I did an interview last week with TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). The network was interested in getting my thoughts about U.S. Rep. Henry Brown’s resolution promoting Christmas.
I told CBN I didn’t think much of it. I pointed out that if you want a deeply religious experience at this time of year, you’re bound […] Read More
An unusual story began making the rounds on right-wing Web sites last week. It seems a second grader in a Taunton, Mass., public school had been suspended for drawing a picture of Jesus on the cross.
As the Taunton Daily Gazette reported, a class at Maxham Elementary School was supposedly given an assignment to make a Christmas-themed drawing. One 9-year-old […] Read More
It’s 11 days until Christmas and as each day goes by, we continue to hear more “War on Christmas” rants from the Religious Right.
The latest comes out of Alvarado, Texas, where a pastor plans to put on a production called “A Politically Correct Christmas.”
Pastor Rick Hope of the First Baptist Church of Lillian told the Alvarado Post […] Read More
Do you celebrate Christmas? If so, how do you celebrate it – as a religious or a secular holiday? Maybe you do a little bit of both. Perhaps you celebrate the Solstice. Maybe you celebrate another holiday or do nothing at all.
I’m glad we have the choice about what to do at the time of year. But I’m troubled […] Read More
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and you know what that means. Yes, the malls will be crowded, but this time of year also means an escalation in the battles over how public schools and government deal with Christmas.
Some disputes have already erupted. In Chambersburg, Pa., the borough council voted unanimously to ban most displays from a public square […] Read More
It’s Friday, and here’s a quick round-up of some stories with church-state overtones that you might have missed:
* Remember the proselytizing cheerleaders in north Georgia? A lot of people are getting worked up over that, and I feel certain that a “fair and balanced” Fox News report isn’t far off.
One Religious Right site I monitor moaned that […] Read More
Note: This blog post is a re-publication of an item that originally appeared on Christmas Day, 2007. Happy Holidays to all!
It’s Christmas. Some Americans are observing this day by attending religious services, others are celebrating in a mostly secular fashion while still others aren’t making note of it at all.
What could be better than to have the right […] Read More
Note: This opinion column by Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, ran in the Vacaville (Calif.) Reporter on Dec. 12, under the title “Let’s End This War on Christmas.”
Christmas is supposed to be a season of peace, love and goodwill. I have to wonder, then, why some conservative religious groups persist in using this time of year […] Read More
Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis of Brick Township, N.J., says we’ve “gone overboard” with the separation of church and state. He’s going ahead with a plan to put a Nativity scene outside the town hall, no matter what the American Civil Liberties Union thinks.
Disputes like this usually focus on what the courts have said and the sometimes-confusing rules for […] Read More
The day after Thanksgiving is “Black Friday,” the traditional start of the December holiday shopping season.
Nervous retailers are watching the bottom line, fretful that the economic downturn will reduce the throngs that usually swamp malls and big box stores on this day.
But Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family has a different worry: Dobson and his band […] Read More