Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays
Year Delivered or Published: 2006
Author: David C. Gibbs III
Author's Faith: Christianity
Date Submitted to Inspiration and Issues: November 30, 2006
Topic: Religion and Politics
There is tremendous misinformation floating about in America today about the public celebration of Christmas. First of all, let’s acknowledge that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas. It’s overwhelmingly a holiday that is universally celebrated by the vast majority of Americans.
But there’s been this lie put forward that somehow our Constitution requires us to take Jesus Christ, the reason we celebrate Christmas, out of the holiday. And this lie is being played out in courtrooms and public squares all over America, to the extent that government officials now fear being sued over what they can or cannot do in public schools, public workplaces, and in the public square.
Unbelievably, even in the privacy of their own homes, some people are being told it’s wrong or illegal for them to include religious symbols of Christmas in their personal holiday decorations. This sort of thing is clearly a lie because our courts have always said and our history clearly shows that Jesus Christ can indeed be the focal point of our holiday celebrations. Yet this misinformation abounds.
I believe that a large number of people are getting pulled into believing this tremendous misinformation campaign. Christians need to understand that it is completely constitutional, it is completely legal, and it is absolutely proper to continue to keep Christ in Christmas. That includes in government schools, in government buildings, in the public square, in a community parade.
All that is required for the government to avoid violating the Constitution is to be sure to include some additional secular display items along with the religious symbols of Christmas. What we are watching in America today is an overreaction by groups who threaten lawsuits claiming that by celebrating Christmas the government is endorsing the Christian faith and forcing it on everyone. And people are reacting in fear by running away from the very term “Christmas.” I get many phone calls about this issue.
People need to understand some basic rules. In a private workplace, the boss or the owner can decide what to do regarding Christmas. There are no legal limitations on what people can say about Christmas at work. One caller told us, “My boss just said that since we don’t want to do something wrong, we probably shouldn’t use the word ‘Christmas’ this year.” That’s plain wrong. It illustrates just how far this spirit of fear has permeated our culture, so that even in areas where we have complete liberty of speech we censor ourselves.
We have 100% freedom to say “Merry Christmas” anywhere we like, but this misinformation campaign is so strong that many good people are now confused about how they may legally celebrate this nationally-recognized holiday season.
