War on Christ

                Liberals are hard at work in their attempt to take Christ out of Christmas.  They apparently do not understand that the word Christmas actually means Christ Mass or Mass for Christ.  I guess they have a difficult time fathoming that Jesus Christ is the reason why we celebrate Christmas and that we celebrate Christmas by celebrating the birth of Christ – plus everything He did on earth and in heaven for us.  How can we truly celebrate Christmas if we do not even mention Christ?  When we celebrate birthdays, we give the birthday person a place of honor and respect, and we do this by calling them by name and by honoring and respecting them as a person.  Why is it so difficult to do this for Christ?

                When this war on Christ began, the liberals insisted we say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” in order that we not offend non-Christians.  Then we could not sing Christmas hymns in schools because they think it negates the separation of church and state.  Now they want to delete the very essence of Christ from the Christmas season. 

                One indicator of this war is the fact that few stores carry Nativity sets this year.  I had not realized there was a problem because I have not been in the market for more Nativity sets, but numerous friends have reported that they could not find any Nativity scenes.  Along this same idea, I asked at the Post Office for the Nativity stamps, but the clerk did not understand what I meant.  She showed me the available stamps; when I pointed to the Nativity one, she called it the “religious stamp.”

                A second indicator is the ESPN rejection of a public service announcement, a television spot from Cardinal Glennon Children’s Foundation that mentions the birth of Christ.  There was such an uproar on social media that the sports network was forced to reverse their decision.

                A third indicator of the commercialization of Christmas in our culture is the decision by Epcot and Disneyland parks to eliminate the “One Solitary Life” essay from the “Candlelight Processional.  The essay was written by Dr. James Allan Francis in 1926.  It describes the details of Christ’s life and death as well as his historical importance; it has been a part of the processional since 1976.  According to Disney, they were forced to eliminate the essay because of “time constraints”; in other words, the essay was taken out of the processional in order for the cast and crew to have time to properly prepare for the three back-to-back performances each night during the holiday season.  Apparently, they considered the essay about Christ to be the least important part of the processional, something that could be deleted without causing any problems.

                A fourth indicator is the caving of Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina, to one complaint --you read that right, one complaint – about a Nativity scene on base.  Within minutes after it was erected, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a radical anti-Christian organization, complained that it violated the Constitution, and it was taken down within two hours of the complaint.  The Pentagon recommended that the Nativity scene be displayed on chapel grounds or as “part of a larger secular or multicultural display on base.” 

                Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, commented on the situation:  “It is truly a sad state of affairs when a demilitarized zone has to be created on an Air Force Base for Baby Jesus.  The events in the Air Force alone show that this is much more than a war on Christmas; this is a war on the freedom of religious expression.”

                What can we do to keep Christ in Christmas?  We certainly must keep Him in our personal and family celebration of His birth.  We can play the sacred Christmas hymns in our homes.  We can continue to say “Merry Christmas” even though other people say “Happy Holidays.”  We can send Christ-centered Christmas cards – and we can even mail them with a “religious” stamp.  We can also make our voice heard when companies and other organizations try to force Christ out of Christmas.  Remember, it was only one complaint that took the Nativity down at Shaw Air Force Base!  We are literary fighting a war for Christ; as Christians we must stand steadfast and immovable in defense of Christ!