Christians Protest Halloween Then Push for Christmas
I know a school teacher who had a parent go ballistic just because she dared have a picture of John Lennon in the classroom. Yes, Filthy Hippy numero uno, that evil Destroyer of Worlds--JOHN LENNON. I suppose she'd have been fired on the spot if she wore a pentacle around her neck! I know a couple of Wiccan leaning teachers who feel threatened at work, settling for a closeted existence rather than lose their jobs. (Of course, there's no problem talking about Creationism, or saying Evolution is 'controversial'.) Such bullying becomes brutal around Yule; the phony "War on Christmas" is a holiday centerpiece of Xtian arrogance and selfish entitlement. Any request for tolerance, equal time, or a mere crumb of recognition, gets labeled as "an act of War". I guess such labels appeal to a certain mindset. Kirsten Anderberg's article on the theme of Halloween vs. Christmas lays bare the hypocrisy of the "War on Christmas" bloviators. She covers many topics, supplying much needed fodder against those trying to torpedo Yule. Not only does she come armed with facts, and we know the cold fear 'facts' instill in cultural warriors, but she fights from the gut:
The patriarchal roots of Christianity, the conquer and destroy, or smiting, philosophy of Christianity and the sense of entitlement Christians flaunt, all really explain their campaign against Halloween and pagans. Pagans allow female godheads. Most pagans reject the conquer mentality Christians have towards nature, and instead respect and revere nature... Pagans threaten Christianity due simply to the inclusion of women as godheads and their reverence for nature. Just as feminism threatens sexism, paganism challenges Christianity at the root of its patriarchy and exploitive natures...Today a Christian friend of mine told me how mad she was that they wouldn't let Christmas and prayer into public schools but they have books with witches in them about Halloween in the school library...My first response was "but you have the whole school pledging allegiance to "one nation under *God*" every single morning in most U.S. public schools!" Reality is that Christianity and the male Christian godhead mythology gets much more airplay than WICCA, and all other religions combined, in public schools...
That warrior conqueror attitude is common in Monotheism. Just look at the Crusades! It's one of the reasons so many Wiccans and Pagans think "evangelizing" is in such bad taste. It's so insulting for someone to come up to you and say, "My religion is better than yours, let me now convince you..." Besides this, currently the disease of intolerance has indeed taken root in number of monotheistic religions.
Kirsten has a great site featuring some fine Pagan Politics.
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