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From: riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle)
Newsgroups: net.religion, net.politics
Subject: Re: church and state and holidays
Message-ID: <1500@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Mar-84 11:06:02 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.1500
Posted: Mon Mar 19 11:06:02 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Mar-84 01:52:01 EST
References: <418@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Organization: U. of Tx. at Houston-in-the-Hills
Lines: 28

Here's my opinion, for what it's worth: although both Christmas and
Thanksgiving originated as religious holidays and still hold deeply-
felt religious meaning for many people, they are, in practice, as much
secular holidays and religious ones.  I'm a second-generation atheist
(remember me?) and my family always celebrated both; so did most of my
Jewish friends when I was in elementary school; so do many members of
the East Indian community in this country, of which my fiancee is a
part (or at least Christmas -- I'm not sure whether very many Indians
go for turkey with stuffing!).

Big state-sponsored celebrations involving the Christian side of these
holidays, particularly in the public schools, make me somewhat
uncomfortable, as I'm sure they make many Jews and members of other
religious minorities uncomfortable.  Still, I'm not ready to side with
Madeline Murray O'Hare and declare that the sky is falling because the
courts allow cities to put up creches at Christmas.

Why do I get very upset about school prayer but not about nativity
pageants?  I'm not sure.  Maybe it's realism, maybe it's inconsistency,
or maybe it's just that I'm becoming enough of a traditionalist that I
enjoy the celebration of Christmas even if I can't agree with the
religious beliefs associated with it.

(Now I just wish that a few more school boards and city councils would
celebrate Hanukkah and Divali!)

--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,seismo,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle