Christians have right to display their faith

I originally had written a pithy column for today over the North Korean hacking episode and the potential impact of a cyber war.

But with Christmas approaching at breakneck speed, no one wants to read yet another sobering story on the decline of America.

So let's talk about the decline of Christmas.

Actually, let's talk about the forces who want to banish Christmas for all practical purposes in some twisted obsession with political correctness.

OK, I fully understand that some religions - or those without religious convictions - don't celebrate the birth of Jesus.

And those poor lost souls have every right to not celebrate just as the vast majority of Americans have an equal right to mark this most holy of days.

The problem erupts when those anti-Christian forces seek to ban any celebration as somehow offensive to their sensitivities.

Stories abound this time of year with groups or individuals involving the courts in this country to remove Christmas symbols from public places or schools.

You'll recall that in recent years there was a failed movement to replace Merry Christmas with some generic holiday greeting that betrays the purpose of this holy celebration.

Fortunately, that movement failed miserably.

Yet even today, there are those very same groups and individuals banging the same tired drum to remove any Christian symbols from the public venues.

Though we are taught not to be judgmental, it's easy to forget that biblical imperative and bemoan the damnation that will surely follow this wayward drift from Christian values.

If the trappings of the Christmas holiday offend you, then ignore it. But don't try to stop the Christian community from celebrating the most holy of days.

Don't mandate your values - which we reject outright - on all of society.

I will leave it to members of the clergy to assess the eternal impact of your anti-Christ actions. Those decisions and outcomes are clearly left to a higher power.

But from a very practical standpoint, don't seek to impose on others your lack of faith.

Society as a whole allows for a wide range of viewpoints on issues large and small. It boils down to the basic freedoms that we enjoy in this great country.

But just as the dissenters have the right to their own views, the greater society also has rights and freedoms. And among those freedoms is the right to worship as we see fit.

And if that means displaying symbols of that faith and those beliefs, stop your silly crusade to banish those holy expressions that are deeply engrained in our culture.

Christians are for the most part a quiet and calm population.

But perhaps it's time for people of faith to raise their voices and object loudly to those who want to eliminate the true purpose of this season.

I'm sick and and tired of hearing stories about one lone parent who objects to a religious display in school and so the school officials remove the displays in a boneheaded attempt to accommodate.

Yet, until people use their voices to shape public policy, the politically correct crowd will continue their steady erosion of those basic values we hold so dear.