The Ultimate Demise of Christmas and Chanukah
The Ultimate Demise of Christmas and Chanukah
This chapter discusses how the celebration of Christmas and Chanukah has been drained of their religion meaning. It begins by looking at the litigation over Christmas and Chanukah symbols on courthouse steps and other public property. Here, as with the Ten Commandments, we see legal battles where victory is more dangerous than defeat. Religion, in order to win the dubious honor of appearing on the lawn of city hall, must be stripped of its real meaning. The chapter also considers how the economic side of these holidays, combined with the battles over the public square, have resulted in a remarkable victory for the commercialization of religion. The true history and meaning of both Christmas and Chanukah have become changed almost beyond recognition.
Keywords: religious meaning, Christmas, Chanukah, religious symbols, commercialization, religion
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