War on Christmas? Have the Holidays Become Too Secular?

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I recall a newspaper op-ed some time back about how, as is widely accepted, the date of Christmas was established to coincide with pre-existing pagan festivals rather than having any relationship to the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth.
The op-ed joked about the Christians taking the Saturn out of Saturnalia and the Yule out of Yule.
Anyway, I hardly hear "happy holiday" much less "Happy Rosh Hashanah" greetings during that time of the year even though to me the High Holy Days are "the reason for the season." Should I take umbrage that store clerks, people passing on the street, radio announcers, etc. don't greet me in accordance with my religion and heritage? And that I don't see High Holy Days displays in stores, parks, and office buildings? Or music and TV shows according to my heritage broadcasted?
No. I don't take umbrage. Nor do I assume that everyone around me celebrates Christmas. I greet people I know to be Christian with Merry Christmas and others with Happy Holidays. That should be fine. Christians should follow the Golden Rule (announced by Hillel and the Buddha before Jesus) of treating others as they wish to be treated--greet people with the greeting appropriate to their belief, observance and tradition, and if you're not sure don't assume that everyone believes (or ought to believe) as you do.
Don't we have greater things to worry about? Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Years, early greetings for Orthodox Christmas, and to all Happy Holidays.

Rod in Richmond of VA 12:50PM December 25, 2010

Rep. Brown... this has nothing to do with your personal beliefs, but the role of our government in regards to religion, as you should know very well. You may not like it, but you are a representative of a secular office.. that of congressman. Our founders, unlike some of our current representatives, saw the value of the seperation of church and state, and so made almost no mention of religion, and none of christianity, while penning the U.S. constitution. I would suggest yo read it, sir, or consider another line of work.

william of GA 9:14PM December 28, 2009

Everyone has always been invited to celebrate Christmas and Million do whether they are Christians or non believers. Christmas is a Christian holiday in which all are welcome to enjoy but please don't try to change it into something else, fair is fair after all! Attacks on the Christian world community seems to be a common cause many subscribe to including the U.S. Government.

Steven Elrick of NE 3:34PM December 22, 2009

I find it ironic that in a country so focused on individuality and diversity that it is becoming frowned upon to express our own ideas. If I celebrate Christmas what is wrong with me expressing it? If you celebrate Hannakuh I'd be more than happy to hear you tell me happy Hannakuh. If you're offended, move to some country where no one can express their ideas and freedoms don't exist.
Whether or not Christmas is becoming too secular, it is merely a representation of the way Americans are going. I don't find anything wrong with someone not Christian have a 100% secular Christmas. Good for them. It raises my eyebrows when a religious person/family celebrates a heavily secular Christmas. If you believe it, you probably should celebrate it. However, there's nothing wrong with gifts and Christmas programs. As long as you don't fall into the debt trap and think this season is all about impressing others and showing 'love' with gifts alone. Just because one celebrates a secular Christmas does not mean they cannot celebrate a religious one as well.

Amber of KS 7:54PM December 21, 2009

More than 2000 years ago wise men brought gifts to a baby born in a manger - a child who would offer light and hope to the world. God becomes man, so that He may better understand and know us, and we Him.
We celebrate this tradition with decorated Christmas trees -presents wrapped and tied with bows beneath, stockings hung - waiting to be filled, and Christmas cards composed with love and wishes.
It seems that with each passing year we are more consumed with the getting and giving among ourselves rather than with what the child has brought us. His gifts too often remain ignored and unopened.
His gifts are the words and truth of God - and you will find no fault in them - only an eternal guarantee;
“That which you do to the least of your brothers - you do to me.”
“What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.”
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“Let who among you who is without sin cast the first stone.”
“Blessed in spirit [are] the poor: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. “
“Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
“Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. “
“Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.”
“Blessed [are] they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not- for such is the kingdom of God.”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
Christ’s gift of His Church, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Christ’s gift to the world of his mother - “Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death.”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that we may have eternal life.”
And His final promise of God’s light against the darkness of eternity, “I will be with you always - even unto the end of the world.”
Joy to the world - The Lord has come

R.L. Schaefer of CA 2:51PM December 21, 2009

Part of being a good Christian is being considerate of others' beliefs and lifestyles. There are many ways to wish others well this time of year. Let's be open-minded and accepting of others. If you are one of those people who gets hung up on which greeting to use, then secularity aside, you are still missing out on the true meaning of the season.

