Inside the wrapping of our morning newspaper was a note from our delivery boy who saw fit to enclose a holiday greeting with the papers he delivers.
This is not only a considerate gesture on his part, but our paper is delivered right to the door, and he seldom if ever misses a day. In other words, I am extremely pleased with the service he gives us.
But this is not about the messenger, it’s about the message.
The greeting was headlined, Happy Holidays. Okay. But the first line of copy said: And a happy New Year. Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year? Isn’t there a redundancy here somewhere? Isn’t the “usual” greeting Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year? What happened to the Christmas part?
The second line began with the expected “pitch” for the paper: “I would like to take time to thank all of you for subscribing to the Tallahassee Democrat this year.”
This was followed by two paragraphs of overly solicitous yawing about how the paper was upgraded; how the delivery system was eliminating problems, and what was being done to improve customer relations.The greeting ended with how to reach the delivery boy and how he hoped to “kick off the new year with happy customers, and no complaints!”
Since this was the morning of December 14th, with seventeen days before the New Year, and with Christmas in-between, I wondered why there was no Christmas mentioned in the greeting. It seems they are scuttling that holiday along with the rest.
But, said my dear wife, a lot of people don’t celebrate Christmas. So the greeting was meant to be “generic.” Well, said I, a lot of people don’t celebrate the New Year the same time we do either, so how come New Years was mentioned in the greeting?
Said she: Jim. You’re making too much of it. Just take the greeting for the thoughtful message it is, and don’t be so critical.
Maybe I am being critical, but in the political writing business when you start connecting dots you automatically begin seeing things that the average American today either does not see, or ignores if they see it.
So I’ll tell you what I’m seeing, then you tell me if I’m getting 5 when I put 2 and 2 together.
In my paper boy’s greeting I see a well-meaning, but subtle attempt to placate the “diversity” crowd by not mentioning the word Christmas, and going straight to the New Year. (It would be too obvious to eliminate them both at the same time.)
This got me thinking about what else I see.
I see crosses being taken down, nativity scenes being banned, the word Christ being soft-pedaled, Jesus reduced to a secular figure, fewer carols being sung, Happy Holidays being the stet greeting, and Christians becoming second-class citizens in their own country.
A less intrusive, but none-the-less obvious, example of the subtle usurping of our Yule season is even happening at, believe it or not, your friendly Post Office. The USPS is honoring the Muslim holiday with a commemorative, first-class postage stamp. On the face of it is a scribbling of Arabic calligraphy and the English text EID Greetings, which honors two important Islamic festivals. That’s what I’m told anyway.
That many people are boycotting these stamps, and rightly so, is not as effective as not having issued these stamps to boycott in the first place. But it’s too late now.
All this non-Christian celebrating and commemorating are more examples of “political correctness” which has gone berserk in America to the extent of now trespassing on own Christian culture, traditions, and beliefs.
What’s more, it’s pretty crafty how they us our own religious precepts against us. America, they say, was conceived as a nation that tolerated, even welcomed, people of different religious backgrounds.
Indeed, that freedom of religion is fundamental to this nation is one of the most important aspects of the American experience. But that’s where America’s generosity toward religion calls a halt.
We allow, in fact we encourage practicing the religion of your culture or choice. However, just as we do not interfere with anyone’s religious practices, we ask, no, we demand, that no one try to dispense with our religious beliefs by forcing a takedown, legislatively or otherwise, of our symbols, customs and religious figures.
Could we get away with issuing a U.S. stamp in any Islamic country showing a picture of George Washington, or the White House, or an American flag? I doubt it.
If the religion of Islam is “a natural religion, and the first laws of nature is self-preservation,” I respect that. But Christianity is a God-given religion through Jesus Christ and the only self-preservation a Christian needs is to believe in Him.
Unlike Islam, which is one religion in many nations, Christianity is many religions in one nation.
This should tell you that tolerance, the American way, is not to force your religion on us, and we do the same for you.
So, with all due respect, please leave our Christmas alone.
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”