http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=1297
By Rev. Ted Pike
The http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=641 says America has a big problem at Christmas-time – a “dilemma”. Christianity is given much more prominence than other faiths. Jews, some African-Americans, who celebrate Kwanzaa, and other religious minorities feel left out, as if their holiday observances are unequal to those of Christianity.
ADL is launching a massive “December Dilemma” campaign, educating public schools, government institutions, and town officials nation wide that such “bias” in favor of Christianity is not only unconstitutional but a grievous civil rights violation.
In order to make members of all religions welcome during the holidays, ADL insists that “schools and governments . . . cannot favor one religion over another.” Administrators should allow no more references to Jesus than to Mohammed or Confucius. Ideally, no more Christmas trees should be displayed than stars of David or Buddhist shrines. Only a sprinkling of Christmas carols can be allowed, interspersed with secular “x-mas” music. ADL says “…songs which ‘call on God for His blessing and contain an avowal of divine faith’ are not appropriate for public school students to sing.” Instead of celebrating Christ as Savior, ADL contends the Christmas season should be a time to celebrate all the world’s diverse paths to God.Rational Balance at Christmas
What is a balanced policy toward minority faiths during religious holidays? Simple. Not only America , but every nation should allow religious groups to display their symbols in proportion to their numbers. This month, in Israel , let Jewish symbols and practices dominate during Chanukah. Let Moslem observances prevail in Islamic countries during the fast of Ramadan. But in a country as Christian in origins, numbers, and practice as America, let’s not let ADL, representing the thinking of Jews constituting less than 1% of Americans, forbid us to allow Christian symbols to prevail during a Christian holiday season.
Americans of non-Christian faiths have equal rights before the law, entitling them to unrestrained enjoyment of their religious beliefs. But equal rights to display their symbols does not mean they have the right to demand the same degree of public representation as the American Christian majority. It does not mean the majority should reduce its level of religious expression in order to equal that of the minority.
This policy should be as true in Israel as in the United States. Yet, during Chanukah, ADL does not demand that Israel guarantee just as much exposure be given to Christian or Moslem minorities. ADL does not insist that Christian crosses be displayed alongside menorahs at the Tel-Aviv airport, in schools, or in government offices. No, ADL believes Israel is somehow different from America. Maybe it’s because Israel is a Jewish nation, founded on the Talmud’s supremacist values. Certainly the great majority of its inhabitants are Jewish. Being the dominant, ancestral/religious majority they claim rights to national enjoyment of their religious values, unrestrained by requests for parity from minority faiths.
So why doesn’t ADL even handedly apply the same thinking to the dominant 77% majority of Americans who claim to be Christians, also the ancestral culture of our country?
It’s because ADL is not really concerned with fair play or the hurt feelings of religious minorities. Such is a manufactured “dilemma” which ADL exploits to help achieve their real goal – taking Jesus Christ not only out of Christmas, but out of American public life and values. ADL wants to secularize America and the world so that Jewish supremacist values and symbols may rule unchallenged.
Here’s proof: in its December Holiday Guidelines for Public Schools, ADL, with incredible audacity, advocates that the Menorah, quintessential symbol of Judaism, replace Christian symbols in holiday displays in public schools. ADL recommends: “For instance, on a board filled during the winter months with images of snowflakes, candles, and evergreen trees, it might be appropriate to add images of Santa Claus and even a Chanukah Menorah, because the overall message is clearly a celebration of the season – not the promotion of a religious point of view. However, a nativity scene, crucifix, or other undeniably religious symbols are not appropriate for a public school display. . .”
Christmas: Non-Problem for Centuries
Except for increased secularism and materialism, Christmas has been celebrated in essentially the same way for at least a thousand years, blessing and inspiring not just Christians, but sojourners of other religions and creeds who dwelt in Christian lands. Far from feeling discriminated against by the prevailing Christian observances, minorities have always understood the majority’s right to such privileges. As long as their personal rights and safety were not threatened, no dilemma existed.
Like so many other “problems” ADL has with Christianity, the one now being dramatized throughout school systems and government agencies in America has little basis in reality. This “problem” originates primarily from Jewish complainers and the perennial “Grinch of Christmas” – ADL.
Ultimately, http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2507). It remained their preference in 2004 when ADL National Executive Board member, Philadelphia D.A. Lynne Abraham had 11 Christians incarcerated for the “hate crime” of witnessing to homosexuals. In fact, ADL–led Jewish activists are now creating “hate crimes” bureaucracies world-wide to hasten arrival of millions of Christians to this place. What is this ADL-approved place of solitude, reflection, and prayer?
You guessed it: a prison cell.
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Rev. Ted Pike is director of the National Prayer Network, a Christian/conservative watchdog organization.
http://truthtellers.org/alerts/adldecemberdilemma08.htm