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Putting Christ Back into Christmas
Not only in East Tennessee, but across the country, there's a debate raging over political correctness. Many companies and businesses are bowing under pressure to remove the word Christmas and substitute, Happy Holidays instead. Now there's a campaign underway to buck that trend rather loudly.
WVLT Volunteer TV's Alan Williams has more.
Keeping the word, Christ in Christmas is becoming more and more controversial. Churches all over America are rebelling against businesses being political correct during the holidays. One Tampa church put up a controversial sign to vent their frustration. In Lexington, North Carolina, a crusade is also on. If businesses there take Christ out, they'll boycott.
"We ask our members don't shop where they won't honor what you believe," Charlotte pastor Bishop Phillip Davis said.
The pastors accuse big retailers of leaving the phrase Merry Christmas out of advertising. They say happy holidays just won't do.
"They want Christians' dollars to shop at Christmas, but they want to take Christ out," said Reverend Ron Baity from Lexington, North Carolina.
"Many of the survey's that we have looked over now says that 85 to 86 percent of the people inthe Tampa Bay area want to use the word Christmas," pastor Randy White said.
Some people, even of the Jewish faith agree, there is nothing wrong with expressing the term, Merry Christmas.
"If Christ is at the base of someone else's religion, they should be free to say Merry Christmas without fear of retribution and being politically correct is not what it's all about. It's being free to say whatever is in your heart," one woman of the Jewish faith said.
A commitee to save Christmas is underway in California, and the American Family Association in Mississippi are conducting internet write-in campaign urging store boycotts. Walmart for example says it has no policy that prohibits Merry Christmas, but it's store theme is Home for the Holidays. Home Depot says it includes the word Christmas and said, quote, "we also use the word holiday." From town squares to the airwaves, it seems everyone has an opinion.
"I think it's nothing but right to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year," Santa Claus said.
As for the online petition one pastor started, he says he's received so much attention the church computer overloaded and shut down.
The misplaced punctuation, the poorly sourced quotes and surveys... Jesus Christ!
