(HT: Frank Pastore)
Do we need to discuss Dan Barker's self-delusion that there is no sin within the heart of every person on earth? I didn't think so.
I'm bewildered by this. I can't even begin to understand how a nativity scene makes people of other faiths feel unwelcome. I feel fine driving past a mosque, a Buddhist temple, and a Hebrew school/synagogue every week. Why do atheists walking by a nativity scene need to "keep their heads down?"
Indeed, I the only time I feel unwelcome when I am told that displays of my faith around Christmas are offensive and insensitive, even when augmented with but other religious displays.
I took my family to the lake this past week for a boat show, and nowhere in the (what used to be called) Christmas lights was anything Christian, though there was a menorah. Now, I don't mind anyone celebrating the Feast of Dedication (and neither did Jesus - John 10:22-23), so I don't understand why anyone would have a problem with Christians putting up displays celebrating the Christ on Christmas... even if it is on public property. If there is nothing wrong with a Hanukkah display, why should there be a problem with Christmas displays?
Take, for instance, the phrase "Merry Christmas:" nine times out of ten, the person to whom you say it celebrates it. Still, atheist groups like this one liken the phrase to a pogrom against Jews and other belief systems. Yet, listen to the political commentary of devoutly Jewish Dennis Prager and hear someone who has, for years, decried the silliness of thinking these words would offend anyone. Ben Stein has also been vocal about his support for the greeting. Though these guys wouldn’t mind a shout-out to Hanukkah, they understand that Christmas is a widely celebrated American holiday, and these colloquial greetings weave them in the fabric of society. Even though I don’t hang skeletons in October, I don’t assume someone wishing me a “Happy Halloween” is requiring me to do so. It’s a kind “Howdy Do!” to which the rational reply, “Back at you!”
Here's my conclusion: The reason Barker and other atheists feel so uncomfortable around these displays -- why they keep their heads low around them -- is because it is a reminder of how they are deceiving themselves and without excuse (Rom 1:20). That is what it all comes down to. The good news is that Christmas can provide them the same hope it provides the rest of us.
