Is Fox News Taking "Christ" Out of Christmas?

Is Fox News Taking "Christ" Out of Christmas?

What is the real reason behind Fox News' promotion of a phony "War on Christmas"? Is it a desire to instill Christian beliefs about the birth of Jesus Christ, or is it just about getting people to spend more money? The self-contradictory elements of Fox News' desire to promote a religious holiday while undermining the spiritual basis of the holiday was in full display Saturday (December 3, 2005) on "Bulls and Bears."

Host Brenda Buttner opened the latest battle in Fox News' annual campaign to convince its viewers that the Christmas holiday is in danger by asking, "The War on Christmas -- Could the Left win its crusade and does that threaten our stock market, our entire economy?" Buttner, of course, never identified whom she meant by "the Left," never named anyone who has asked a retailer to instruct its employees not to say, "Merry Christmas." She just assumes that the audience agrees this is actually happening. Later, she said that "many" retailers (without naming any) "are saying 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas.' There are no more Christmas trees. It's 'Merry Have Your Wish Trees' or something."

No more Christmas trees? In retail stores? Is she intentionally trying to fudge the line between what the Constitution says can happen in public schools and parks and what can happen in private areas, such as privately owned stores? Buttner wouldn't do that, would she?

We know, of course, that the "war on Christmas" is mostly a figment of Fox News' imagination. We went through the same harangue from Fox News last Christmas. This year, the impetus is John Gibson's book, titled The War on Christmas, of which Fox wants to sell a lot.


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http://www.newshounds.us/2005/12/03/is_fox_news_taking_christ_out_of_christmas.php

Bush, the GOP, and how their world is collapsing.

and peace, and respect and coming together and tolerance and joie de vivre. They are the anti-Christ. They project, deny and act out; ... goes inseperably together, all the time.

Like liberals aren't going to go to Macy's and buy lots of overpriced crap. Give me a fucking break.

Fox news is doing the same thing now Karl Rove was doing in the '04 elections and when Dubya was running for the governorship of Texas: the ridiculous anti-homosexual and pro-life beliefs that radical Christians are so passionate about. They too are using Christianity to advance their own goals, which is sin if I ever knew one.

with wall-to-wall Xmas commercials surrounding it, later driving to their Xmas-bedecked mall to hit Xmas-celebrating WalMart...and spend the drive home complaining that "liberals have made Xmas all but disappear." They'll then go to church tomorrow to light the Advent candles, head home to watch football in the afternoon and tacky Xmas TV specials in the evening...and complain that the lib'ruls are taking christ out of Xmas.

The oppression is palpable.

Bill O'Reilly and his "War on Christmas"
Being Right and Wrong in the name of the Christ
by Dr. Gerry Lower, Eugene, Oregon


http://www.opednews.com

On the second day of December, Fox News Network reported the results of their "opinion dynamics poll" regarding Bill O'Reilly's statement that "There is a war on Christmas in the U.S. today." Of those responding to the poll, 42% said they agreed with Bill's statement. The majority, 48% of those polled, were in disagreement with O'Reilly's statement, and the other 10% essentially said, as always, that they did not know anything (1). In this instance, those who know nothing are in a desireable position because of the high probability that neither active side in the debate knows what they are talking about.


It is O'Reilly's notion that his "War on Christmas" is being hotly pursued by liberals and atheists and those who would have the audacity to agree with the radical notion of seperating church and state. Bill just came unhinged, you see, by the media's use of the term "Holiday trees" in place of the term "Christmas trees" - which Bill dutifully interpreted as an effort by evil people to remove Christ from Christmas. In Bill's Old Testament world, it is an absolute requirement that its adherents live in the Here and Now, no history allowed, no evolution allowed, no cultural context allowed. It makes for ignorance defined.


Meanwhile, Fox News is making effort to sell "Holiday" decorations with Bill's name on them (2), a pair of balls to hang on what better be your "Christmas" tree. It makes a little money for Fox News Network and Bill gets his name haning from some dupe's tree. Bill has taken an overt path to ignorance bordering on the psychotic, while Fox News has taken an overt path to religious hypocrisy bordering on the psychotic (3). Bill has accomplished the impossible, i.e., to be right and wrong at the same time.


Bill is, of course, entirely right in claiming that there is a "War on Christmas." At the same time, Bill is extraordinarily wrong to assign his wrathful blame to liberals and the detractors of religion and capitalism. Surely Bill must know that wars are far more prone to stem from right wing, conservative interests. Surely Bill must know that the war on Christmas began long ago, shortly after WWII, when capitalism took over both political parties, leaving America with only liberal and conservative capitalists at the helm.


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http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_dr__gerr_051203_bill_o_reilly_and_hi.htm

They feel if you're not the same as them, you're against them and trying to take something away from them. Merely being not-the-same constitutes an attack on them, in their view.

Oh wow, you don't see the word 'Christmas' on department store banners so much anymore!

Could this be because the U.S. is an increasingly pluralistic society where not everybody believes the same thing?

Or could it be that it's a dumb idea to insist that you tie the name of a religious figure to the sale of gifts and the insistence that your neighbors say things the way you want them to? Whatever happened to, I don't know, freedom and not establishing a religion?

There is no war. Except the one between intelligence and whatever's between the ears of the people who work at F*x News.

Forget about Iraq, the economy, treasongate, etc. They've got everyone chasing shadows, and it's working.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1595230165/103-3703119-9574249?v=glance&n=283155

Check out the: "Customers who bought this book also bought" section on the bottom of the page.

A friend laughed about this garbage. He's Greek Orthodox and their view of Xmas isn't the same as the fundies...he won't celebrate his holiday til after New Years. So is he excluded? A "non American" since he doesn't celebrate Xmas on 12/25?

Being Jewish, I'm very amused by this dog-chase-tail game of mental masturbation from the wingnuts. It's a nice diversion from all the bad news of the real world.

We celebrate 'Christmas' - the holiday, with Sinterklaas - the precursor to your Santa Claus, On the evening of December 5, when he brings presents to every child that has been good in the past year (in practice to all children). Our wee ones have been putting shoes out every night for the past week to collect the pre-Sinterklaas goodies that arrive in the mornings prior to the big event.

Over the years media attention has grown, while Sinterklaas is in the country the 'Sinterklaasjournaal' is aired every day, discussing his activities and any major 'problems' (which occur every year).

It was a Dutchman in New York and Coca Cola who created the circus that it has come to be in the the Americas.

The 24th of December, a few small gifts are given here... and the 25th is a religious holiday with no special fanfare other than everyone gets a day or two off.

The big party is on December 5, when Sinterklass comes up from Spain on a boat with his Zwaartje Petes (black helpers now but historically moorish slaves) and brings bags of goodies for the kids. If kids are bad they get tossed back in the bag and brought back to Spain. When it became Americanized they politically corrected it and turned the slaves into dwarfs (well that may be arguable) and put santa in a sleigh from the north.

This celebration is over 400 years old in Holland.

Yule is the pre-Christian northern European pagan festival that kind of merged with Christmas since it's on the 21st - the equinox. In the UK, it's Father Christmas who is based on St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas) and France and Germany also have their own variation on the theme.

St. Nicholas was a 4th century Christian Bishop in Turkey and was know for his kindness and giving.

Another perspective on the whole thing.

Nice bit is... living here, I don't have to put up with the tidal wave of comsumerism and commercials - Dutch people give very modest gifts. We are a bit cheap you know... Laugh. Like the Scots allegedly.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas