Tuesday, December 21, 2004

The debate over Christmas

Kerry Spot has entered the fray with a long post on the current debate, specifically between the Powerliners, Hugh Hewitt and Jeff Jarvis:

Yes, there are Democrats who go to church. Yes, there are Democrats who are more religious than Republicans.

But there's a reason Terry McAuliffe didn't take Peggy Noonan's advice. The secularist-and-proud folks have clumped together under the Democrat banner, and the religious-and-proud folks have clumped together under the Republican banner. It would be nice if each side could attract more of the other, but any serious look at this topic requires us to recognize that the political divide is influencing this debate about religion as much as the religious divide is influencing our debates about politics.

In the end, the real problem is all about lumping: lumping people together in a nation that believes we are individuals. Each of us has the right to worship as we please and so we must allow all our fellow citizens to worship as they please. We speak and vote as we please and allow our fellow citizens to speak and vote as they please.

You know, that's what I thought, but then I hear, "The school choir can't sing that song, it offends me... the town square can't have that manger, it offends me... the tree can't be called a Christmas tree, it offends me... you can't wish someone "Merry Christmas," it might offend them." I think a lot of folks are feeling, "You know, I want you to have a Merry Christmas, but I'm reaching the point where I don't really care whether you're offended or not. I'm not going to change my December greeting of goodwill because you have a hair-trigger 'disrespect' detector."

That is what the First Amendment - and America - are all about.

So why are you ripping Hugh and the "Merry Christmas" folks? Go rip the "You can't say Merry Christmas, you have to say Happy Holidays" folks!

Read the whole thing