Borrowing the Soap Box - In Agreement...

A Response to:
The Persecution Myth
By jasonpitzlwaters
at www.talk2action.org

I have for several years supported Christian friends in their efforts towards the "Keep Christ in Christmas" type campaigns. Even though I am not Christian, I am concerned when the holiday has become so secularized that the assumption is that everyone celebrates it. Ask recent immigrants to our country, and many think that Christmas is an "American" holiday - right up there with Thanksgiving and 4th of July. Some adopt traditions of putting up a tree and lights, and don't know why they do it, other than it makes them the same as their neighbors. And this type of behavior just makes it easier for people to look down upon those of us who know that the holiday is supposed to be an exclusively Christian one, and therefore do not celebrate it. I feel that the move to "enforce" (so to speak) the link between Christmas and Christ may help our communities to remember that this is a religious celebration, and that there are a variety of religious viewpoints among our citizenry as well.
As for the comment about "persecution" meaning "disagreement" to some - I have seen this in action. Some people, when confronted with a person who does not wish to celebrate the holiday, automatically get defensive and feel like that person's "opt out" mentality is actually a personal attack on their ability to celebrate. It amazes me how pervasive this attitude is of being "under attack". I am very concerned that this persecution concept may/will morph into an "us versus them" mentality - such that people who don't celebrate Christmas are automatically lumped into the "they persecute Christians" group. The jump from anger at people actively trying to remove or change public Christmas celebration, to anger at people who simply choose not to celebrate is worrying. Will this give rise to communities where non-Christians are persecuted by being labeled persecutors?