Happy Winter Solstice?
‘Winter holiday’ latest tactic in left’s efforts to take Christ out of Christmas
Happy winter solstice?
Today is officially the first day of winter, although Pennsylvania has been in a deep freeze for several days now. While the weather outside is frightful, the anti-Christian left is running red hot in its never-ending campaign to take Christ out of Christmas.
The latest trend among the ACLU set is to push the idea of the solstice being the “reason for the season.” Making their rounds of the evening cable talk shows, atheists and assorted other lefties make a point of wishing viewers a “happy winter solstice” rather than “Merry Christmas” or even the watered-down, but ever popular “happy holidays.”
Sunday’s “Life” section of Pravda-on-the-Susquehanna (also known as Harrisburg’s Patriot-News), featured a front page article headlined: “Keep it light when throwing a solstice party.” Solstice party? Who in Red State America throws a “solstice party?” For that matter, even the Blue Staters can’t be wacko enough to put on such a function, except maybe for those who think Howard Dean still has a chance to be President. The article is chock full of advice like “Because it’s so dark, create spots of ambient lighting,” and “Think outside the seasonal repertoire … go for winter comfort foods.” Let me suggest they are already thinking “outside the seasonal repertoire.”
While the hijacking of Christmas continues apace, Christians are becoming more aggressive in reclaiming the holiday. After years of being defensive in the wake of lawsuits from left-wing organizations, conservative groups have begun to proactively use the courts to defend the constitutional right of Christians to celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. Noteworthy are the efforts of the First Amendment Center, the Liberty Institute and the Alliance Defense Fund.
A good example of their work is the case of nine-year-old Jonathan Morgan who wanted to take candy canes to school for his classmates. Attached to the candy canes was a note titled “The Legend of the Candy Cane” which, the note explained, is made in the shape of a “J” for Jesus, with the red and white strips symbolizing the blood Christ shed to redeem the sins of the world. Rather than wait for school officials to tell young Jonathan he was violating the mythological “separation clause,” his parents went into court and got a restraining order against the school protecting Jonathan’s right to give out “religious viewpoint gifts.”
It is indeed a sad day in this nation, founded as a refuge for those seeking religious freedom, that parents must go to court to ensure their child’s right to express his/her religious convictions. During this season of hope, joy, and promise, it is never-the-less encouraging to find Christians willing to fight for their God-given and constitutionally protected right to celebrate Christmas for what it really is: the birthday of Jesus Christ.
And so to everyone, including the winter solstice-types, let me wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
