Plead the First

The alleged War on Christmas, touted by many conservatives, is a myth. There are no legions of Liberals frothing at the mouth when they hear the phrase “Merry Christmas”. Similarly, the “War on Christianity”, and the portrayal of the ACLU as the enemy of all that is good and decent are also two ideas with no solid basis in fact.

That being said, there are indeed isolated incidents in which the rights of Christians are violated. Take for instance the case in which a Massachusetts school disciplined a group of students for handing out candy canes with religious messages (the students, incidentally, were defended by the ACLU). This doesn’t represent a war, but rather an overzealous administrator who is unfamiliar with the law.

That brings me to my point: Many teachers, principals, store managers, and other average people in such positions probably aren’t familiar with the details of first amendment law. However, what they do know is that they hear right-wing pundits in print and on the airwaves decrying the War on Christmas and Christianity, warning them that if they allow the smallest hint of religious expression to occur that the ACLU is going to haul them into court and sue them.

Hearing these conservatives peddling the idea of a War on All Things Christian, isn’t it likely that the average principal or merchant is going to err on the side of caution, and guard against all religious expression in his schools or shops? Is it possible that the self-styled defenders of Christmas and Christianity are actually waging war on their own ideals by encouraging everyone to be fearful of litigation?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 14th, 2005 at 1:56 am and is filed under Politics, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.