Christmas War Spotlight Too Bright?
With Christmas right around the corner, many in the public have expressed their annoyance at the spotlight on the "War on Christmas," and particularly at Bill O'Reilly's persistence in denouncing those who disrespect the holiday.
Even the Fox News host's fans think he's warranting the Christmas controversies - such as the much publicized atheist sign that was allowed at the Washington State Capitol near a nativity scene - too much time on his popular program, "The O'Reilly Factor."
"Some viewers have written to me complaining that we're over-covering the Christmas controversies," O'Reilly said on his show this week. "They say the subject isn't really that important."
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"Well, they're wrong," he emphatically stated.
He justified his response by explaining the history behind Christmas - not the birth of Jesus story but the political history. In 1870, he explained, Christmas was established as a federal holiday and was meant to unite Americans in the aftermath of the Civil War.
"President [Ulysses S.] Grant realized that Christmas was one of the few things that Americans had in common [and] that just about everybody back then respected the holiday," O'Reilly said.
Today, Americans are once again divided, the news host noted, but this time over social issues such as marriage.
And he accuses secular-progressives of assaulting traditional beliefs and institutions, with the help of media and large funds.
Although they have made gains over the past decade, O'Reilly believes secular progressives "remain frustrated because religious Americans still far outnumber them and the religious Americans are standing in the way of a truly secular country."
"Thus, religion itself has to be diminished," O'Reilly further explained. "And what is the biggest religious display? Christmas."
"That's why you're seeing all the nonsense."
Some of that "nonsense" includes retailers promoting "Happy Holidays" over the words "Merry Christmas" in ads and greetings by employees.
The more prominent Christmas controversy this year, however, is atheists trying to display their own signs on public property, alongside Christmas displays. And a few states, including Washington, have allowed it.
The sign at the Washington State Capitol states, "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens our hearts and enslaves our minds."
Dan Barker, co-president of Freedom from Religion Foundation which is behind the atheist sign, told Fox News that this time of year is "not a Christian tradition" but a "human tradition" and that a nativity scene at the capitol "insults" those who are not Christian.
Washington governor Chris Gregoire's decision to permit the atheist sign next to a nativity scene drew complaints and sparked controversy. Last week, Washington state officials placed a moratorium on permitting any more holiday displays at the Capitol until they rework their policy on displays.
"[I]t is inconceivable that Ulysses S. Grant, believing he finally had a slam-dunk issue in which to unite a fractured country, could have foreseen the social civil war we have today," O'Reilly stated in a Thursday commentary. "Sadly, we are no longer one nation under God. But those of us who truly understand the spirit of Christmas, the simple message of good will toward all men, understand that Ulysses S. Grant was on to something. Christmas should be a time of peace and understanding. It's sad that we now have to defend that."
