OpEdNews - Page 2 of Article: It's OK to say "Merry Christmas"

To say that non-Christians make the writer of the letter to the Bangor Daily News uncomfortable may be an understatement.

There are two books that most people have to prioritize. People have to weigh what the Torah, The Bible or The Quran say against what The Constitution of the United States says. That, in itself, shouldn't be a problem. I am familiar with The Bible as well as The Constitution.

Even in The Bible, Jesus of Nazareth, if one was to believe he existed, was believed to have said, not once, but twice, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." – Matthew, 12:17, Matthew, 22:21

Was this man not saying that there is room for both secular government and religious belief?

If he wasn't saying that, it's for certain that the best and the brightest have said it throughout American history.

A hundred and fifty years before the American Revolution, Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, said, "The Church and State need not be...inextricably linked: 'A Pagan or Antichristian Pilot may be as skillful to carry the Ship to its desired Port, as any Christian Mariner or Pilot in the World, and may perform that work with as much safety and speed."

Those who are disappointed that more Americans aren't as enthused about Christmas and, ultimately, Christianity as they are, may very well have familiarized themselves with only one of the two books mentioned above and more than likely it is the book from which they've gleaned their religious beliefs.

The other book, The Constitution of the United States, contains laws which people, no matter what religion they practice or even if they practice no religion at all, should be very familiar with if they want to be law abiding members of The American Society. Unfortunately, it seems that far too many people have familiarized themselves with their religious books in lieu of The Constitution and, consequently, use some of the laws contained in their religious books as laws that should be followed by everyone living in The United States.

Even though there are Christians who want everyone in the US to believe that "...our Savior was born and that makes (Christmas) a time of true celebration for us" or "God already has blessed each of us with his most precious gift: his son. His gift is yours for the receiving", there are many Biblical laws that these very same people may not want Americans to follow or would not follow themselves.

For example, people who adhere to the following Biblical laws should be investigated by The Children's Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services:

"He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." -- Exodus 21:17

"The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." -- Proverbs 30:17

To repeat, it is not my intention to mock anyone's religious book and religious belief. However, if one wants to force those Americans who, by law, are free not to be Christians or Jews, to become enthused about the religious implications of Christmas, it would almost seem that they would want the rest of us to become enthused about whatever else is written in their Holy Book. I know that I'm not the least bit enthused with the two passages above. Furthermore, in reading the passages, I'm happy that the Founding Fathers reassured Muslims in the very early days of this nation that there would be no religious test for conducting commerce by stating that "...the government of The United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..." Can you imagine the laws of The United States, based upon the laws of Christianity and/or Judaism, enforcing what the above passages suggest?

When George H. W. Bush stated on August 27, 1987 that, "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God", he was directly contradicting Article VI of The Constitution of the United States of America. Article VI states that "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." The Constitution was talking mostly about US Representatives, US Senators, The President, The Vice President and the members of The Supreme Court. However, it's obvious that The Constitution includes all "office(s) or public trust(s) under the United States".

Surely if the authors of The Constitution specified that "no religious test" would be administered for those wishing to serve in high public office, they would have extended the freedom from such a test to those wanting to become citizens of The United States.

When Bush made that statement, he, I'm sure inadvertently and unknowingly, added the words "as long as they're believers" to the inscription on The Statue of Liberty.

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