A ‘War on Christmas?’ Let’s talk, religious historian says
Ah, the Christmas season. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A time to celebrate peace, love and the religious beliefs of America’s religious majority – whether you like it or not.
Christmas culture wars are nothing new, experts say
Tis the season for perennial battles between true believers and
atheists, between mass marketers and the devout souls who worry about
blatant commercialization of “the holiday season.”
While it may seem like it’s getting worse then ever, learning more
about the facts behind these arguments might help all of us understand
one another a bit better, suggest legal and religious history experts at
Washington University in St. Louis.
‘Taking Christ out of Christmas’ is nothing new, historian says
While many may see “taking Christ out of Christmas” as a recent phenomenon, the roots of secular Christmas celebrations and commercialization go deep into American history, says Anne Blankenship, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate at the John C. Danforth Center for Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.
Religious holiday displays – three wise men and a heap of legal troubles
The upcoming holiday season brings with it the
annual gaze upon religious displays — and the legal issues that come
with them. “The Supreme Court’s approach to public religious displays
under the Establishment Clause has been less than clear,” says John
Inazu, JD, expert on religion and the constitution and professor of law
at Washington University in St. Louis.“Some commentators have
described it as the ‘three plastic animals rule’ –a Christian nativity
scene on public property passes muster if it is accompanied by a
sufficient combination of Rudolph, Frosty, and their friends.” Inazu
says that future litigation will likely press against this
line-drawing, but even apparent victories for religious liberty may come
at a significant cost.