![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The other three hundred and sixty-four
Dec. 23rd, 2004 01:13 amSo there seems to be a great fuss about there not being enough Jesus this time of year--certain Christians are upset because Their Holiday isn't getting enough attention.
First things first, I'm going to set aside the fact that 'the Reason for the Season' actually takes place closer to April than December and Their Holiday got bumped up a few months so as to take over a pagan revel celebrating the beginning of the lengthening of days. Completely setting it aside, as irrelevant to the conversation, even though it might not be.
Here's my opinion: I'm a believer in the government staying out of religion. (See my opinion about gay marriage.) I don't want my State Senate spending thousands of dollars on a giant Menorah for the roof of the Sacramento chambers. I don't want the Post Office to put a Nativity scene in an already overcrowded lobby. I consider Santa Claus to be a Saint and thus a religious icon. On the other side of the issue, if a merchant finds that saying the 'C' word makes him some extra cash then Go You. Or if a merchant actually believes that the birth of the Christ is an important spiritual event (and given the number of businesses that are closed on Sunday, I bet that percentage is pretty damn low) then, again, Go You. In fact, I'd love to see something like this display at a local business.
The principle seems simple to me. Which means I'm probably doing it wrong. The kid who brought candy canes to school with the little note about how the red stripe is the blood of the Christ (ew. blood-flavored holiday treats) is distasteful to me, but Go You. Christmas parties for MicroSoft employees? Go you. Want to put up a tree on the Town Hall lawn and decorate it as a symbol of the birth-death-rebirth cycle? I'd prefer you didn't.
(Of course, I don't know how I feel about Bach being performed by school choirs. I'm seriously torn there.)
First things first, I'm going to set aside the fact that 'the Reason for the Season' actually takes place closer to April than December and Their Holiday got bumped up a few months so as to take over a pagan revel celebrating the beginning of the lengthening of days. Completely setting it aside, as irrelevant to the conversation, even though it might not be.
Here's my opinion: I'm a believer in the government staying out of religion. (See my opinion about gay marriage.) I don't want my State Senate spending thousands of dollars on a giant Menorah for the roof of the Sacramento chambers. I don't want the Post Office to put a Nativity scene in an already overcrowded lobby. I consider Santa Claus to be a Saint and thus a religious icon. On the other side of the issue, if a merchant finds that saying the 'C' word makes him some extra cash then Go You. Or if a merchant actually believes that the birth of the Christ is an important spiritual event (and given the number of businesses that are closed on Sunday, I bet that percentage is pretty damn low) then, again, Go You. In fact, I'd love to see something like this display at a local business.
The principle seems simple to me. Which means I'm probably doing it wrong. The kid who brought candy canes to school with the little note about how the red stripe is the blood of the Christ (ew. blood-flavored holiday treats) is distasteful to me, but Go You. Christmas parties for MicroSoft employees? Go you. Want to put up a tree on the Town Hall lawn and decorate it as a symbol of the birth-death-rebirth cycle? I'd prefer you didn't.
(Of course, I don't know how I feel about Bach being performed by school choirs. I'm seriously torn there.)