Removing ‘Christmas’

I am writing in response to your editorial, “Religious Expression in the Auburn Square,” appearing in the Dec. 15, 2005 issue of The Alabama Baptist. 

What I find revealing is that in the not-too-distant past there was an outpouring by fundamentalist churches (possibly prior to most individuals including Southern Baptists) to remove “Christmas” from the “irreverent commercialization process.” There were campaigns against store banners and window displays of nonreligious scenes incorporating the word “Christmas.” The zealots wanted America to return to the “true meaning of Christmas.”

Regardless of their religion or lack there of, most Americans do not find the word “Christmas” offensive. But why force this nonissue into the limelight? The fundamentalists missed an opportunity to discourage divisive rhetoric and begin uniting an America encamped on opposite sides of a religious divide. 

The latest campaign could have just as easily been: “Our concerns over the commercialization of Christmas have been heard and acted upon. We appreciate this act by the business community.  The ‘holiday season’ is a special time for presents, good meals, visits with family and friends and reflection on our good fortune. ‘Christmas,’ on the other hand, is time for our thoughts to be toward Christ and for us to reflect on Christian beliefs.”

William Fulton
Aiken, S.C.