"War On Christmas" Nonsense Starts Again

It's still over a week before the Thanksgiving holiday, and the American Family Association (AFA) has already started whining about the "war on christmas". They have taken a statement by Gap and made erroneous assumptions about it. Now they are asking people to boycott the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy (all stores run by Gap, Inc.).

Last year, Gap released a statement saying, "Gap recognizes that many traditions are celebrated throughout this season and we feel it is important to display holiday signage that is inclusive to everyone." Now to me, that sounds very reasonable. The store doesn't want to exclude any potential customers or make them feel uncomfortable.

But the AFA thinks it is a calculated attack on christmas. They have even accused Gap of refusing to say the word christmas. Obviously, the AFA has made an incorrect assumption (or is telling a bald-faced lie). Gap has been running a new commercial which includes the word christmas -- along with hanukkah, kwanzaa and solstice.

Gap is not anti-christmas. They are simply trying to reach out to people of all beliefs. But this is not about Gap in the final analysis. It is about AFA trying to advertise itself and push it's religious agenda. Even though the christians are the dominant religion in this country, groups like AFA would like to be viewed as a victim -- that way they get publicity and donations.

The solstice season was not even a christian holiday until several centuries after Jesus' death (if he ever lived at all), when they appropriated another religion's holiday because they couldn't get people to stop celebrating it. Now groups like AFA want to force others to celebrate their stolen holiday.

Frankly, I have no interest in celebrating a christian holiday, but I do enjoy celebrating the secular aspect of christmas. Many others would like to celebrate the holiday in their own way also. If christians, including the AFA, wish to celebrate christmas as the birthday of their god, then they should be able to do that.

But what they shouldn't be able to do in a free and secular country such as America, is force businesses or individuals to worship in the same way. War on christmas -- what nonsense!