'Tis the silly season for evangelicals and their foghorn Bill O'Reilly to complain that atheists are trying to do away with Christmas and create a secular holiday. Well, wah... The fundamentalists have the luxury of this conflict without any casualties. No one is hurt if there is an atheist sign for the winter solstice at the Washington State Capitol except for the spoiled crybabies on the religious right.Let's have a little perspective on the issue. The retail season is the weakest in two decades, 20 years, and won't get better after the holidays. Weak sales mean less demand for products which leads to more workers being laid off. Evangelicals can stuff the whining about the holy day up their manger scene. Not only is the secular realm affected by the financial downturn but the devout are in affliction. Thomas Nelson, a Bible publisher, just laid off 55 people because even Christian retail merchants cannot sell their wares. Bitching about whose symbolism goes where is like rearranging cultural deck chairs while the boat is sinking fast.
The anger over the war on Christmas, compared to the real problems that concern the world, is theatrical and immature. It is a pose of emotion, a calculated manipulation for self-glory. This arrogance does not touch the honest grief of those who lost their loved ones to the war in Afghanistan. Three Canadian soldiers: Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton, Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin,and Pte. Justin Peter Jones, recently died there in explosions. This holiday season is a time to honour what is important. Remember these brave young men no longer with families; parents, wives, and children who will be forever lonely each holiday season.
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