(CNSNews.com) - Upset that local governments are trying to "censor"
Christmas, the Catholic League said there is an unfounded fear that
Christian symbols, such as a nativity scene, will offend people with other
religious beliefs.
"We haven't hit December yet and already the politically correct police are
out in force trying to censor Christmas," said Bill Donahue, president of
the Catholic League, in a statement. "The multicultural monsters are rearing
their ugly heads once again, showing what they really mean by tolerance for
diversity."
"A lot of it is fear, and it's really unfounded fear," Kiera McCaffrey,
director of communications for the Catholic League, told Cybercast News
Service. "The idea that a non-Christian is going to be wildly offended by
seeing a creche or by people actually acknowledging Christmas, you know it's
really insulting to non-Christians. It's assuming a bigotry on their part,
where we don't see one exists.
"Christians who pass menorahs don't go into fits, just as most Jews who pass
creches aren't troubled," she said. "But there is the idea by these
diversity denizens that we have to water everything down so as not to
trouble anybody."
Making their list
of grievances - most of which prohibit nativity scenes on public property -
is Chattanooga, Tenn., which has banned a live nativity scene from its
public festivities.
"For years Chattanooga, Tenn., has had a celebration that included a
nativity scene," said McCaffrey. "They received a complaint, and the
reaction of the organizers was to then get rid of the nativity scene, saying
they didn't want to trouble anybody."
She said there was backlash in the community, and the scene was moved to a
local church.
"Because they are fearful of lawsuits, even when they are permitted to put
up nativity scenes and things like this, many cities are reticent to do so,"
McCaffrey said.
But Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion
Foundation, told Cybercast News Service that the Catholic League's claims
are "absolutely silly."
The Catholic League blames the Freedom from Religion Foundation for blocking
an effort to rename the Wisconsin state capitol "holiday tree" the
"Christmas tree."
"There is no 'war on Christmas,' but I think it's always in season to
assault the separation of church and state today in our country," Gaylor
said. "There is a war against the idea that government should be neutral
about religion - even in December. Somehow the government is supposed to
believe that it is an arm of Christianity in December."
"When they place nativity scenes, for example as the sole focus of a
display, it is an endorsement for Christianity," she said. "It actually
violates the Supreme Court policy on nativity scenes, yet it happens all
over the place."
Gaylor added that there are no complaints against private displays. "There
would be a war against Christmas if the government was shutting down private
displays," she said.
"There is a war on reason. There is a war on enlightenment, but there is no
war on Christmas," she said. "You can't escape Christmas. Every commercial
district, every shopping mall, our radio stations turn into great promoters
of Christmas even before Thanksgiving is over.
"Government should not be celebrating any holy day," she concluded. "That is
not hostility toward religion - it is being patriotic."
But McCaffrey said, "As it gets closer to Christmas, there will certainly be
more examples of this sort of thing - there always are - but we will also
see speaking up more."
She said private groups and businesses are now more willing to recognize
Christmas, and "one thing that is encouraging is that people are really
starting to fight back and speak up."