The Reason for the Season

I try very hard not to be offended by or outspoken against other religious statements. It's impolite and disrespectful and generally makes me very unpopular amongst more vocal sorts. Once in awhile there is a statement made that deeply bothers me, and I cannot keep quiet.

In a recent article on CNN.com, Roland Martin wrote "You can't take Christ out of Christmas." He was commenting and lamenting on the political correctness of today's society overriding what he believed to be the true meaning behind the winter holy days. He bemoaned the, in these days and times, age-old dilemma of commercial and societal concerns taking focus away from the birth of the Christian Savior, spouting the standard "Jesus is the reason for the season" adage. He also expressed his disgust at being questioned on what greeting he should give, or that people are offended when he says "Merry Christmas" instead of a supposedly safer "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings." He attempted to temper his strong religious standpoint by including a brief comment with a tone of tolerance and education.

"In fact, Americans are so ignorant of other faiths that we can all learn from one another."

I agree. Most of the time, I'm discovering people of any religion are willfully ignorant of any other equally valid path, choice or religion. They also choose to shun, ignore or disparage any suggestion that their traditions are not absolutely and undeniably connected to and drawn solely from their own religion and that religion's place in history. There is One Way, there is Only One Way and the fact that there are so many other Ways in the world does not speak of free will and the "neither right nor wrong" state of them all, but rather of how absolutely and positively wrong everyone else but followers of their personal religion are.