Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ut-sally.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!seismo!ut-sally!riddle 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