There was a recent story in Philadelphia where a bunch of people were "offended" by the use of "Christmas" on a sign which was part of the regular holiday display on city property. As a result, they took it down, no longer calling it a "Christmas Village." On the news, they even talked to a Jewish leader who said that he was not offended by Christmas as long as they still allowed him his holiday. Others supported this too. However, some were just offended by the use of the term Christmas even though they celebrate Christmas themselves but are not Christians. (They believe in being politically correct.) Some are offended because it supports a particular religion that is not theirs. Some cited that anything that is related to religion should be not be on city property. Yes, it's back to that whole separation of church and state thing (something intended to keep the government out of religion and not the other way around) to support discrimination against Christians.
Some of you by now are thinking, "Discrimination against Christians? That's ridiculous." Don't believe me? I've seen it over and over in this modern country in which we reside. In a workplace, people can claim their right to worship. When that happens, legally, the employer is supposed to offer a solution to the conflict. They either have to arrange an accommodation to the employee, offer a compromise, or present the case how that would present a hardship to the company. I have seen and heard of this plenty of times, and I have seen and heard of certain companies violating the law by ignoring it. However, I have seen and heard about more accommodations by companies when the religion in question is not Christianity. Those who are Christians face an uphill battle when claiming the right to worship. However, the right to worship is a personal right protected by the Constitution of the United States of America and should be applied equally across all religions as our founding fathers intended it to be.
We have come to a point in this country when discrimination against Christians is not perceived as discrimination at all. I even had mentioned this issue to another Christian about having off on Sundays to worship where people serve during the worship services or teach Sunday school, and his reply was, "The world doesn't stop on Sundays." No, it doesn't. However, is the world always right? Corporate worship is necessary for a Christian to grow in his or her faith. It's even stated in the Bible. God even dictated that you should labor for 6 days, and you shall rest on the 7th. That day was originally Saturday in the Jewish faith, but since Christ resurrected on a Sunday, that is the day that Christians chose as their sabbath. It can be any day you choose, but if there are only services in your church on Sundays, it makes a logical choice to have your sabbath on a Sunday. However, businesses are insisting on being open on Sundays to maximize profits. Provided, there are some jobs that people's lives could be in jeopardy if they shut down, but not every business is a life or death situation.
As Christians we are called to be in the world but not of it. What does that mean? That means we live by a different set of rules which are put into effect by God. We are to love everyone as God loves everyone. We are to put God first in our lives before anything else. We are to be generous, kind, caring, and not be self-centered. It is the Christian ideal that forged this nation and the entire holiday season. Nothing bad ever came from having good will towards people. Nothing bad ever came from generosity or kindness. Nothing bad ever came from love. Love is what Christmas is all about. Yes, it is founded because of the Christian belief that God gave us His one and only son, born as a human, but it's that love that is the true spirit of Christmas. There is a whole secular part of the holiday based upon the Christian ideals.
Look at what is still the underlying foundation of Christmas. It is love. We give gifts to each other out of love. People give to charities out of love. We are generous out of love. We help those in need out of love. Isn't it strange that the ones who say that they are offended by Christmas are the same ones that want everyone to be tolerant of their beliefs, life philosophy, or way of life. Why so intolerant? Why attack something that is meant for everyone to enjoy?
Did you know the Bible states that this would happen? Even Jesus said that He did not bring peace but a sword. He stated that because of Him, even families would be divided as well as the world and everything in between. He stated that those who follow Him will be hated because they believe. He even said it will get worse. Jesus even said that those who believe will be persecuted. It's a very short distance between discrimination and persecution. Why so intolerant? It is the nature of the world. The world is moving away from God, creating a self-centered philosophy of life. The world says that we are here to serve ourselves and that we are not here to serve God. Christians believe the opposite. Christians, therefore, are the logical target for discrimination, and more and more there will be persecution.
Why so intolerant? We as Christians are not of this world, but we live in it.
