One of the reasons that people came to the new world
in the 16th century was for the freedom to worship as they saw fit.
Many people came to America to escape from an oppressive monarchy or government
state religion. The New World provided a more independent way to live, worship,
or even die, as one saw fit. Recently, however, it seems as though Christianity
has come under attack from people who may or may not subscribe to the
faith-based systems.
Of
all the people on the planet, 84 percent of those people have a belief in God
or a higher power. Of those 5.8 billion people who affiliate themselves with a
religion, 2.2 billion people adhere to the Christian faith. Christians make up 32 percent of the entire
world’s population. Unfortunately, even though Christianity is the predominate
faith in the country; it seems to be under attack from other religions,
atheists and the left even though it is protected by The Constitution.
The
1st Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Many people seem
to have the idea that the “separation of church and state” belongs in this
passage, but they would be incorrect. No place in the Constitution or Bill of
Rights does the term “separation of church and state” appear.
In
the eyes of many conservatives, that passage was written to keep America from
adopting an “official” state religion and give its citizens the freedom to
worship,(or not) anyone they choose. However, many liberals seem to have the
idea that the phrase, “shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion” literally means a clear separation between the church (any church)
and the state and/or federal government. This liberal yearning to separate God
from the government has brought on a “war” against Christianity.
We
can see the battles in various places from a child’s class room to the active
military, to our courthouses and retail stores. The liberal/atheistic reach to
curb, if not silence Christianity, spreads its arms far and wide. It appears as
though the left hides behind the fear of being sued for “political
correctness”. It seems as though our society has a fear of insulting everyone
accept Christians. The ways Christians are treated today seems to be
reminiscent of how the Jews were treated in Germany before WWII.
Teachers,
whether or not they are told to, bring on an anti-Christian motif in the
classroom. I find it puzzling that teachers and school administrators can
subject students to the common core system and the love of Obama, the Democrats
and the government but not the love of God. We also see this abandonment of God
in the U.S. Military.
According
to www.examiner.com, an Obama
administration official want to make it so any military personal who professes
to follow Christianity as a faith could be court-martialed, dishonorably
discharged and face imprisonment even if they are clergy. Fanatical
anti-Christian activist Mikey Weinstein is the head of the Military Religious
Freedom Foundation and claims “Christians, including chaplains, sharing the
gospel of Jesus Christ in the military are guilty of 'treason,' and of
committing an act of 'spiritual rape' as serious a crime as 'sexual assault.'
He also asserted that Christians sharing their faith in the military are
'enemies of the Constitution.” So obviously gay can openly join the military,
but Christians are forbidden to share their message. It looks as though the
United States Government is trying to stifle the freedom of speech among its
military ranks.
The
left has been trying for years to keep any form of God out of the schools, even
going as far as taking “one nation under God” out of the pledge. Opponents
claim that Christianity unfairly targets other religions, however, since
Christianity composes 80 percent of the population of the country that is like
a political party complaining because their candidate didn’t win an election. I
keep hearing about how Christianity in the public schools is an insult to other
religions. Unfortunately, no one seems to worry about insulting Christians.
Schools are intended for learning and not hate of fear. Another place the fear
exists is the market place. People seem to fear saying Merry Christmas is
stores as to avoid not insulting someone who is not Christian.
It
is commonly know that Christmas is not the only holiday that Americans
celebrate, but it is the one that is most widely celebrated. Most people, if
they can identify a person’s belief system, will give them a customary holiday greeting,
however, since most people in America either are Christians or follow Christian
holiday customs, Saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays is not a sin.
In
2005 Wal-Mart chose to have its employees use the greeting “Happy Holidays” and
not Merry Christmas in order not to offend anyone who may not celebrate
Christmas, another attempt at giving more respect to other religions at
Christmas. Wal-Mart has since change their decisions on the greeting, at least
in their local stores, unfortunately, other people have not.
For
20 years the Santa Anna Court House in Orange County California proudly
displayed a Christmas tree, but in 2009 “someone complained” and forced the
tree to be removed. A person who was unhappy with the display claimed the holiday
decoration was part of a “vast right wing conspiracy”, according to newsantaana.com.
Many
people do recognize that Jesus Christ was most likely not born on December 25th
in the year 0000, or that Mary and Joseph didn’t not have a tree, or have a
yule log, but does any of that truly matter? Christmas is a truly wonderful
time of the year when the best of people come out. More people give to charities,
attend social functions and spend more time with family than any other time of
the year. The smile of the little children, the lights on the house and tree,
the music in the air can tame even the coldest Grinch. Even Ebenezer Scrooge
saw the error of his ways after the visits from the three ghosts. It is very
unlikely that even the most intense atheist will never see a spirit to convince
him of how special the season really is, but does that give them the right to
ruin it for those who do belive?
It’s
a shame that people, no matter what their belief, or lack thereof, feel the
need to destroy the magic of the season of Christmas. And whether you believe
it or not, Jesus is the reason for the season. Not where he was born or when he
was born, but that the Son of God was indeed born. It was at that time that God
gave us the best gift ever, his son. So the next time you wish to bestow upon
someone a delightful holiday greeting, please say the greeting that best
describes what the season is really all about and be wary of the liberals who
chose to wage some kind of war upon the largest faith group in the world, the
Christians.
Above
all else, please be of good cheer this holiday season and remember the reason
why we celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus.
Merry Christmas
Dkhummel.com, dkhummel.blogspot.com
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