Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but in recent years this simple notion has come under fire from liberals and progressives.
According to Yahoo News, the anti-Christian trend has gotten so bad that it prompted U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado last week to introduce House Resolution 564, which reaffirms the First Amendment right to keep Christ within the civic dialogue.
The resolution reads: "Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives — (1) recognizes the importance of the symbols and traditions of Christmas; (2) strongly disapproves of attempts to ban references to Christmas; and (3) expresses support for the use of these symbols and traditions by those who celebrate Christmas."
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Gathered below are seven instances in which Christ and his gospel were shamefully erased from Christmas.
1. Kentucky school removes scripture from "Charlie Brown" — Parents picketed at W.R. Castle Elementary this week after the county schools superintendent cut Linus' speech from a student performance of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" because it contained a passage from the Gospel of Luke.
The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that the Alliance Defending Freedom, a law firm specializing in religious liberty issues, wrote a letter to the school on behalf of one mother whose daughter is in the play, saying, "There is no violation of the so-called 'separation of church and state' by allowing children to learn about theater and the origins of Christmas through participating in a stage version of this beloved program that contains the same religious elements as the television version."
2. Microsoft scrubs God from Christmas song — The software giant produced a TV commercial featuring a chorus of young people singing "Let There Be Peace on Earth." The carolers, however, skipped over the line "With God as our father, brothers all are we. Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony."
A National Review writer said, "Really? Is that the point American culture has reached, that a Christmas video from a major corporation scrubs God from the song?"
3. ABC plays "Silent Night" during abortion scene — Planned Parenthood praised "Scandal" creator Shonda Rhimes this fall for writing a scene in which a character, Olivia, has an abortion while the Christmas hymn "Silent Night" was used as the soundtrack,
The Federalist reported. The song, which celebrates the glorious birth of Jesus, was played while a fetus was killed, inverting the iconography of the holy birth.
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4. University of Tennessee warns students not to throw Christmas parties — "Holiday parties and celebrations should celebrate and build upon workplace relationships and team morale with no emphasis on religion or culture. Ensure your holiday party is not a Christmas party in disguise," the University of Tennessee at Knoxville told its students this year. After many pointed out that the statement possibly infringed on students' right to free speech, the university's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with University Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek, was forced to issue an apology,
The Daily Beast reported.
5. Mayor sues family over its Christmas decorations — Every year, Mark and Kathy Hyatt, residents of Plantation, Florida, create a giant Christmas display at their home — one that includes more than 200,000 lights and a 20-foot Ferris wheel. The display draws thousands each year, and the Hyatts don't charge for any of the festivities. The city accommodates the crowds with police to direct traffic, and now Plantation Mayor Diane Veltri Bendekovic is suing the family to recoup the cost of the police allotment.
Fox News host Bill O’Reilly sent a reporter to confront the mayor about the lawsuit, and she would not respond to his questions. He asked "Why are you suing a family for having Christmas lights?" and "This isn’t a good use of taxpayer money to go after homeowners for a few Christmas lights, is it?"
6. Class trip to see Santa canceled over inclusivity complaints — For years, kindergarten students at San Jose's Sartorette Elementary School "have taken a field trip to Big E Cafe every December over the past several years to drink hot chocolate and visit Santa,"
ABC News reported this week. "This year the field trip was canceled after a mother named Talia, who did not want to use her last name, went to the principal and school board over her concerns the Christmas tradition was not inclusive." Another parent, Vanessa House, who volunteers every day in her son's kindergarten class, said the class does activities for Diwali, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa in December in addition to the Santa trip. "She talks about having all diverse traditions and holidays but yet our Christmas now has been taken away, it's been removed now. So how can it be diverse if Christmas is not even you know, mentioned."
7. Starbucks releases plain red "holiday" cup — The coffee chain has released a special cup each year since 1997, and each year it seems to erase Christmas more and more. This year, Starbucks released a blank, red cup, and defended it with a statement that was saturated with politically correct jargon. "This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories," it said. GOP frontrunner Donald Trump blasted the cups, saying, "Did you read about Starbucks? No more Merry Christmas on Starbucks. Maybe we should boycott Starbucks." In response, Dunkin' Donuts released a cup with a Christmas wreath and the word "Joy,"
USA Today reported.
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