Is Saying Merry Christmas An Act Of Defiance To The Secular Left?

Christmas

Innocently wish someone a Merry Christmas, and you might get any one of several angry retorts, such as “I’m not Christian, and that offends me,” an old-fashioned Charles Dickens “Bah humbug!”, or you may get no comment but just a grumpy smirk. Your good seasonal wishes did not resonate with that person.

The Secular Left

I can understand the secular left being upset at Christmastime because it is the most extended season of the year that reminds them that America is still a religious country. The secular left wants God out of everything; they mainly wish Christ out of Christmas. That is the chance we take when we as Christians say Merry Christmas: We may bump into one of these secular left anti-God warriors.

Scornful retorts to Merry Christmas can amp up when the secular left identifies you as a Catholic. That is understandable, says Dale Ahlquist, a writer for the Catholic World Report. He says, “We are publicly professing a Catholic doctrine in a culture that hates the Catholic Church, proclaiming the Virgin Birth to a culture that scoffs at chastity and praises contraception, and singing ‘For unto Us a Child is Born’ to a culture that kills babies.” Even at that scornfulness, “(Catholics) are not celebrating Christmas to be counter-cultural. We celebrate because we are happy. We commemorate a joyful event, and we commemorate it joyfully. We will sing and pray and worship. We will also eat and drink and laugh.”

Happy Holidays?

To me, championing Happy Holidays is another secular left ploy to take Christ out of Christmas under the guise of political correctness. The goal of the secular left is to get religion out of Western as well as Eastern societies. Unfortunately, they have been successful in much of the public sectors of each culture.

Almost every elementary, middle, high school, college, and university in the US no longer calls it a “Christmas vacation” anymore; instead, they call it a “winter vacation.” Companies don’t have Christmas parties; they have holiday parties. Statehouse rotundas and townhouse offices display holiday trees, not Christmas trees, and, of course, they ban nativity scenes on public grounds.

Fortunately, the private sector has rallied for the return of spiritual values and practices during Christmastime.

Several years ago, the secular movement was so strong that many giant retailers decided to eliminate Merry Christmas from their November through December marketing campaigns.  The backlash was severe as Americans voted with their dollars by not shopping at these stores and boycotting them. Merry Christmas sales, decorations, and marketing themes have made a comeback in mainstream America, much to the chagrin of the minority secular left, but to the delight of the majority Merry Christmas crowd.

Political Correctness

Some say political correctness is a way of being nice. I think it is always good to be nice, but the politically correct secular left people I am talking about aren’t about being nice. They plan to rid cultures of God, and that’s not nice. They haven’t quite figured out that eroding divine rights is directly related to eroding human rights; I’m not into that kind of political correctness. I believe that the sacred always trumps the secular at Christmastime. Saying Merry Christmas is not an assault on “inclusiveness” as the secular left might have you think.

Say Merry Christmas

So I say “Merry Christmas!” Or “Happy Christmas Holidays” is okay; but definitely, you won’t hear me say “Happy Holidays” while standing in front of a nativity scene or a Christmas tree. My greeting is to wish you only Joy, Happiness, and Love at the great news of a Savior being born!

A kneeling Santa Claus in front of a Nativity display is a powerful symbol of the secular bowing down to the sacred at Christmastime as it should be! Yes, saying “Merry Christmas” is an act of defiance to the modern-day anti-God secular left.

Merry Christmas!

 

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21 thoughts on “Is Saying Merry Christmas An Act Of Defiance To The Secular Left?”

  1. Pingback: Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas? - Catholic Stand

  2. I came across this commentary, when googling for information because of an incident that occurred recently. I was at a restaurant having dinner with my wife and 2 daughters aged 24,19. When we were done and saying thank you to the server, I said Merry Christmas, being a Catholic family. Well, my daughters reacted negatively, one saying I was an elitist and the other I was being snobbish and walked off from the table.I am 62 years old and don’t see the labels given to me as fair. I see this as an influence of the cancel culture, taking God out. I will continue to spread the Good news of Jesus our savior! Prayers please!

  3. an ordinary papist

    We may bump into one of these secular left anti-God warriors.

