Christmas Censors Out in Force, Says Catholic League

From Cybercast News Service:

(CNSNews.com) - Upset that local governments are trying to "censor" Christmas, the Catholic League said there is an unfounded fear that Christian symbols, such as a nativity scene, will offend people with other religious beliefs.

"We haven't hit December yet and already the politically correct police are out in force trying to censor Christmas," said Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, in a statement. "The multicultural monsters are rearing their ugly heads once again, showing what they really mean by tolerance for diversity."

"A lot of it is fear, and it's really unfounded fear," Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the Catholic League, told Cybercast News Service. "The idea that a non-Christian is going to be wildly offended by seeing a creche or by people actually acknowledging Christmas, you know it's really insulting to non-Christians. It's assuming a bigotry on their part, where we don't see one exists.

"Christians who pass menorahs don't go into fits, just as most Jews who pass creches aren't troubled," she said. "But there is the idea by these diversity denizens that we have to water everything down so as not to trouble anybody."

Making their list of grievances - most of which prohibit nativity scenes on public property - is Chattanooga, Tenn., which has banned a live nativity scene from its public festivities.

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But Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, told Cybercast News Service that the Catholic League's claims are "absolutely silly."

The Catholic League blames the Freedom from Religion Foundation for blocking an effort to rename the Wisconsin state capitol "holiday tree" the "Christmas tree."

"There is no 'war on Christmas,' but I think it's always in season to assault the separation of church and state today in our country," Gaylor said. "There is a war against the idea that government should be neutral about religion - even in December. Somehow the government is supposed to believe that it is an arm of Christianity in December."

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