Christmas Smack Down
by Chuck Colson, BreakPoint
In a Texas classroom, children were told to draw a tracing of their foot, and then put a message on the drawing. One little girl wrote "Jesus Loves Me" on hers. What happened next shows the abysmal state of religious tolerance in America.
As Fox news anchor John Gibson relates in his new book, The War on Christmas, the child's teacher ripped the tracing off the board. "Don't you ever do this again," she said. The little girl burst into tears.
When her outraged father called the school, nervous officials told the child to make another tracing. She did so--but this time, instead of scrawling "Jesus Loves Me," she drew a tiny cross that was so small it was almost invisible.
This little girl had learned her lesson well. Her Christian faith was something shameful--and she should keep it to herself.
And this little girl is not the only child learning this ugly lesson. In a Plano, Texas, classroom, a teacher told students not to write "Merry Christmas" on greeting cards for soldiers in Iraq because it might offend someone. They were even forbidden to say "Merry Christmas" to their classmates. And this, in Plano, Texas?
In a New York school, the halls were decked with menorahs and Kwanzaa candles. When a father asked why there was no Christmas tree, the principal said, "Oh, we're trying to make sure we don't offend people."
In Maplewood, New Jersey, fifth-graders were asked to make posters demonstrating diversity. A boy named Anton pasted on the Star of David and a Muslim symbol. When his mother suggested he add a Christian symbol, he said, "No, I don't want to offend anyone." These kids are being brain-washed.
Every December, symbols of Christmas are treated like pornography, sex, or second-hand smoke--things that ought to be enjoyed in private, lest others be offended.
According to Gibson, people who treat Christian symbols this way are acting out of a deep-seated hostility toward all things Christian. They're often offended by Christianity on an intellectual level. They think it's a crutch used by the less intelligent.
And since they have begun losing battles in the courts, they've opened up a new front called "inclusiveness." Yes, they admit, the Supreme Court says it's okay to have Christmas trees on public property--but do we really want to offend neighbors who don't celebrate Christmas? The same goes for Christmas music and candy canes in schools; somewhere, someone might be offended. But isn't it strange that, in case after case, only Christian symbols seem to have the power to offend?
Well, many Christians have had enough, and they're fighting back. For help, they're turning to religious liberties groups that have sprung up to defend our First Amendment rights. Among these are the ACLJ, the Thomas More Law Center, the Alliance Defense Fund, and the Beckett Fund. Visit our website (www.breakpoint.org) for more information.
Parents are right to resist efforts to try to teach their kids that Christian symbols--and the faith they represent--are inherently offensive. In a country that honors religious freedom, the real offense is not saying "Merry Christmas" to a friend, but in teaching kids that expressing their faith is something to be ashamed of.
BreakPoint by Chuck Colson November 16, 2005 Copyright 2005 http://tinyurl.com/a686rIf every Christian would stop buying in stores than omit Christ in Christmas, keep children home from schools that discriminate against us, and start standing up for our rights, things might get back to normal again! One person started all this.. let us all together stop it!! |