Congressmen vote “Yes” for Ramadan, “No” for Christmas
As noted at FoxNews and other news sources, some people are upset that a resolution acknowledging Christmas was opposed by 9 members of the House, while resolutions honoring other religions were passed unanimously. HR 847 (Christmas, Yes: 372/No: 9/Present/No Vote: 50) was identical in many respects to HR 635 (Ramadan, Y:376/N:0/P:56).
One lawmaker’s staff said she had
previously has opposed similar bills on Christianity because she “has concerns about separation of church and state.”
Apparently, those concerns apply only to Christianity, as the Representative voted “yes” on resolutions regarding Islam and Indian religious observations.
Many blogs and pundits have also skewered the Congress for wasting time, foisting Christianity on Americans, and entangling the government with religion, while those same people said nothing regarding the previous resolutions on other religions.
Some people, including the bill’s sponsor, Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), believe this is further proof of an undue hostility in America not toward religion, but toward Christianity. Whether true or not, the furor surrounding the resolution is indicative of the cultural sensitivity of Christianity in the public square, something military Christians would do well to remember.
(King acknowledged that he essentially proposed the resolution to make a point. Previously, he voted “present” on the other religious resolutions.)
These resolutions do indeed foist religious points of view on Americans who may not share them, and do entangle the government with religion, regardless of whether they are “inclusive”, directed towards a minority, religion, or towards the majority. They create resentment and are devisive regardless of which religion is being promoted, as this article demostrates. We should do away with ALL of them.
According to demographics I have seen, about 75% of the adult American public identify themselves as Christian. Congress overwhelminly is religious, and Christian – 43 members are Jewish, with a smatering of Buddists, a Muslim and 6 who are “unaffiliated”. Given this representation, it is hard to imagine much hostility towards Christians at all. Perhaps this perception of hostility is something of a persecution complex amoungst those who, for one reason or another, feel they should be much more important than they are and resent it when they are remindend that they aren’t.