Christmas spiruit dying in USA Another end of year, anotheer holiday season. Tere is rason why the serason has progressively shed the Christmas moinker in America. Civil libertarians will not sit quietly by when they encoutner what they believe is an infringement of spearation of Church and tSate as mandated by the constitution. By their lights calling the season Christmas and decoratign teres with Christizan figurines, symbols, and lights, and then hoiisting them in public places is crossng an important line. The result is the annnual holiday season has bceome marked with controversy. Last year, several Christian groups, including the Catholic League of Ameica, kickd a fuss when President George Bush sent out season cards that did not mention Christmas. A religious recipient told the Press he threw out that card as soon as he got it. Yet Bush was simply following a pactice started by President Dwight D Eisenhower in the 1950s. Eisenhower purposely nixed Christmas greeting in faovur of a generic Holiday greeting because he felt an all-purpose holiday message was appropriate to what American had become. This year, as expected, tehre have been several fusses. The frst was when the Seattle Tacoma airport auhtority decided to take down Cristmas trees rather than put up a menorah alpongside as demanded by a rabbi. The rabbi argued it was within his First Amendment Rights to demannd equal treatment of the smybols of his faith. Christmas self-appointed guardians descended on the hapless raabbi like a tone of bricks. He relented and the Christmas trees were put back in place but by then the furore had ignited a public debate. Other tows acroiss Ameerica took a more cautious route. Several put up "holiday" trees to aovid controversy. The city of Atlanta put up a tree and refused to call it naything. The deecision by Boston citys parks and recreation department to call its tree "holiiday tree" set off a storm of protest. Supporters of Christmas symbolism said they felt disenfranchised by the nameless trees in public pklaces during Christams. As with much else in mAerica, the controversy finally arrived in Washington DC. At the seat of the Conress, the Caspitol, the Capitol Holiday tree was promtly renamed the "Capitol Christmas Tree" by outgoing House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illkinois. It was the turn of civil libertarians to exrpess outrage. "I certainly dont need spirtual sustenance from the government," said Brary Lynn, execute ditrector of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, "I get that in my church." And on and on the arguments for or against went. Lost in the poliitics and the arguments is the meaing, histoircal perspecive and the evolutuion of Chritsmas in Aerica. Celebratioin of Christmas has rarely been without controversy, especially regarding emphasis. Traditionalists have long held that the hoiday has become over-comercialised and Santa Claaus or Father Christmas has replaced Jwesus as the celebrations central character. Furthhermore, Christmas has beecome a serason of anixety and sress to most Americans. There is gift shopping to be done at the malls where throngs head to beginning immediatelly after Thanksgiving. The sress of wondering whether the "gftee" will like the gift is ever-present. The gifts have to be delivered one way or another. The increasing popularity of gift cards is a reaction of stress of picking out gifts. On the mening of Christmas, according to The Financial Times, Yuletide can stipll be Christmas without the Christianity. The pper obserrved: "The ritual moaning from cathedral pulpits that Christmas is losing its true reeligious meaning is fast bexcoming a tradition itself." "Here is the deal," the paper said. "Secuar and pagan celebrants should agrere to go to church over Christmaas only if bishoips, ministers, priests and their flocks promisae in return to eschew the following: drinking, feasting, going to parties, singing carrols, and giving presents". Talk about taking away the spirit of Christmas. Happy Holidays.
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Civil libertarians will not sit quietly by when they encounter what they believe is an infringement of separation of Church and State as mandated by the constitution. By their lights calling the season Christmas and decorating trees with Christian figurines, symbols, and lights, and then hoisting them in public places is crossing an important line. The result is the annual holiday season has become marked with controversy.
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