Return sanity to Christmas

For many people, Christmas is a crazy time of the year as they buy too many things with money they really don't have, eat more food than they need, and spend more time at parties than they do with those who truly care about them. But the craziest thing about this time of year is the apathy and complacency shown toward those who would remove from the public square any mention of the true meaning and spirit of the season.

For example, a few years ago a New Jersey school district decided to ban all Christmas songs with religious references – including instrumental numbers. Officials permitted songs like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Winter Wonderland," but prohibited classic Christmas standards like "Silent Night" and other songs that refer to Jesus. The superintendent of the South Orange/Maplewood School District defended the decision by saying, "Rather than try to respond to all the various religions and try to balance them, it's best to stay away from that and simply have a non-religious tone to them and have more of a seasonal tone." Ignoring the fact that Christmas has always been about the birth of Jesus Christ and the recognition of the faith upon which our nation was founded, this concern for balance and fear of "leav[ing] anyone out" has become a recent national obsession.

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This year the Freedom from Religion Foundation was allowed to post a sign in the Wisconsin State Capitol that reads: "At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world." Wisconsin officials have been so sensitive to religious offense that since 1985 the traditional Christmas tree has been known as the "Capitol Holiday Tree." Despite the feelings and beliefs of many Christians in the state, Rep. Chuck Benedict, D-Wis., argued that calling the display a Christmas tree "would be potentially offensive to non-Christians."

As absurd as these examples may be, they pale in comparison to events this year in Fort Collins, Colo. After two years of controversy over whether a menorah could be displayed in public, the Fort Collins City Council formed a holiday task force to formulate holiday display guidelines. After two months of deliberation and an estimated 500 hours of work, the task force recommended that the city's official holiday celebration include plain wreaths and garlands, winter symbols such as snowflakes and icicles, and trees with white lights which should not be specifically designated as "Christmas trees." Howard Cohen, spokesman for the task force, proposed that "no colored lights" should be used on building exteriors. He explained, "We wanted to keep the theme of light, and not have anything that might be construed as a religious symbol. If a tree did have candy canes or red ribbons on it, that may appear to be a religious kind of representation, and we felt that the white lights would keep with the theme of light."

The City Council, seeking a compromise, voted to allow colored lights, Christmas trees and wreaths on the exterior of city buildings and other city property, but inside buildings only "secular displays and messages" will be permitted. The council understandably did not try to explain what could only be a ridiculous rationale for its distinction between displays outside and inside public buildings.

While Christians should recognize the religious freedom of other people, we must never forget that it is God who gave us religious liberty, and Christianity is the embodiment of that freedom. As Justice George Sutherland wrote for the majority in the case of United States v. Macintosh in 1931, "We are a Christian people, according to one another the equal right of religious freedom, and acknowledging with reverence the duty of obedience to the will of God." It is ironic that while local and state government officials in this country wrung their hands over whether instrumental music, Christmas trees, and colored lights might offend other faiths, hard-line Muslims in Sudan called for the execution of a grade-school teacher for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." Americans gasp at the absurd sensitivity of Sudanese Muslims, but fail to recognize the absurdity of being embarrassed about the recognition of that God upon Whom our religious freedom is established.

During this season of giving gifts, let us remember that it is God who gave us the gift of freedom of conscience, which is the source of our religious liberty. And let's resolve to stop the insanity of pretending that Christmas is not about God's gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Such a worthy resolution would truly make it a happy new year.

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