All across America, Christmas is being expunged. In spite of the events of three months ago, there is little room for Christmas in America's public life. In fact, Christmas seems to be losing ground even faster than in the past.
School districts across the country are forbidding students from passing out personal Christmas cards. In Minnesota, two middle school students were disciplined for wearing red and green scarves. In Massachusetts, ninth grade students were warned to refrain from wishing friends "Merry Christmas." In Illinois, a teacher was instructed by her principal to not read a story about Christmas to her second graders. In Georgia, a school removed the word "Christmas" from its calendar after threats from the A.C.L.U.
Throughout the United States, nativity scenes and Christmas trees have been removed. In one South Florida veterans hospital, even a Christmas angel was taken down. In most public places today, all references to Christmas have been obliterated. Taking its place is the politically correct, "non-offensive," multicultural, full-of-diversity greeting, "Happy Holidays." What is with all this lunacy? It's as if "Scrooge" has been institutionalized. It is not hyperbole to observe that in many (if not most) American homes, Harry Potter is more popular than the Christ-child is.
America's Founding Fathers must be rolling over in their graves! In their wildest dreams, they could never have imagined such a display of religious intolerance happening in the land "founded by Christians on the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (Patrick Henry).
The longest-living Founding Father was John Quincy Adams. As such, he was a much sought after speaker for patriotic events. On July 4, 1837, he made a very astute observation. He said, "Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before?"
Adams' sentiments seem quite out of fashion today, don't they? His penchant for Christian liberty is as popular these days as limited government is. Then again, I remember a time when children prayed and read the Bible in public schools. That day is gone for good, and it appears that the public celebration of Christmas is nearing its end, also. However, people should not fret. In the new socialist Amerika now under construction, Ramadan and Kwanzaa are perfectly acceptable.
© Chuck Baldwin
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