I am the president of the Maine Chapter of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. I am also an atheist. Some might expect me to unleash a salvo in the War on Christmas. This is wrong for several reasons, not the least of which is that there is no such thing.
Within a couple of percentage points either way, 66% of Americans identify as Christian; therefore, 34% do not. The former number has decreased over the years (from 90% in 1972), as the latter number has increased. Some people in the former group sense this decline and often declare that there is a struggle between good Christians and evil secularists who are trying to take Christmas away, or something.
No. Perhaps government and business have become more diverse — but that’s a reflection of those shifting numbers. Government and business see increasing diversity in their customer base and act accordingly. It can be unsettling to see parts of one’s world evolving — but that’s the key word. Evolving, not being attacked by some organized campaign, as some public figures with their own agenda might say.
“Happy Holidays” is not an assault on Christmas. The holiday named “Christmas” celebrates the birth of the child believed to be the Christian Messiah. Everyone knows this. “Happy Holidays” extends good will from and toward everyone, regardless of point of view … including Christians!
It’s polite to return greetings in kind, but if one person says “Happy Holidays” and the other says “Merry Christmas” in return (or vice versa), I hope that each one can put politics on hold and consider the possibility that the other is not making some kind of statement.
Take the good wishes at face value and enjoy the holidays. There will be plenty of opportunities for frank and open exchanges of views afterward!
Ray Vensel
Oakland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.