Sunday's Quote: What part of CHRISTmas do you not understand? (redux)

The ACLU recently sent a letter to 137 schools here in Tennessee to remind (read: warn) academic officials about the importance, as it were, of non-exclusion during the holiday season.  One could, and should, take that as an affront to the observance and celebration of the birth of Christ.  In the name of comprehensive fairness, however, the ACLU's stance regarding Ramadan or any Neopagan holiday remains unknown, as it seems offending non-Christians is never part of their agenda.

In the same vein, Inside Washington and NPR contributor Nina Totenberg seemingly went out of her way for the sake of tolerance last week when she said, "I was at a -- you'll forgive the expression -- a Christmas party at the Department of Justice..."

The necessity to "forgive the expression" appears nonexistant, but the ever-evolving shots against Christendom and its requisite traditions is not new.  Indeed the end of such things is nowhere in sight, and yet that should never denote surrender.  Consequently I wrote a piece one year ago yesterday that addressed matters such as these, and it's your Quote for today:

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"I could bloviate about those who seek to eliminate any trace of Christianity -- or at least, the authentic criterion thereof -- from the national landscape, just as I could reference any number of acts committed by the secular Left in the name of 'separation of church and state' as if the phrase was pulled from the Constitution itself.  But I will resist.

"I could foil the pugilist with a comprehensive assessment, almost pretentious in length, regarding 'separation of church...' (among other things) from Supreme Court decisions that were taken from their originally intended context to endorse a 'progressive' disposition that concedes to practically anything but Christendom.  Yet I will abstain.

"Eschatology of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant creeds warn the Believer about agreeable-sounding pontificators who employ abstract reasoning fused with arguments that take aim (in the seemingly nicest possible way) at the very axioms they hold most sacred; a ploy most commonly achieved by admonishing the born-again, yet inattentive adherent to yield to every outlandish form of pluralism for the sake, and in the name of, tolerance.

"Even more, far too many Christians have become more consumed with what's 'cool' instead of keeping their focus upon what is right (something to which I can truly relate), essentially abandoning the substance of their beliefs -- and thus, depreciating the sacrifices made by those who came before us -- because they became fearful of false characterizations by a faction that unabashedly hates the Truth for which we are called to give our lives if necessary.

"I'm beating this war drum because of a slowly growing entente that abates the less passionate into submission with half-truths, platitudes, and double standards while laboring to dilute, or redefine, our long-established values that are almost entirely based upon the Holy Scriptures.  And thus it may not be much longer before opposing the coalition of enlightened, altruistic, open-minded sojourners of egalitarianism will be deemed a 'hate crime.'

"So say Merry Christmas while you still can.  The clock is ticking."

-- Adam M. Woodford; December 25, 2009

On This Day in History

1000 – Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I.  Nearly a thousand years after his death, Stephen is still regarded as one of Hungary's most revered saints, and the date of his canonization is celebrated as a state holiday commemorating the foundation of the nation.

1642 – According to the "Old Style" dating system, Isaac Newton, simply one of the most influential people in history, is born in Lincolnshire, England.  (The "New Style" calendar places his birthday on January 4, 1643.)

1776 – George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack Great Britain's Hessian (German) mercenaries.  The Battle of Trenton was won decisively the next day, which boosted the Continental Army's morale and inspired a significant number of re-enlistments.

1818 – Written by Father Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, the first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1826 – The result of whiskey smuggling for a Christmas party in the North barracks at the United States Military Academy, the Eggnog Riot concludes after beginning the previous night.  The riot involved more than one-third of the cadets by the time it ceased, 19 of whom were eventually court-martialed.

1868 – President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Confederate soldiers.

1899 – Hailed by the American Film Institute as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema, Humphrey Bogart (his real name) was born in New York City.

1990 – Based upon a proposed hypertext system designed to access the many forms of documentation at, and related to, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the first successful trial run of the system that would become the World Wide Web was conducted by computer scientists Robert Cailliau and, the man credited for "inventing" the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee (and not Al Gore).

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian Muslim, unsuccessfully attempted a terrorist attack while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit, as the concealed plastic explosives in his underwear failed to detonate properly.  Abdulmutallab was restrained, arrested, and eventually charged with, among other things, the attempted murder of 289 people.  The would-be "martyr" is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in York Charter Township, Michigan.

Shown above, "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze (1851) is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

What part of CHRISTmas do you not understand?

I could bloviate about those who seek to eliminate any trace of Christianity -- or at least, the authentic criterion thereof -- from the national landscape, just as I could reference any number of acts committed by the secular Left in the name of "separation of church and state" as if the phrase was pulled from the Constitution itself. But I will resist.

I could foil the pugilist with a comprehensive assessment, almost pretentious in length, regarding "separation of church..." (among other things) from Supreme Court decisions that were taken from their originally intended context to endorse a "progressive" disposition that concedes to practically anything but Christendom. Yet I will abstain.

Eschatology of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant creeds warn the Believer about agreeable-sounding pontificators who employ abstract reasoning fused with arguments that take aim (in the seemingly nicest possible way) at the very axioms they hold most sacred; a ploy most commonly achieved by admonishing the born-again, yet inattentive adherent to yield to every outlandish form of pluralism for the sake, and in the name of, tolerance.

Even more, far too many Christians have become more consumed with what's "cool" instead of keeping their focus upon what is right (something to which I can truly relate), essentially abandoning the substance of their beliefs -- and thus, depreciating the sacrifices made by those who came before us -- because they became fearful of false characterizations by a faction that unabashedly hates the Truth for which we are called to give our lives if necessary.

I'm beating this war drum because of a slowly growing entente that abates the less passionate into submission with half-truths, platitudes, and double standards while laboring to dilute, or redefine, our long-established values that are almost entirely based upon the Holy Scriptures. And thus it may not be much longer before opposing the coalition of enlightened, altruistic, open-minded sojourners of egalitarianism will be deemed a "hate crime."

So say Merry Christmas while you still can. The clock is ticking.