expressing faith
Christmas Smack Down: Is Your
Child Ashamed of His Faith?
Courtesy of BreakPoint Online
with Charles Colson
CBN.com –
In a Texas classroom, children were told to draw a tracing
of their foot, and then put a message on the drawing. One little
girl wrote "Jesus Loves Me" on hers. What happened next
shows the abysmal state of religious tolerance in America.
As Fox news anchor John Gibson relates in his new book, The
War on Christmas, the child's teacher ripped the tracing
off the board. "Don't you ever do this again," she said.
The little girl burst into tears.
When her outraged father called the school, nervous officials
told the child to make another tracing. She did so—but this
time, instead of scrawling "Jesus Loves Me," she drew
a tiny cross that was so small it was almost invisible.
This little girl had learned her lesson well. Her Christian faith
was something shameful—and she should keep it to herself.
And this little girl is not the only child learning this ugly
lesson. In a Plano, Texas, classroom, a teacher told students
not to write "Merry Christmas" on greeting cards for
soldiers in Iraq because it might offend someone. They were even
forbidden to say "Merry Christmas" to their classmates.
And this, in Plano, Texas?
In a New York school, the halls were decked with menorahs and
Kwanzaa candles. When a father asked why there was no Christmas
tree, the principal said, "Oh, we're trying to make sure
we don't offend people."
In Maplewood, New Jersey, fifth-graders were asked to make posters
demonstrating diversity. A boy named Anton pasted on the Star
of David and a Muslim symbol. When his mother suggested he add
a Christian symbol, he said, "No, I don't want to offend
anyone." These kids are being brain-washed.
Every December, symbols of Christmas are treated like pornography,
sex, or second-hand smoke—things that ought to be enjoyed
in private, lest others be offended.
According to Gibson, people who treat Christian symbols this
way are acting out of a deep-seated hostility toward all things
Christian. They're often offended by Christianity on an intellectual
level. They think it's a crutch used by the less intelligent.
And since they have begun losing battles in the courts, they've
opened up a new front called "inclusiveness." Yes, they
admit, the Supreme Court says it's okay to have Christmas trees
on public property—but do we really want to offend neighbors
who don't celebrate Christmas? The same goes for Christmas music
and candy canes in schools; somewhere, someone might be offended.
But isn't it strange that, in case after case, only Christian
symbols seem to have the power to offend?
Well, many Christians have had enough, and they're fighting back.
For help, they're turning to religious liberties groups that have
sprung up to defend our First Amendment rights. Among these are
the ACLJ, the Thomas More Law Center, the Alliance Defense Fund,
and the Beckett Fund. Visit our Web site (www.breakpoint.org)
for more information.
Parents are right to resist efforts to try to teach their kids
that Christian symbols—and the faith they represent—are
inherently offensive. In a country that honors religious freedom,
the real offense is not saying "Merry Christmas" to
a friend, but in teaching kids that expressing their faith is
something to be ashamed of.
From BreakPoint, Copyright 2005 Prison Fellowship
Ministries. "BreakPoint
with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of
Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission of Prison
Fellowship, P.O. Box 17500, Washington, DC, 20041-0500."
Heard on more than 1000 radio stations nationwide. For more information
on the ministry of Chuck Colson and Prison Fellowship visit their
web site at http://www.breakpoint.org.
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