From McDonalds to the local mall, Christmas is represented not by a nativity scene but by Christmas trees, snowflakes, reindeer and other secular symbols. Meanwhile, Hanukkah is (properly) represented by menorahs and the Star of David. Herewith are some examples. The Christmas selection for 1-800-flowers.com has no religious items but features a Star of David Charm [...]
President-elect George W. Bush will meet today with an array of religious leaders to discuss his plans for promoting “faith-based” social service programs. Catholic League president William Donohue took the occasion to explain why the league supports this move: “There is nothing new about ‘faith-based’ social service organizations; they have been operative in the U.S. since [...]
The Catholic League has fielded many complaints regarding the extent to which Christmas is being downplayed in the nation’s public schools. A textbook example is New Britton Elementary School in Fishers, Indiana. The students at New Britton are being treated to a multicultural understanding of the holiday season. A school memo dated December 13 describes celebrations [...]
Bus drivers in Vancouver, Washington have been warned that they are forbidden from wearing hats, vests or neckties that depict religious themes during the Christmas season. Their employer, C-TRAN, issued the following criteria for such apparel: “They are appropriate for work in a public agency. They do not contain offensive or controversial messages or pictures. They [...]
The city manager of Eugene, Oregon, Jim Johnson, has issued a directive banning Christmas trees from public places. Johnson argues that the tree is a religious symbol and therefore cannot be placed on public property. The ban was issued after “a number of non-Christians” complained. In his memo of November 20 to all city employees, Johnson [...]
A store in Berkeley, California, Bear Basics, is selling T-shirts that say “F--- Christmas”; the shirt bears the full name of the obscenity. William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, today explained the league’s response to this matter: “The manager of Bear Basics, Sandie Handschoh, was not available when I called yesterday, but I did speak [...]
For the past year, the online magazine, Salon.com, has published several articles attacking one aspect of Catholicism or another. Most of its attacks are centered on the Church’s teachings on sexuality. Its latest foray occurred on December 13 when it published a statement allegedly written by a 15 year-old girl charging that her Catholic school is anti-gay. [...]
On December 10, the CBS show, “60 Minutes,” did a segment on the merger of Catholic hospitals with secular healthcare institutions. The focus of the piece was the unavailability of contraceptive services and abortions at these facilities. Morley Safer conducted interviews with several persons, including Frances Kissling of Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC). Kissling was [...]
Officials at Denver International Airport (DIA) have decided that the Mass schedule for Catholic passengers cannot be announced on its public address system. The ban comes in the wake of several months of deliberation: one person had previously complained that it was improper to announce the schedule of Masses on Sunday and holy days of obligation [...]
Every December controversies rage over the placement of religious symbols in public schools and on public property. This year is no exception as lobbying efforts to cleanse the schools and parks of any religious symbolism are being waged by activist organizations that want to further secularize society. Such organizations include the ACLU, ADL, People for the [...]