    Whether it’s the religious right who tortured innocent ‘heretics’ or the secular left who drove God out of school, it seems both sides are oblivious of the fact that it takes two wings to fly a straight line, without which a bird just goes around in circles and never gets off the ground.

  4. Assuming, for the moment, Peter K’s alleged Atheist, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu friends aren’t imaginary, I would love to get their perspectives first hand. And yes, it would be of interest to see just how appreciative Peter K is when they wish hin a Happy Prophet’s Birthday, Hanukkah, etc.

    1. John, it must be a very weird bubble that your mind lives in, that you find it unbelievable that a Christian has atheist, Jewish, Hindu and Moslem friends. Yes I have many of them, and relatives too. We all greet each other appropriately on our respective religions’ holy days, and often take part in the celebrations. In fact this year I have attended more non-Christian celebrations than Christian ones. Because non-Christian religious people have generally been more imaginative at coming up with alternative ways to celebrate when governments have cracked down on religious practices (often in discriminatory, unjust and arbitrary ways) using the excuse of the Wuhan virus pandemic.

  5. It’s sad to see people so eager to weaponize a greeting and turn it into a spiteful act against non-Christians. To all of you, I wish you a very Happy Hannukah.

    1. John, you totally missed the point of the article. The greeting is said as an innocent act of goodwill to all men. It is the tiny but powerful minority of militant atheists who weaponise it by claiming that it’s “offensive” ( usually to others, not themselves).

  6. The author is arguing that Christians should use “Merry Christmas” as an insult. How Christlike.

    Seriously, I have never once in my life heard anyone BUT angry right-wingers make an issue of “Merry Christmas” by private entities. There are good arguments that government officials should not use religious greetings in their official capacity, but no one cares what Target or Nordstrom do but you all.

    1. You are aptly named. You either live in a cave or just a bad liar. LEFTISTs hate Jesus Christ and they hate Jesus Christ. Wake up.

    2. I agree. This is a made up controversy. I have never heard anyone complain except conservatives.

    3. Karen and Joe, the author is arguing nothing of the kind, as no doubt you know. Apparently anyone who actually believes in Christianity is a “conservative” and an “angry right winger” to you. The author is saying that merry Christmas offered kindly can backfire on the unwitting innocent who says it when atheist militants absurdly but loudly claim it’s an insult.
      And if you couldn’t care less about the issue, why did you even bother reading the article, much less make passionate comments about it? Admit it, you sought this site out so that you could troll and bait Christians because that’s how you get your kicks.

  7. ” Yes, saying Merry Christmas is an act of defiance to the modern-day anti-God secular left.”

    I agree largely with what you are saying, however I don’t believe saying Merry Christmas should be solely an act of defiance. It should be said as a prayer to our “enemies” and for them. As with the Hail Mary it should not be said to defy our enemies but to wish them Joy, Peace and Love of the season.

    1. Yes indeed, and to my Moslem, Hindu and atheist friends too. And they all appreciate it. The only ones who don’t are the tiny minority of militant atheists who have all the power in our society and who ironically claim that they oppose Christian celebrations because they supposedly “offend” members of non-Christian religions, who are actually very happy with them.

    2. What if your Jewish friend wishes you a happy Purim? Or your Muslim friend wishes you a happy Prophet’s Birthday? How do you react? Do you correct them? Or do you just say “thank you” without any qualification like they do when you say “Merry Christmas”?

    3. It’s sad to see people so eager to weaponize a greeting and turn it into a spiteful act against non-Christians. To all of you, I wish you a very Happy Hannukah.

    4. Assuming, for the moment, Peter K’s alleged Atheist, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu friends aren’t imaginary, I would love to get their perspectives first hand. And yes, it would be of interest to see just how appreciative Peter K is when they wish hin a Happy Prophet’s Birthday, Hanukkah, etc.

    5. I say “thank you” of course. And in some cases join in the celebrations.
      It always amuses me how militant atheist bigots like you like to pretend that religious people all hate all other religious people of different religions to themselves. In fact even members of the most dissimilar religions have far more in common with each other than with atheists who are in irrational denial of the fact that there is more to reality than the material universe that we can see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

  8. Pingback: 2020: THE YEAR OF SEEING EVERYTHING CLEARLY | ROMAN CATHOLIC TODAY

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