The Phony “War On Christmas"
Every year as the Christmas holiday season approaches, we hear from the right wing about a "war" on Christmas being perpetrated by leftists and those who believe in "political correctness." Every year we hear about challenges to cities and villages setting up Nativity displays on public property and court orders to remove those religious displays. We hear about people refusing to say "Merry Christmas" and to say "Happy Holidays" instead. But what difference does any of this make?
The problem is that the United States, since its founding, has established that there should be no official state religion and this country has guaranteed complete freedom of religion. People in the United States are free to practice any religious belief in any manner as long as it doesn't involve human sacrifice. Even Native Americans are permitted to use peyote, an illegal substance, in their religious ceremonies.
The fact is that the United States has become a diverse nation of more than 310 million people who practice all kinds of religious beliefs and many who don't practice any religion at all. Those are freedoms guaranteed in our Bill of Rights. In fact, for a long part of our nation's history, Christmas was mostly a family celebration and not a public "season" as we know it today. It wasn't until the latter 19th century that public celebrations of Christmas became popular and it wasn't until the 20th century that Christmas became commercialized as a "season" by retailers and businesses to drive sales of consumer goods.
Many of our Christmas traditions actually have their roots in ancient pagan ceremonies of the winter solstice. The fact that Christmas is celebrated on December 25, a few days after the winter solstice, dates back to the Roman era when Christians were persecuted. They celebrated their holidays to coincide with Roman holidays and one of the Roman's biggest holidays was Saturnalia or the feast of the winter solstice. That celebration marked the beginning of the "return of the sun" as the days began getting longer and that eventually summer would return. In fact, most Biblical scholars believe that Christ was actually born in the spring, not at the beginning of winter.
There are many secular traditions of Christmas that have very little religious connotation today. Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and many other Christmas traditions don't mention any specific religion and even in many non-Christian cultures, there is a kindly character who bestows gifts on good children.
But the reality is that in the United States of 2015, there are many people in this country who are non-Christian. Jews have their own religious holidays and usually don't celebrate Christmas. There have been Jews living in the United States since its beginning. Now there are many Moslems who have immigrated to the United States as well as many Americans who have converted to Islam. There are also many people who have emigrated here from India who are Hindu. Moslems and Hindus have their own religious holidays.
It is not "political correctness" or any "war on Christmas" when we respect those non-Christians who practice and observe their own religious holidays and traditions. It is just called respect and tolerance. We would be (and are) offended when other religious fanatics put their religious beliefs in our face. We are rightly upset when Islamic extremists like the Taliban and ISIS persecute those who don't follow their religious beliefs. So why are some in the United States so upset when non-Christians don't want our Christian beliefs shoved down their throats?
But the real message of Christmas is one of peace and love for one another. It is not about getting one's panties in a wad because Starbucks took the snowflakes and symbols of Christmas off a coffee cup. We certainly do not need politicians and people running for President using this as a campaign issue. There are far more important issues than whether a company has a Christmas coffee cup.
Every message and just about every story about Christmas usually ends with the message that it is what is in one's heart that matters, that love and peace are the real message of the season. That is a universal message for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Lee Kamps
Lee has been working with Medicare, Medicaid and private health insurance since he began working at the Erie County Welfare Department in January 1973 where a major part of his job was determining eligibility for Medicaid. He went into the private insurance business in 1977 with Prudential Insurance Company and within a short time had become one of the company’s top sales agents. In 1982, he was promoted into management where he managed two field offices and as many as thirteen sales agents. After leaving Prudential in 1986, Lee decided to become more focused on health insurance and employee benefits. He has advised many local employers on how to have a more cost effective employee benefit program as well as conducted employee benefit meetings and enrollments for many area employers. The companies Lee has worked with ranged from small “mom and pop” businesses to local operations of large national companies. Lee received his B.S. degree from Kent State University where he has been active in the local alumni association. He has completed seven of the ten courses toward the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist designation. He has taught courses in employee benefits and insurance at Cleveland State University and local community colleges. In addition, Lee is an experienced and accomplished public speaker. He has been a member of Toastmasters International where he achieved the designation of “Able Toastmaster – Silver” in 1994. He has also served as a club president, Area Governor and District Public Relations Officer in Toastmasters as well as winning local speech contests. Lee has also been a member of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association’s Speaker’s Bureau where he was designated as one of the “official spokespeople for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” prior to the hall’s opening in 1995. He has given talks and presentations before many audiences including civic organizations, AARP chapters and many other community groups. With the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (Medicare drug bill) in 2006, Lee has shifted his focus to Medicare and helping Medicare beneficiaries navigate the often confusing array of choices and plans available. As an independent representative, Lee is not bound to any one specific company or plan, but he can offer a plan that suits an individual person’s needs and budget. In addition, Lee is well versed in the requirements and availability of various programs for assistance with Medicare part D as well as Medicaid. While he cannot make one eligible, he can assist in the process and steer one to where they may be able to receive assistance.