Mona of IN 12:07PM December 21, 2009

As a child, I went to a friends house we were having A great time and when his mom asked him to do something for her he demanded how Much are you going to pay me?.
And nowadays it seems everybody has to be compensated to help anyone even if they have the money or resources.
There is a lot of money in helping the poor. Most donated money goes into paying staff and advertisement and if there is anything left they help the poor, Donated money would go further if everybody helped the poor in there neighbourhoods and healthcare reform passes so those of us with a pre-existing conditions will not be afraid to get a job.
Don D. Brock
my website
http://myweb.cableone.net/hachberry/Don_D_Brock.html
contact the white house
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Don D. Brock of AZ 8:54PM December 20, 2009

War on Christmas? Give me a break. Maybe by WalMart and the rest seeking the Almighty Holy Dollar. Maybe by people looking to make political hay off of Christ's birth by feigning umbrage at some imagined slight.
As a Christian, I'm sick of them all.
Christian churches should pick some other day (preferably in June or something) and declare that's the day they will celebrate Christ's birth. No presents. No trees. No reindeer. Then, if Christians want to celebrate the Secular Christmas just as a party, fine. At least we'd be done with the pretense that all of this commercialism and posturing is somehow 'holy'.

jimatmadison of WI 3:54PM December 20, 2009

R.A. Shaefer of R.I..... my, how this issue riles some folks up! I'm not much of a Christian, as I think the Bible is a great work of fiction, and it's possible that Jesus was not any more the son of God than are any of us. Nevertheless, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, and we celebrate it upon the hope that all the stories are real and true, or merely due to our traditions. In that light, it does bother me that we've turned into such a bunch of p.c. weenies. If hearing "Merry Christmas" bothers you, you need to get a friekin life, shut up, and kindly keep it to yourself. No disrespect is meant by the greeting, and none should be taken. It's the little things too, like the Kodak do-it-yourself- keosks in Wal Mart(!) not having a Merry Christmas card available. They have "Happy Kwanzaa", and "Happy Hannuka", but nothing referring to Christmas. What a bunch of stupid, p.c., anti-American bull$hit!

william of GA 2:10PM December 20, 2009

“Have a merry - ah... Winter Solstice?”
With “Merry Christmas” disappearing from private business, Nativity scenes banned from the public square, the words “Savior”, “God” and “ holy” being removed from school “Winter Holiday” programs and carols, and “Christmas Tree” diluted to the more “inclusive”, but meaningless, “Holiday Tree” - there can be no doubt that Christmas is under fire from the progressive, “P.C.” crowd . All this leads one to consider whether or not we are becoming a nation of Scrooges. I’m not dead yet, but t seems I’ve got the job of “Marley’s” ghost. I just hope it’s not permanent.
When Dickens wrote, “A Christmas Carol” in 1843 , Scrooge took timeless form as a lonely, greedy, antisocial, sacrilegious, pessimistic tightwad. He wouldn’t give a farthing to feed the poor, or help a family with a crippled child. He thought Christmas just a lot of “humbug” - a poor excuse to pick a man’s pockets.
The more numerous, current crop of Ebeneezers, not only see Christmas as humbug, but as divisive, culturally insensitive and non-inclusive, superstitious, humbug. They are most often socially progressive humanists and relativists, who, like Scrooge, feel above the commoners, and often see things that aren’t really there, and ignore others things that are.
For instance, they see a Constitution that excludes Christmas carols or displays on public property, but includes the right to kill the innocent, though inconvenient, “unborn”. They worry and litigate over the most trivial of environmental pollutants, but care nothing of the degrading pollution that pours out of the glowing tube and into the hearts and minds of our children. They worship the environment, but never it’s creator. The condition of their body is paramount, but they think nothing of the condition of their souls. They revel in the glitzy facade of our society and notice not the stench of moral decay beneath.
And, like miser Scrooge, these well heeled secularists have amassed the latest techno-junk, flashy cars, huge homes, fashionable furnishings, and read the latest subjective, feel-good literature. They don’t seem to understand the that these things of life are ephemeral, ultimately lost to timeless eternity - there’s no trailer hitch on a hearse.
To these modern “humbuggers” God has become irrelevant. His absolute morality and eternal truth inconvenient and threatening to their agenda. They would like to see God and his followers consigned to the margins of society - shut away in the same dark closet where we once kept immorality and pornography before the “entertainment industry” beamed it into our homes, schools and universities.
For them, Christmas has become an uncomfortable reminder -a specter from Dickens’ “Christmas Carol” - pointing an empty sleeve to what is to come should they not mend their ways. And, unlike Scrooge, who merely turned away and squirmed beneath his bedding, hoping the ghosts would go away, they seek relief from their fears through litigation, denial and judicial activism.
As the church bell tolls midnight on Christmas one can almost hear them whisper to themselves, “God is simply a subjective personal deity, different morality and values for each of us. God is merely whatever I perceive him to be. Therefore, His existence is dependent upon my idea of what He should be, no absolute truth, eternal laws or perfect justice..... No, no, this specter of God - He can’t be real, because little things effect the senses, a slight disorder of the stomach...He may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. I’ll just pull these covers up around my head a little tighter and call the American Civil Liberties Union - they’ll make Him go away.”
Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

R.L. SCHAEFER of CA 3:27PM December 19, 2009