Unfortunately, there will always be those who take offense to "misplaced" icons; some even object to the Christmas tree at the White House or at Rockefeller Plaza. I believe in the separation clause, but that doesn't mean the Nativity cannot be displayed on one's own property. If someone is ill-eased, he should just ignore the display just as one might switch channels if a movie about Jesus is on.

It's important for everybody to remember that this time of the year has different meanings for everyone. Some celebrate Hanukkah, some Kwanzaa. Some celebrate Christmas, then some celebrate nothing.

I think that, in part, certain members of our society react in such ways to symbols of faith due to a lack of open-mindedness, and possibly even fear. However, people of this world have always been different and they always will be different. We should all respect the next person's beliefs and carry on. I guess that's Fairy-tale world thinking, eh?

Man that is exactly how I feel. This is my country as much as everyone else's why can't people let us do what we want with our part of it. In recent years a lot of things have come up that upset me. One was the banning of meditation/prayer in schools. Another, teachers can not make the students stand for the pledge of allegence. Think about it, by not pledging you are saying that you can't promise to be an upstanding citizen. That's just wrong. Now you can't even say Merry Christmas to a neighbor for feer of someone else hearing and becoming offended. Heaven forebid you spread cheer among your neighbors. I can't take it anymore. I think if laws can be made preventing Americans from being Americans why do we have to make more laws allowing natives to other countries be natives to their country in America. They should respect the land they live on. Christmas is not just a religious holiday it is a tradition. When I was in elementary school I remember sitting down and listening to kids tell what there winter holidays were like. Afterwards all of the students still sat down and colored pictures of Santa Claus.
Well, I'm going to stop before I get too into it and type a book on how I feel about this subject. Maybe someday America will become America again. Until then....

....Capt. over and out!

ok, the merry christmas thing is taking it a bit 2 far. however, the pledge of alliegence is blatantly contradictory to freedom of speech. A teacher cannot force a student to say anything, muchless force them to plegde alleginace to a certain organization, namely the ferderal government, i myself am i student and i refuse to say the pledge because it is my constitutional right not to

Its also your constitutional right to be goofy. GCJ

Good article. I totallly think it must be insecurity that makes people get upset about what others are doing. I saw a rabi on TV who said that he is secure in his religion, therefore he has no problem with others being secure in theirs.

Whether you are religious or not, Jesus did exist. Most people even are aware that he wasn't born in December but the holiday is to honor his birth and I think that is wonderful whenver it is done. Anyone who objects to spreading the word of peace on Earth has serious problems anyway.

As for the pledge, doing away with the pledge is just another example of the loss of respect our society seems to have. I remember when I was in 3rd grade and would say the pledge (right before our horrible flouride treatment!) and would be thinking of my grandpa and how he suffered in WWII so I could be in my nice new elementary school. I don't think many kids think that way anymore. You can site your constitutional rights all you want but you have the freedoms you have because of people who fought and died. The pledge is a nice reminder of that.

Merry Christmas ! and Happy New Year

Isnt the idea of honoring the constitution by breaking it kinda contradictory?

MERRY XMAS ALL!!!

Hey, Machiavelli, if you feel it is a violation of the constitution to pledge allegance to the same government that enforces the constitution, does that mean your do not have the freedoms of the same constitution?

Your rights end where MY rights begin. Stand the hell up and pledge to your country or get the hell out.

Now, onto what the thread was originally about..Narrow-mindedness is at an all time high.

Just because a person is of one religion..How do they have the right to persecute another by telling them they cannot worship as they deem fit?
Whether you be Monotheistic, Polytheistic, Henotheistic, or even Pantheistic, you do not have the right, power, or privaledge to tell others what to.

GCJ, I concur with you. Let it be, let people have their hollidays regardless of what they worship.

dont forget atheist

I won't and niether will God come judgement day... GCJ

Good work GCJ...

The Jesus and Christmas bashing radicals are really annoying, I feel compelled to put a hundred baby Jesuses on my lawn just to shove Christianity down their secular throats.

feel free 2, i not a hypocrite like the theists and im not gonna try to force other ppl to believe in wut i believe

ROFL.

The most critical religion that I have ever seen is Christianity. If you want to know why you are being persecuted it is because you have murdered and persecuted or converted everyone you have ever come in contact with. When you start practicing what is preached then the example will be set. I am not saying you as an individual GMC. I am saying that Christianity as a whole is a BEAST. I have heard Lurtherans puting down Catholics. I hear Pentacostals puting down Mormons. The world is against you because you persecute those who worship your same god because of denominational differences. People are angered for the same reason they angered by the government because they feel that the wool is being pulled over their eyes and that it is all a lie.

Well said GCJ, I'm with you Hun on this one.

AS for machiavelli, your a student? Hmm what a waste your parents must be spending on educating you. I take it that reading is not one of your best subjects Hu? if it were, you would have read that the 'thread' posted by GCJ was about people winging and complaining of others having Nativity Scences on ones front lawn during Christmas. with the little amount of time I was at school, I still managed to learn to read. I didn't see anything in there about YOUR 'Constitutional Rights' nor the pledge of allegance. Amen!

No one should have to stand and pledge allegience to the flag. But at the same time, it shouldn't be forbidden either.