Nov
18
2008
Kevin Bussey
[Gazette.com]
Focus on the Family wants shoppers to know which retailers are naughty and which ones are nice - at least when it comes to holiday lingo.
On Thursday the Colorado Springs-based ministry’s political action arm launched its second-annual holiday campaign by posting an online shoppers guide with three categories: “Christmas-friendly” retailers, “Christmas-negligent” retailers and “Christmas-offensive” retailers.
The “friendly” retailers are so designated because they prominently use “Merry Christmas” and other Christmas-specific references in their catalogs and in-store promotions. Those on the Christmas-offensive list use secular phrases such as “happy holidays” and have “apparently abandoned” the use of the word “Christmas,” Focus said. Christmas-negligent companies “marginalize” their message by using “Christmas” in some cases and “holidays” in others.
The ministry - which made its determinations based mostly on an examination of retailers’ print and online holiday catalogs - encourages shoppers to patronize the Christmas-friendly stores, but does not tell them to avoid the other retailers.
“It is not a boycott,” said Sonja Swiatkiewicz, Focus’ director of issues response. “Consumers can do what they wish with the information.”
Even so, the online guide includes an electronic petition shoppers can sign that tells retailers “I plan to consult Focus on the Family Action’s Shopping Guide … while making my Christmas purchases this year.”
Read more here.
[From me]
Does it really matter? They are secular companies. Christmas has become less of Jesus anyway when it starts before Halloween. We get presents instead of giving. Personally I like Thanksgiving because it involves just being “thankful.” If Christians are really worried about keeping Christ in Christmas, shouldn’t we be living a life that “points people to Jesus” EVERYDAY instead of “pointing out where His Name isn’t?” Just a thought.
What do you think?
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Nov
17
2008
Kevin Bussey
[CNN]
You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars.Ads proclaiming, “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” will appear on Washington buses starting next week and running through December.
The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday.In lifting lyrics from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas.
“We are trying to reach our audience, and sometimes in order to reach an audience, everybody has to hear you,” said Fred Edwords, spokesman for the humanist group.
“Our reason for doing it during the holidays is there are an awful lot of agnostics, atheists and other types of nontheists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.”
Read more here.
[From me]
I don’t understand why a group would advertise to say they don’t believe. What gives? If you don’t believe in something, just ignore it. Have they ever thought the reason they feel so alone is a vacuum that only God can fill?
What do you think?
Sep
16
2008
Kevin Bussey
[Daily Express]
Christmas and Easter have been scrubbed from a college’s calendars in case they offend non-Christians. Holidays at these times will now be referred to simply as “end of term breaks”. The move will “increase inclusion and diversity”, claim bosses at Yorkshire Coast College in Scarborough, North Yorks. And it is in line with Ofsted guidelines, they say.
But politicians and religious groups branded the ruling “beyond barmy”. Robert Goodwill, Tory MP for Scarborough, said: “This is absolutely bonkers. We are a Christian country and religious tolerance is about respecting other people’s religious beliefs.
“There are people who are petrified that they offend the minority but what they are actually doing is offending the majority. It’s political correctness gone mad.”
[From me]
How stupid. I think the quote above summarizes it best. It is plane dumb. I guess they aren’t worried about Santa seeing if they are good or bad.
What do you think?
Jan
04
2008
Kevin Bussey
[WMTW]
A Lebanon man said he was fired from Wal-Mart for refusing to dress up as Santa Claus.Christopher Nolan, 27, claimed he was asked to dress as Santa last month at the Sanford Wal-Mart but would not, saying he was an atheist and didn’t believe in Christmas.
Read about it here.
[From me]
Help me out here. How does Santa cause problems for an Atheist? Santa has nothing to do with religion, it is a secular person.
What do you think?
Dec
30
2007
Kevin Bussey
[Breitbart]
Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born. Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.
Read about it here.
[From me]
Nothing like celebrating the birth of the Savior by a fight. I didn’t know business meetings were scheduled for Christmas.
What do you think?
