Happy Holidays

I'm tired of hearing Christians whine year after year about how some stores won't say Merry Christmas, and radio stations don't play enough Jesus-related Christmas music.

When did we ever get the idea that America was supposed to cater to our faith? There are countries where people can't even type "Jesus" in an email, and yet our freedom to worship as we choose here isn't enough to make us grateful. We think have to have the entire country celebrate it our way, too.

People say this was a Christian country, and we've gotten away from that. Is my Rhode Island education that bad, or did the colonists NOT come here for religious freedom? Because I'm pretty sure that from the get-go freedom of religion was at least the idea our country was founded on. (Now in practice, that wasn't necessarily the case - like when they put people in stocks for not going to church...) Sure, Christian morals came into play in defining the laws that govern our country. But I don't think our founding fathers would be upset to see that America is a place where people are free to follow whatever form of religion they desire. And if they would be upset, they are hypocrites.

We have an entire month (and then some) of radio stations playing songs about Jesus. No, not all the songs are about Jesus. But the fact that any are is amazing. When was the last time you heard a Hanukkah, Kwanza, or Ramadan song playing on the radio? Secularized or not? But who do you hear whining? Not the Jews, not the Africans, not the Muslims...the Christians. The ones who pretty much own the December airwaves.

Since when does your ability to worship Jesus at Christmas depend on a cashier at Target saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays"? (And by the way, holidays comes from "holy days," so it is recognizing Christmas. It's just not recognizing Christmas exclusively.) Since when is your ability to celebrate impeded by someone calling their tree a "holiday tree"?

People in other countries die for their faith. And we complain about Santa songs infringing on our Christianity. Meanwhile, how often do we take advantage of the privileges we do have? To open our Bibles and read them any time we want? To tell other people why we celebrate Christmas? I know I don't do it as often as I ought.

Shame on us spoiled, self-centered American Christians.