Letters to the Editor
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Method Behind the Madness
You have to understand how this kind of rhetoric functions within the conservative Christian community.
First, and most important, Christianity, especially the conservative kind, always has to have an enemy. You see this in the New Testament and in the writings of many early Christians. For Conservative Christains, having an enemy is part of the process of self-definition and self-identity.
For conservatives, whether Christian or not, one of the most important things is to keep people all het up about something or other. A few years ago I had an interesting conversation with a friend. I said to him that I didn't understand why these conservatives were always so angry all the time -- always denouncing this or that, always complaining, always pissed off.
He replied "you don't get it, do you."
I said "get what?"
He replied "the whole POINT of all this stuff is to keep people in a continual state of outrage and umbrage. This is what these writers DO. This is a case where the medium is indeed the message. The purpose of the message is not to communicate any particular information. And frankly, the message is mostly bull**** anyway. The purpose is to make sure that people are pissed off all the time. When people are pissed off they go to the polls, they contribute money, they spread the word. That doesn't happen with cautious, reasonable arguments."
So with the Christmas thing, I think what we have is an intersection of interests between religious and political conservatives: it gives the religious a new enemy, and the politicos a new outrage.
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New Christian Right, defined
Since the ascendancy of George Bush's new Christian coalition, I have struggled to understand who these war-loving, oil-company-admiring, tax-cuts-for-the-rich Christians are. Now, this article has given me a useful handle on them. They're secular consumerists, who are offended that Wal-Mart does not exploit one of the most sacred days on their liturgical calendar aggressively enough, for the purpose of selling foot massagers, video games and Bratz dolls.
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It's not a war on Christmas, but sniping
The assault on Christmas complete with John Birch and "widespread conspiracy" theorists is a convenient straw man for Ms. Goldberg to attack. Some far-right church leaders like Jerry and James would say there is a war, but in reality it's more like sniping.
There are attacks on Christmas, but they aren't part of a conspiracy, just occasional profanities. If these painful barbs were aimed at any other faith, they wouldn't take it very well either (ie Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses fatwa). For an example look up the Virgin Mobile's website which is currently featuring it's Chrismahanakwanzakah ad campaign. : http://www.virginmobileusa.com/ This and the "House of Paygoism" campaign (Virgin Saves) have squarely targeted the evangelical Christian church in order to sell you a phone.
More irritating to me is the way that capitalism has acquired Christmas. The original three gifts were meant to celebrate, nobility, birth, and death (gold, frankincense, and myrrh). Now most Christmas gifts are kitsch, the anti-thesis of birth, death, or anything of importance.
The biggest threat in pop-culture to Christmas is the 'True Meaning of Christmas' which every animated special seems to claim as some vague platitude of "Love everybody and hug your family".
Not since the Charlie Brown Christmas special has any network Christmas show come close. Pay attention to Linus's monologue, it's the crux of the holiday.
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War on Christmas
Seems to me that the so-called war on Christmas is really just retailers' attempt to include as many people as possible in the Christmas shopping bonanza. I don't think it has anything to do with secularizing Christmas. It's just about cash cash cash.
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" Who's Scoorged Now?"
After reading this article it reminded me of the fact that every year I make time to read ,"A Christmas Carol" and watch the History of Christmas on the History Channel. It's very enlightening.
The thing that I have noticed about the Christin Right is that they can not face up to thier own Christian History. Jesus was a JEW. Most missionaries incorporated old mythic celebrations into their teachings so the local culture could keep its own identity. That was the only true way for the Christians to convert anyone. That is a histoical fact.
What I don't understand is this new sgenda on "Scrooging" Christmas. If anyone is getting "Scrooged" this year is the working man. He has had to pay more for basic fuel, food, and housing than any other time that at least I can remember. The rich are getting more tax breaks while the poor and middle class are taking up the slack. Most people I know are living day to day. That was why Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in the first place as a social commentary on the way big buisness and the rich deal with the common man. Perhaps all the talking heads need to read this story and the history of Christmas itself before they deem to pass judegment on the rest us.
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Thank you!
Ahhh. As I read this article, I repeatedly had the desire to breathe deeply so I could physically inhale its fresh air. I am so very tired of the constant woe-is-me-ism of many Christians in this country. I am a Christian. I attend church services for 3 hours each Sunday. (Which is probably more than Bush can say!) And you know, funny thing, nobody from our city police has ever tried to stop me on my way to church. No employee of our local schools, or nearby department store, has ever blocked the door to my church building, or stolen scriptures from my home, or in any other way even tried to prevent me from worshiping as I please. Sure, I encounter an occasional religious bigot who has some snarky comment to make about my beliefs. But the idea of some organized anti-Christian conspiracy is pure paranoia.
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christian christmas?
If I was a Christian, I think I would feel a little uncomfortable getting up in arms about whether department stores connected their commercial orgy with Christ. I think I'd want the secular trappings of Christmas - the tree, the presents, etc., to stay 10 feet away from my religious holiday at all times. You want Christ? Go to church, not Wal Mart.