Taking the Scenic Route

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
William Shakespeare

This quote always comes to mind this time of year.  (although, honestly, I had remembered it as “methinks thou doth protest too much”….obviously I need to read some Shakespeare again.  lol ) 

The constant buzz of people ‘outraged’ when they are asked to consider other people’s beliefs and the fact that not everybody is celebrating “Christmas” this time of year brings this prophetic quote to mind.  We celebrate Christmas in our home, but our neighbors (in the biblical sense) might be celebrating the Winter Solstice or Hanukkah or Ramadan.  Although I don’t have a clue if people decorate for Ramadan, I know that the Solstice and Hanukkah have similar types of symbolism going on and I just can’t understand why people get so worked up over them also wanting to celebrate their beliefs.  It doesn’t diminish my holiday or my belief system in any way to see other celebrations. 

To qualify this, what I am talking about is what is used for decorations in our public spaces, the ones supported by tax dollars.  I think that it is perfectly fine to put up specific “Christmas” decorations, but I also think that Jewish and Pagan and other cultures should also be represented since they also pay taxes.  I think that private citizens and businesses have the right to put up whatever they want, within reason. 

I wonder if the people who rant and rave about being forced to be inclusive realize it makes them look not only like idiots, but like they are really insecure in their faith.  If seeing a Menorah is going to ruin your holiday season, you have a big problem and weak faith.  Good grief.  It is like those preachers that go on and on about how homosexuals are ‘ruining marriages’…the louder they rant, the more you start wondering why it is so important to them.  The only way a homosexual can ruin a heterosexual marriage is if one of the partners is homosexual and decides to have an affair. 

The only thing that these “Christians” are doing when they protest so loudly is make the holiday season, one which celebrates Christ coming to this world to transform it through love rather than war/hate, a little less about love, and a little more about hate.  Such a sad way to spend this sacred time.