A Washington Post article reported that across the country
twice as many Nativity scenes are being vandalized this year.
Several figures of the infant Jesus have been stolen, and William
Donohue, president of the Catholic League, is quoted as saying,
"But this is happening so much this year, I can only see it
as part of the trend of Christian-bashing and trying to stamp out
Christmas."
As I drive around Staten Island looking at the decorated homes, I
see many with front-yard creches lit brightly, and the undiluted
words "Merry Christmas" abound in these displays.
There's not too much bashing going on in this borough, which has
no problem with religious displays of all kinds.
On Monday, I attended the Christmas stage show at the renovated
St. George theater, which was quite a bargain at $15.The
delightful production even had its own version of the Rockettes
and a ballet vignette of the "The Nutcracker." The
elaborate closing featured a living Nativity scene, including a
New Jersey donkey named Bill. Hymns were sung, and the narrator
read the gospel on Christ's birth, leaving no doubt about the
true meaning of Christmas.
To get the proper perspective of this season's anti-Christmas
campaign by the very few against the wishes of the many, I had to
envision living in a country where the dominant religion was one
I didn't believe in. I tried to imagine what I'd feel like if
every year this country celebrated the birth of the founder of
this dominant religion by giving gifts to friends, relatives,
strangers, and the needy, decorating the town with bright lights
and symbols of the faith, and made the feast day a national
holiday for all; if companies gave their employees bonuses and
held office parties; if good will, health, and happiness were
wished for all - and yet if taking part in this grand celebration
did not require me to reject my own beliefs. Would I join in the
celebratory mood? Of course. Why not?
If I lived in a town that worshiped Frank Costanza from the
"Seinfeld" TV show as the founder of the Festivus
season, I might think this was a crazy thing to do, but as long
as I wasn't obligated to worship him as my god, I'd consider the
celebration harmless.
It would never occur to me to insist that all symbols of the
religion practiced by the nation's majority be removed. Because I
am secure in my own faith and beliefs, I do not fear the
influence of others practicing their faith in a nonthreatening
manner. Yet this is what is happening throughout the country by
individuals insisting that these Christian symbols are offensive
to them. What on earth are they afraid of?
When I lived in Spanish Harlem, my upstairs neighbors were a
Jewish family who ran a bakery in La Marqueta under the train
tracks on 113th Street. Every Christmas they'd give us presents
with loaves of challah and other goodies. During the High
Holidays, the adults in my family would bring them treats and
offer them a toast to the New Year with a glass of Mogen David
wine. That may not sound like much, but this was a poor
neighborhood rich in friendships like those.
It's clear to me that the individuals most upset at the image of
creches in public areas misuse the First Amendment to conceal
their own lack of faith in their own principles. They express
concern about their children being influenced by religion. O ye
of little faith! Surely if they feel threatened by symbols
exerting influence over their children, then perhaps it's because
they lack sufficient belief in their own ideology.
Unfortunately, these attacks on their sacred images are provoking
many Christians to enter into a defensive and angry mode. The
anger that I read and hear in calls to talk-radio programs and
postings on Internet forums is disconcerting, because it, too,
betrays the meaning of this season: peace on earth, goodwill to
all.
We should feel blessed that we can express our religion publicly
whether others agree with us or not. December 25 is only a
symbolic date chosen to celebrate Jesus Christ, who was probably
born in June. The date was selected because Christians were being
persecuted and they hid their celebrations behind the pagan
winter festivities. Thankfully, we don't have to do that anymore,
and we should remember the words of that Christian hymn to St.
Francis: "and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by
our love." To Christians: Merry Christmas! To everybody
else: Have a happy holiday! See? It's not that hard.