The War On Christmas: Why I say "Happy Holidays"

 I’ve had it, yes I have had it. The commercialization of Christmas by corporate America, the lack of tolerance and compassion by so-called Christians, the exploitation of Christmas by so-called religious leaders, their mega-churches, political war chest and TV empires.  It baffles me that people seek to define the presence of God in symbols, the presence or absence of Christ in a word, the proof of devotion in tithes, and the identification of worthiness by the choice of political party.

I have no problem with boycotting a corporations product or services based on their practices or policies, but to identify a company as worthy because they prominently portray the word Christmas and unfavorable because they don’t, while at the same time ignoring their policies that encourage third world wages, unsafe working conditions, the use of child labor, and the export of jobs to COMMUNIST nations is so far from responsible it is mind boggling.

The so-called “War on Christmas” is a political hoax:

Let me start by saying that if you believe that someone with different political view than yours is evil, or un-American then you probably don’t want to read on.
If you believe that because 86% of the country claims to be Christian that makes us a Christian nation, but at the same time you believe that the remaining 13% are oppressing Christians in this country, then you probably don’t want to read on.

…but, you might want to look at how Christian churches in China have to operate “…within the narrow boundaries of theology and church life dictated by the State Administration for Religious Affairs,…”, or how Christians have been persecuted, oppressed, tortured and killed in the former Soviet Union, modern North Korea, and the middle east. These are places where Christianity is persecuted and oppressed, in America what passes for oppression is little more than differences of opinion about religious choice, the right to practice and the right to refrain.

If your not outraged by the commercialization of Christ and Christmas how can you be upset about someone choosing between “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”?

War On Christmas 2015

This year the first shot of the 2015 was fired before Thanksgiving. Ironically, or maybe not so ironically, the ‘war’, like the commercialization of Christmas is starting earlier each year.

The following comes from a Facebook discussion:·

WAR ON CHRISTMAS?

I was reading this morning about how the new Starbucks holiday cups are the first strike in this years' war on Christmas.

May I say something as a Christian pastor? The message of Christmas is already lost on much of the church whether or not the season has "Merry Christmas" stamped on it. At this point, the birth of a poor child in the cold darkness is celebrated by lights, glaring music and by the biggest shopping season of the year. Nothing could silence the message of Christmas more than how it is already celebrated.

Let's be clear, if the spirit of Christmas is under attack this year, it is by capitalism which has turned the holiday into a commodity like it does everything else; and by selfish Christians who refuse to to obey Jesus' command to be a good neighbor to those who walk different paths.

As we wander through the mockeries of this holiday season, this Christian is lifting a holiday cup to honor my atheist, Jewish, Muslim, pagan as well as Christian neighbors who share the same hope of "peace on earth and goodwill to all."

Jim Rigby    https://www.facebook.com/jim.rigby.12/about

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