I feel strongly about this both ways… er, huh?

I’ve been thinking about this a bit. Having done that, I’ve concluded (as if anyone cares) that religion and the state shouldn’t mingle… almost always. That applies to the Pledge of Allegiance (which didn’t include God when I was a kid), the public schools, the courts, and other tax funded institutions.

Christmas though, is a different sort of bird entirely. Christmas is a secular national holiday with religious overtones. Carols like “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,” even Handel’s “Messiah” are religious in origin but have entered the basic national repertoire of Christmas music and really have become non-religious “beautiful music.” Nativity scenes however, can’t be divorced, in my opinion, from their religious roots.

So there you have it, Bruce/Solomon hath ruled: music yes, Baby Jesus no.

That being said, read Frank Rich’s essay from Sunday’s New York Times (most easily read here at the Smirking Chimp). Mr. Rich cites, among other things the right’s assertion that Christmas is under attack by we godless liberals:

Rich: … “Among those courageously leading the fight to save the holiday from its enemies is Bill O'Reilly, who has taken to calling the Anti-Defamation League "an extremist group" and put the threat this way: "Remember, more than 90 percent of American homes celebrate Christmas. But the small minority that is trying to impose its will on the majority is so vicious, so dishonest — and has to be dealt with.” [Remember, Bill’s looking out for you!]

Rich continues: “If more than 90 percent of American households celebrate Christmas, you have to wonder why the guy is whining. The only evidence of what Pat Buchanan has called Christmas-season "hate crimes against Christianity" consists of a few ridiculous and isolated incidents, like the banishment of a religious float from a parade in Denver and of religious songs from a high school band concert in New Jersey. (In scale, this is nothing compared with the refusal of the world's largest retailer, Wal- Mart, to stock George Carlin's new best seller, "When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?," whose cover depicts its author at the Last Supper.) Yet the hysteria is being pumped up daily by Fox News, newspapers like The New York Post and The Washington Times, and Web sites like savemerrychristmas.org. Mr. O'Reilly and Jerry Falwell have gone so far as to name Michael Bloomberg an anti-Christmas conspirator because the mayor referred to the Christmas tree as a "holiday tree" in the lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center.”

Rich goes on at some length but his point is that in our news-centered culture, moderation doesn’t make news. Jerry Falwell and Al Sharpton are the “reverends” who make the tube and Rich quoted a moderate who said: “Jesus Christ would have a tough time getting covered by TV if he didn't get arrested."

Rich concludes: “Toss the issue of religion into that 24/7 wrestling match,[that is TV news] as into any conflict in human history, and the incendiary possibilities are limitless. When even phenomena as innocuous as Oscar nominations or the lighting of a Christmas tree can be inflated into divisive religious warfare, it's only a matter of time before someone uncovers an anti-Christian plot in "White Christmas.” It avoids any mention of religion and it was, as William Donohue might be the first to point out, written by a secular Jew.”