12/31/2010
Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund has been fighting against the War on Christmas, and for Christmas since the Reagan Administration, but he finds himself being forced to answer whether the “War on Christmas” is really
nonexistent and phony, a clever and cynical ploy concocted by leaders of the Religious Right to rile up the emotions of its gullible followers for increased fundraising at the end of the year? Or, in the alternative, is the “War on Christmas” really hyped up by Fox News in order to boost its ratings? So which narrative is correct? Does the “War on Christmas” exist or not?
I have been pondering this question this December because I find it surprising, as one who has dealt with a number of Christmas censorship lawsuits and controversies over the years. In fact, I found in the dusty recesses of my office bookshelf a copy of a pamphlet I wrote for Concerned Women for America that it published in 1987(!) addressing what the Constitution permits or prohibits for public Christmas celebrations. The book recounts a case I worked on with Mike Farris involving an Orlando-area school district that prohibited student choirs from singing religious Christmas carols, and removed all student artwork from classroom walls that depicted the birth of Christ. The booklet details various court cases by the American Civil Liberties Union to ban religious Christmas carols in public schools and to remove creches. I was trying to discuss actual legal cases in the booklet, not write fiction.
Also, I recall a flight on a major airlines several years ago. When we landed, the flight attendant wished us a “Happy Holidays” over the intercom. As I left, I asked her if her company allowed its employees to say “Merry Christmas” to passengers. She said, “oh no, I would be written up if I did that.” So I am surprised when commentators scoff at these actual accounts and and claim that there is no “War on Christmas.” What? I was there! Are you denying reality? Those things actually happened! I feel like Neil Armstrong listening to someone argue that NASA faked my Apollo moon landing![Heathens Greetings: What the Supposedly Nonexistent “War on Christmas” Really Is and Is Not | Advancing Religious Liberty]
Of course, both as a Christian, and as a lawyer, he’s obliged to react like Neil Armstrong, not like Buzz Aldrin, seen here punching one of those guys who believes the moon landing was faked.
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