated, "Among religions in this country which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God are Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others." The Supreme Court declared Secular Humanism to be a religion. Secular humanism is a religion with values exactly opposite to that of the Christian doctrinal religion. The bigoted, intolerant, oppressive ACLU is the epitome of the historic Anglican Church of England and what the establishment clause in our constitution was intended to prevent. It is so ironic that the ACLU is doing this horrible injustice of stamping out the tolerant, non-organizational doctrinal religion upon which our country was founded, and which a high percentage of its citizens still profess, under the guise of protecting our rights. This is a perfect example of the biblical reference to men that call good evil and evil good!

http://www.allabouthistory.org/where-is-christ-in-christmas-faq.htm

God's Warrior

Universities Push Christ off Campuses
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000008821.cfm

For years, Christmas trees have greeted visitors to the two main libraries on the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus. This year, they were kept in storage, The News & Observer reported. Sarah Michalak, the university's associate provost for university libraries, said she made the decision after "years of complaints" about the display.
Student Derek Belcher said it doesn't make sense to him.
"We have Christmas as a federal holiday," he told the newspaper. "If we're going to remove the Christmas tree, do we have to remove that holiday?"

Decorations also have been banned by Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, according to news reports.
The university's greeting-card design contest has been replaced by an ugly-sweater competition. And the university's giving tree for needy preschoolers? Transformed into a "giving garden."
TAKE ACTION

Check out Focus on the Family Action's Christmas-Friendly Shopping Guide.
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000008670.cfm

Sign the "I Stand for Christmas" petition to send a message to retailers.
http://www.focuspetitions.com/175/petition.asp

— Jennifer Mesko

smokey the dog

I'm glad you included the focus on the family christmas friendly list.

Aloe

I'll bet those who insist upon "Happy Holidays" don't know that the word holiday comes from holy day.

smokey the dog

God's Warrior

I am glad to have that tidbit of knowledge. Thanks Aloe. Yeah, Smokey. That is going to be fun, isn't it.

Mary

Here is a link to another story on this subject.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,461424,00.html

Fox News Channel seems to be more Christian friendly than the other news channels. Their Bill O'Riley, who is a Roman Catholic, regularly updates his audience on the attack on Christians in this country. I appreciate his views on other topics too, protecting children, justice, doing what is right, etc.

God's Warrior

Naughty or Nice?
AFA's 2009 listing of top retailers and how they recognize Christmas
Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term "Christmas" in their advertising. We will continually update the list, so check back often.

Criteria - AFA reviewed up to four areas to determine if a company was "Christmas-friendly" in their advertising: print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), website and/or personal visits to the store. If a company's ad has references to items associated with Christmas (trees, wreaths, lights, etc.), it was considered as an attempt to reach "Christmas" shoppers.

If a company has items associated with Christmas, but did not use the word "Christmas," then the company is considered as censoring "Christmas."

See the regularly updated list here:
http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147486887