Christmas is upon us, one of the three
most important dates in Christianity.
I was hoping to get through the season
without any atheistic zaniness, but that
didn’t happen.
Starting in Olympia, Wash., and spreading
to two or three other cities, atheists
couldn’t stand by and not attempt to draw
attention to themselves.
Olympia originally simply allowed a
Nativity scene and a Menorah, two symbols
important to Christians and Jews, to be
displayed on public property.
The atheists predictably demanded a
display themselves. Their wish was granted
when city officials caved,
but rather than being a
statement of their nonreligious,
unbelieving
“faith,” they chose to
denigrate and insult my
religious beliefs.
I, and many other
Christians, simply won’t
sit still for this behavior.
I know I have friends
who are either self-proclaimed
or silent atheists,
and this column is not
about them (even though
I can’t understand their
decision and know they
are making the biggest
mistake possible). This
column is for the radical
members of their group.
Why are you so afraid
of religion, and Christianity
in particular? What do you fear? It’s
easy to declare yourself an atheist, especially
out of laziness, since I’m sure very
few of you ever attempted to give religion a
serious chance through exploration and introspection.
Isn’t it also quite egocentric to
not acknowledge a supreme being greater
than yourself?
Instead of proudly proclaiming your
stance and backing it up with research
that led you to your ultimate decision, you
choose to exhibit nastiness and hate toward
my religious faith.
You post a sign next to the above-mentioned
displays that says, “There are no
gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or
hell. There is only our natural world. Religion
is but a myth and superstition that
hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
Christianity has been around for more
than 2,000 years. Our country was founded
on Christian/Judean principles. I could fill
many columns with quotes and speeches
from the Founding Fathers to back up this
claim.
Christmas has been a national holiday
since the late 1800s. Polls show that
there are only 3 percent of Americans who
consider themselves atheists (still way too
many), 92 percent who believe in God, and
84 percent who consider themselves Christians.
Is this why you’re afraid? Is this why you
feel that you have to remove all references
to God and religion from the public square?
Are you worried that a child could see a
Nativity scene and wonder who this baby
Jesus really was? Of course you are.
Here’s what you should do, and I won’t
protest your right to do so. Pick a day, any
day you choose (probably not a work day
since it will never be declared a national
holiday). Spend it celebrating your atheism.
Have an atheist tree, exchange atheist
presents, have a nice atheist dinner, wish
each other a happy atheist day.
Maybe some of you who believe there is
no being more supreme than yourselves can
sit on a stool in front of a mirror and praise
yourselves all day. Just don’t trample, insult
or show condescension toward my religious
convictions.
I promise I won’t bother you (but I will
still worry about you and pray for you).
The saddest part of all this are your
children. I’m sure you won’t even give them
the opportunity to make an informed decision
on their own. Why wouldn’t you do this?
You’re afraid of the choice they might make.
In last weekend’s edition of The Daily
Star, there was an article titled “Israel
celebrates Hanukkah tale.” It tells of an
Israeli village where the re-enactment of
the Hanukkah story takes place, which I
believe is an annual event.
A person is quoted as saying, “Thousands
of Israeli children have visited here.
They learn about the Maccabees and understand
their nationalism, and their religion
becomes stronger.”
Is this what you are afraid of? That they
might hear the story of Jesus and make a
decision different from that of your own?
People, we are on the right side of this
issue. We have the numbers to effectively
boycott films and stores that pander to this
atheistic theme.
A perfect example was Bill Maher’s film
“Religulous.” It was highly promoted and a
total flop. Compare that to the movie “The
Passion of The Christ.” This was produced
by Mel Gibson with his own funds since
Hollywood rejected its religious theme.
It ended up being 12th of the top 1,000
grossing films. So we do have some clout
and can exercise it if pushed too far.
So let’s switch the focus back on Christmas.
As Nathan Tabor, a columnist, says,
Christmas isn’t anything without Christ.
On that note, I wish everyone a very Merry
Christmas, but more importantly, happy
birthday, Jesus.
___
Tom Sears is a professor of accounting
at Hartwick College in Oneonta. He can be
reached at SearsT@hartwick.edu. His column
appears every other week.
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