On The Front Lines
With 81 Days to Go Until Christmas, Rutherford Attorneys Are Already Being Called on to Rebuff Attacks on Celebrations of Christmas in Schools
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--With 81 days to go until Christmas, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute are already being called on to rebuff attacks on celebrations of Christmas, particularly in the public schools. The Institute's legal hotline has already received calls from parents and teachers alike complaining about schools changing their Christmas concerts to "winter holiday programs" and renaming Christmas "winter festival" or cancelling holiday celebrations altogether to avoid offending those who do not celebrate the various holidays.
Hoping to counteract this politically correct trend among public schools, government officials and even private businesses to ban references to Christmas or Christianity during the holiday season in order to not offend anyone, The Rutherford Institute is making available guidelines regarding what can and cannot be done to celebrate the holidays. "The Twelve Rules of Christmas" are available on The Rutherford Institute's website at www.rutherford.org. Individuals with legal questions or in need of legal assistance should call (434) 978-3888 or email staff@rutherford.org.
"Whether through ignorance or fear, Americans have developed a politically correct phobia when it comes to tolerating celebrations of or references to Christmas," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "Unfortunately, these instances of intolerance have reached absurd proportions, and people's First Amendment rights are being trampled in the process."
Whitehead pointed to an incident that happened just this week in a Chicago suburb as a perfect example of Christmas celebrations being sabotaged by political correctness. Schools in Oak Hill, Ill., had decided to cancel traditional holiday celebrations, such as Christmas, under pressure from a parent. Halloween was to be renamed "fall festival," and Christmas "winter festival." However, after angry parents voiced their objections at an emergency meeting, school board officials reportedly agreed to allow traditional holiday celebrations. In years past, nativity displays, Christmas carols, Christmas trees, wreaths, candy canes and even the colors red and green have been banned as part of the effort to avoid any reference to Christmas, Christ or God. Thanksgiving has also come under fire in recent years.
Last year, for example, Institute attorneys were contacted by a concerned parent who remarked that whereas several years ago teachers in their school district were told not to mention Christmas, Easter or anything relating to God, they could not even mention the word "Thanksgiving" because "the pilgrims offended the Indians" and "Thanksgiving was never intended to be thanks to God!" Another parent with children in the public schools was upset and concerned when she received a letter from school officials directing classroom mothers not to use plates and napkins with Thanksgiving printed on them at their children's fall parties. As she recounted, "It seems like they are worried about offending just one person and are worried about law suits. In the past, this school has gone from 'winter' parties that banned red and green cupcakes and napkins, to banning any winter party in fear that it may be mistaken for Christmas."
