The other evening I listened as Bill O’Reilly declared victory in the war to save ‘Merry Christmas’. Apparently incensed that major retailers in America were ordering their employees to say ‘Happy Holidays’ instead of ‘Merry Christmas’, he launched a campaign to put the greeting back into the holiday. According to O’Reilly, this year not a single new store eliminated Merry Christmas, and several of the giant retailers actually rescinded the ban.
I applaud O’Reilly’s effort, and certainly think it is a battle worth fighting. Here in my hometown, our politically correct leaders took over a parade started by the Key West Ministerial Association, and changed the name from Christmas Parade to Holiday Parade. Unfortunately, Bill O’Reilly will move on to his next project and never hear about this, or millions of similar actions taking place in America.
In actuality, taking Christmas out of Christmas is only a symptom of the war on Christian values that is taking place throughout the country. O’Reilly’s proud declaration, “We won! We won!” may temporarily be true for his little skirmish, but across America the war is going very badly for Christians. Most all of the battles are losses, and the redefining of the First Amendment is well underway. Expressions of Christian faith are now gone from the public domain, and the legal acceptance of gay marriage will soon relegate freedom of religion to the confines of the church.
The war that is taking place is not about Christmas, marriage, immigration, economics, abortion, or even religion. It is about values. All religions have a set of moral values that infuriate a growing number of strident secularists in America, but the Ten Commandments espoused by Christians are the most visibly threatening to those who crave the elimination of guilt in their lives.
From the first to the tenth, each Commandment poses a threat to those who want to be judged only by their own standards of right and wrong.
1 ) No other gods? Is this invisible God, really as important as tolerance, or the environment?
2 ) No graven images? I hope you’re not referring to my car, my boat, or my cellphone.
3 ) Lord’s name in vain? Jesus! What’s the harm in single expletive?
4 ) Keep the Sabbath Day holy? Hey! I do my shopping on Sunday!
5 ) Honor thy father and mother? What about two fathers or two mothers?
6 ) Shalt not kill? Another judgmental swipe at a woman’s right to choose.
7 ) Not commit adultery? Oh my God! Adultery is such an antiquated term. It is no longer relevant in modern society.
8 ) Shalt not steal? Easy for you to say. You’re not homeless, or an undocumented immigrant living in the shadows.
9 ) Don’t bear false witness? The important thing is lying for the right reason.
10) Do not covet? Get real! I mean is it really fair for someone to have more than others?
Yes indeed! It’s a brave new world we are entering. How long before we have a new Constitution and a new Ten Commandments based on fairness, tolerance, diversity, environmentalism, and safety? Coming soon, or already here?
