Editorial
Holiday religious freedom protest
As the coming holiday season approaches, I have decided not to do the usual decorative display. This year I will be decorating with a purpose. Yes, there will be traditional holiday white and red lights, but there will be an addition to my display – a rather large nativity scene.
Christmas Nativity scene, Franciscan church, Sanok, 2010. Photo: User Silar (Wikimedia Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License.
Having some artistic skills, I will be painting a 3’ x 5’ scene, complete with an unusually large star on top and a spotlight shining upon it. To be clear, I am not doing this to add to my holiday display. I am doing this to make a statement – not just that I am a Christian (which in and of itself is extremely important to me), but to exercise my freedom of speech and my freedom of religion.
In an increasingly anti-faith culture – where symbols of faith are being taken down all over this country (especially nativity scenes) – you still have the right to place such symbols on your own property. And I intend to exercise that right to its fullest.
If you find the progress our atheist friends have made in silencing your faith offensive, perhaps you would like to consider doing likewise. If you’re Jewish, perhaps you should consider placing a large Menorah outside on your personal property. The lights on top would be a natural – the bigger, the better. And isn’t it great that both holidays happen within the same time frame! This holiday season, let the atheists exercise their freedom of religion; that’s the American way. However, be sure to exercise yours – at least while you still have it.
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RoseAnn Salanitri is a published author and Acquisition Editor for the New Jersey Family Policy Council. She is a community activist who has founded the Sussex County Tea Party in her home state and launched a recall movement against Senator Robert Menendez. RoseAnn is also the founder of Veritas Christian Academy, as well as co-founder of Creation Science Alive, and a national creation science speaker.
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Yes, yes — Jesus is no doubt thrilled with you celebrating his birth by attempting to tick off as many people as you can.
You know what? Jesus knew a lot of people would tick themselves off with every mention of His Name. He said so, shortly before the Crucifixion.
So mind the historical company you keep.
“This holiday season, let the atheists exercise their freedom of religion”
Well thanks for your gracious permission, Roseann.
This christmas, just like every Christmas (I HATE the term “holiday season”) I’ll be decorating a tree as my ancestors have been doing every winter solstice for thousands of years. Christmas is one of my favourite times of year – trees, Glühwein, fried potato cakes in the markets, getting together with friends… I have no wish to stop you celebrating it, because I’ll be too busy celebrating it myself. In fact NO atheist wants to stop you celebrating it. They just want to stop you spending taxpayer’s money doing so.
Well, first, I’m not saying anything about Jesus, I’m criticizing Ms. Salanitri’s decision to celebrate Christmas with tactics usually used by car dealers trying to attract attention to a “Moonlight Madness” sale. Or are you putting her on a platform with Christ?
Second, Christmas is not supposed to be the centerpiece of Christianity, Easter is. The Nativity is only even mentioned in two of the Gospels. American’s Puritan forefathers actively suppressed Christmas celebrations. Today’s incredibly elaborate celebrations are pretty much a modern concept (well, modern from the perspective of two thousand years of Christian history.)
Third, Matthew 6:1-4 makes is pretty clear that Jesus does NOT approve of prayer done for showiness. Now, I suppose you can argue that Ms. Salanitri’s proposal isn’t prayer, but do you really think Jesus would say, “showing off with prayer is bad, but other religious showiness is fine ‘n’ dandy!”?
Finally, is the “Christmas spirit” REALLY “I’m gonna get a big spotlight and show all those darn atheists what for!”?
I don’t think you have any standing to make any arguments about “show-off-ism.” After all, you don’t want her to show her faith at all, do you?
Besides, we are talking about witness, not eye-service or lip-service. We are talking about a testimony to the community, not a currying of favor within a congregation.
I really like the nativity scene elements you can buy at German Christmas markets. You can choose your own figures, animals and scenery elements. They even have tiny little hay bales made of real grass. The trouble is I can’t set mine up anywhere too accessible, because the cat likes to knock all the little people down. It’s quite funny, but last year he chewed one of the wise men’s head off.
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