The Washington Times' Jennifer Harper writes about how "Christmas has been sanitized in schools and public squares, in malls and parades where Santa's OK, Jesus Christ is not. 'Jingle Bells' rocks, but forget about 'Silent Night.'" The ACLU has long fought against any religiosity in Christmas-time displays in public areas, so much so that any reference to Jesus, religious Christmas carols and the like are completely forbidden by most communities in their primary civic areas such as city halls, courthouses, city offices, etc.
Here are some of the results of the ACLU's anti-religion crusade:
Denver, for example, refused to allow a Christian church float in the city's holiday parade, because "direct religious themes" were not allowed. Homosexual American Indians, Chinese lion dancers and German folk dancers, however, were welcome.
The mayor of Somerville, Mass., issued a formal apology this week to anyone offended by a press release "mistakenly" issued from his office that called the town "holiday party" a "Christmas party."
School districts in Florida and New Jersey have banned Christmas carols altogether, and an "all-inclusive" holiday song program at a Chicago-area elementary school included Jewish and Jamaican songs, but no Christmas carols.
The Monk is a Jew, but he still appreciates the Christmas tradition and doesn't feel offended by its mere presence. In fact, his favorite Christmas carol is "G-d Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (lyrical value, not message), which is one of the most religious of the carols. Close second, Little Drummer Boy. Eradicating religion from the public square means only that we lose sight of the Judeo-Christian foundation of this country -- an ethos that has underpinned most social and scientific progress in the world since the 15th century.
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