December Dilemma Watch 2007

All is Calm, All is Bright

hrossi — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:23:43 +0000

As I bring this year's December Dilemma Watch to a close, I have to say that 2007 will not go down as a banner year in the history of the Christmas wars. There were no freedom-of-religion (or freedom-from-religion) lawsuits that grabbed national headlines, no flood of boycotts of major retailers because those stores wished people "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," no barrage of books and specials hosted by television news commentators decrying the tragic decline of the rights of...

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No Christ in Christmas? Impossible!

hrossi — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:58:44 +0000

Yesterday, CNN.com published this column by commentator Roland Wilson, in which he makes the argument that Americans should "return to traditional values, and end this ridiculous charade" of stripping Christmas of its religious meaning. To longtime observers of the December Dilemma, Wilson's essay appears to conflate two classic problems that many conservative Christians assert. One is that...

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Not Until His Birthday, Please

hrossi — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:30:24 +0000

This week, at least 12 residents of Santa Clarita, California discovered something missing from the nativity scenes they had put up in their front yards--the baby Jesus. In place of the baby, according to Los Angeles' KNBC News, the thieves left a note that read, "Do not worry for baby Jesus is not gone, yet he is just not born, yet." The statues were indeed not gone, but instead were placed at the foot of a statue...

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The Vatican’s Nativity Switch

hrossi — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:00:08 +0000

According to Catholic World News, the Vatican has changed its tradition of erecting a Nativity scene of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in a manger in Bethlehem, instead putting up a scene of the holy family in their home in Nazareth. The Vatican has put up a creche since Pope John Paul II instituted the tradition in 1982.
The scene, as always, will not be unveiled until Christmas Eve.
...

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Mike Huckabee’s Christmas Message

hrossi — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:35:00 +0000

Gov. Mike Huckabee, the ordained Southern Baptist preacher who continues to rise in the Republican presidential primary polls, has a new ad out that aims directly for the pro-Christmas set. People shouldn't be bombarded during this time of year with political ads, Huckabee says while wearing a red sweater, seated in front of a Christmas tree, with "Silent Night" playing softly in the background. Instead, "what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ, and being with our family...

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This Just In: Madonna Cancels Christmas

hrossi — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:00:13 +0000

Esther Kustanowitz reports in our Idol Chatter blog that celebrities face the December Dilemma too. Specifically, Madonna, who attempts to balance a belief in Jesus with participation in pop-Kabbalah religion, has canceled Christmas in her home this year. Read the full post here »

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Festivus Makes it to City Hall

hrossi — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:08:44 +0000

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, a nativity scene was erected in front of City Hall. Some members of the community felt that this was an inappropriate public display of religion, and one man felt strongly enough about it to request that a Festivus pole be erected next to the creche. Festivus, of course, is the fictional holiday, popularized by the "Seinfeld" show, in which an unadorned aluminum pole is posted and people partake in rituals including "feats of strength" and "the airing of...

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The Glory of 17,000 Lights

hrossi — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:53:18 +0000

Joe Jankowski of Belleville, Michigan wanted to give his wife a Christmas she wouldn't forget 6 years ago. So he set about fully decorating their double-wide trailer home with Christmas lights and trees. Today, the home boasts 17,000 light bulbs and 30 trees, and it takes Jankowski a full month of work to complete it.
Click here to see Jankowski's full display on CNN.com.
...

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Bill O’Reilly’s Victory Speech

hrossi — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:21:04 +0000

FOX News commentator Bill O'Reilly has been a driving force behind publicizing the "War on Christmas" over the past several years, calling out retailers who wish customers "Happy Holidays" and pummeling the ACLU for bringing lawsuits objecting to religious holiday displays in public places. But this year, according to his Dec. 12 "Read the full post here »

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An “SP” Speaks Out

hrossi — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:00:26 +0000

In Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo declaring victory in the War on Christmas, he cited a column by the Philadelphia Daily News' Carol Towarnicky. O'Reilly said that for her comment that "No religion should be in the public square, not even when the overwhelming majority of citizens practice it," Towarnicky would be applauded by "Joseph Stalin, Mao, and Fidel."
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