Christianity And Christmas: A New Minority?

I have heard statements made lately in the press and on TV, that in some people's opinion, Christianity in the US is now in the minority. I beg to differ with these people, as it isn't true and in this country, the majority rules. What does this have to do with Christmas? Everything.

Let's take a look at the actual breakdown of religion in the US, according to The Graduate, a part of the University of New York:

"American Religious Identification Survey 2001

Fifty-two percent of adults in America are Protestant, 24.5% are Catholic, and 14.1% adhere to no religion, according to the latest American Religious Identification Survey, 2001 ("ARIS 2001") just released by The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Those giving their religion as Jewish are 1.3% and those as Muslim or Islamic are 0.5%.

With a sample of over 50,000 randomly selected respondents aged 18 or over, ARIS 2001 is the most comprehensive portrait of religious identification in the U.S. today. First conducted in 1990 and repeated this year, the survey fills a gap left by the Census, which does not ask about religion.

Nearly 95% of those interviewed were willing to indicate their religious identification and views on important questions about their beliefs. The findings, weighted to be representative of the 208 million U.S. adult population, include national and state-by-state examinations of religious identification in relation to racial/ethnic identification, education, age, marital status, voter registration status and political party preference."

At http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html -you can check the global breakdown of all religions, and see that Christianity accounts for 33 % of the global population. In the US, Christianity accounts for the majority of religious preference. So, the argument over this aspect of the Christmas debate is specious.

Christmas has traditionally, in our country, been a time of sheer magic and delight for children. From the twinkling lights of outdoor displays, Santa Claus, and the Christmas tree, it is one of the few holidays to stress love for one another, and to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Our little ones live in a very different world, than the one we grew up in, a much more dangerous and threatening place. Post September 11th, it created fears that even our smallest children feel. Yet, a vocal few are trying to take this one blessed holiday and use it as a tool to manipulate and distort its reality.

I am sickened and angered by the constant attempts to change the religious and moral landscape of America. From trying to remove the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools, to the "sanitizing" of Christmas to a newly politically correct and meaningless Happy Holidays. I attended Catholic school, and every day we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, before we said morning prayers. Now, children cannot pray in public schools, and in some areas cannot recite the Pledge.

The people representing this fight to strip religion from America are in the main, atheists, agnostics and frankly those who are doing this for their brief moment of fame. I don't hear them requesting Menorahs not be displayed, or that Kwanza be banished, nor Muslims be forbidden to dress according to the dictates of their faith. All I see is a direct assault upon Christianity and its practices.

A belief in God has been the bedrock and guiding principle of our form of government. No, it doesn't run the country, but the tenets espoused do- the greatest of which is "Love your neighbor, as you would have them love you." and "In God we trust". Since the founding of this country we have tried to treat each other and those from around the globe, in a manner reflecting the values of compassion and dignity. Because of this, we became the greatest nation on this planet, a country people from other places have died trying to reach, because they knew what we stood for.

It's time to fight back and refuse to allow the vocal few to ruin this country with their soulless and unkind way of thinking. I refuse to shop at stores that insist on the newly PC Happy Holidays, have decorated my yard bigger and brighter this season, and absolutely refuse to utter the inane Happy Holidays to anyone. Let the Grinches grumble, but it's MERRY CHRISTMAS! And in the immortal words of Charles Dickens character Tiny Tim "God Bless us, one and all"

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