Every Christmas season is a busy time for the Catholic League, but this past Christmas broke the record. Radical secularists across the nation went berserk trying to stamp out the religious significance of the holiday. Our response was equally unyielding.
Just as December began, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) wasted no time issuing a pamphlet, “The December Dilemma: Guidelines for Public Schools During the December Holiday.” Within 48 hours, the Catholic League posted on its website a parody of the ADL’s statement, making just enough changes to the ADL’s language to contradict its message.
While secularists in Lexington, Massachusetts were banning Nativity scenes, the censors in Eugene, Oregon were prohibiting the display of Christmas trees on public property. The gag order in Eugene was explained as a way of “practicing diversity.”
It got so absurd in Vancouver, Washington that they even banned bus drivers from wearing religious neckties, vests of hats. They tried to justify this on the basis of being faithful to the Constitution of the State of Washington. But this argument blew up in their face when the Catholic League provided evidence that the transit officials in Tacoma, Skagit County, Seattle, Leavenworth, Longview, Mercer Island and Port Angeles had no such ban, and all obviously abided by the same state constitution.
In Newton County, Georgia parents were informed that there would be no more “Christmas break” as pressure from secularists delivered a new holiday, “semester break.” Parents in Fishers County, Indiana were also surprised to learn that multiculuralism allows for explaining the religious roots of Hanukkah but not Christmas.
A review of what was being sold on the Internet disclosed that religious symbols such as the menorah and Star of David could easily be found, but not religious symbols such as the Nativity scene. Among the offenders were 1-800-FLOWERS, FTD.com, Hallmark, Bloomingdale’s and AltaVista.com. And from McDonalds to the local mall, signs of “Happy Hanukkah” and “Happy Holidays” abounded. Rarely was there a “Merry Christmas.”
Even worse, when we tapped into Yahoo.com under “Religious Holidays,” we found six religions posted, but only under one was there an “Opposing Viewpoints” listed. It wasn’t Islam or Judaism or Buddhism or Hinduism or Sikhism. It was Christianity. And, oh yes, it was replete with blasphemous and obscene commentary.
