Enough of the Politically Correct Hypocrisyby
Bill Barnwell
What is it about the word "Christmas" that is so offensive to some people? And why do the slightest displays of public spirituality work some people up in such a tizzy? I find myself asking that question a lot, but I think I already know the answer. Many people just despise religious faith – Christian faith in particular. That’s fine, people have a right not to like or accept whomever, but it would be nice if the anti-faith brigade would just stop hypocritically pretending like they are the models of tolerance, acceptance, open-mindedness, and diversity while doing everything they can to marginalize Christian expression. In reality the politically-correct Left is about as narrow and obtuse as they come. Yet they cloak their hypocritical animus in warnings about the supposed threat from those dangerous Christians. While there are some extremely credible concerns about theocracy and religious abuses over the centuries, what we have today is an altogether different matter. And with each passing decade the hysterically politically correct climate seems to get more and more ridiculous. Today the argument isn’t over burning heretics at the stake, it’s whether or not we should be able to say "Merry Christmas" at work or put up a nativity scene on public property. My girlfriend works in retail at a mall on the eastside of Michigan. It’s a clothing store that sells products targeted towards teens and young adults. She was reprimanded recently because she made the very inappropriate mistake of asking a customer if he was "Christmas shopping." It’s not Christmas shopping she was told by her superior, it’s "Holiday shopping" and she was not to repeat the other awful phrase ever again. Not only that, but she was told that as Christmas does approach, she will only be allowed to use the phrase "Happy Holidays." Oh, please. This crazed politically correctness is not limited to this clothing store, of course. It can be found in grade schools, universities, government buildings and corporations all over the country. Private businesses are free to discriminate against Christians if they want to, though it does show their hypocrisy. The majority of individuals pushing for the de-spiritualizing of Christmas and politically correct speech codes are doing so because they want to show how "tolerant," "open-minded" and "diverse" they are. The only problem is that tolerance, open-mindedness, and diversity are rarely ever demonstrated to theologically conservative Christians or anyone else who doesn’t believe in a radical left-wing agenda. In the modern day liberal lexicon, "tolerance" only means tolerating people and views that mirror ones own enlightened left-wing values. "Diversity" only means various forms of leftism or liberal multicultural madness. It always omits, of course, conservative Christians, Europeans or anyone else who doesn’t meet the Left’s official list of societal victims. "Open-mindedness" means being open-minded to people and points of views as long as they come from the left. Curiously enough, it always seems that these same "open" minds are incapable of being opened wide enough to make room for anything resembling Christian points of view. Instead those values and people are smeared as the backward and silly views of knuckle-dragging Neanderthal "Jesus-freaks" who need to leave their outdated beliefs at the door and enter the 21st century of left-wing moral enlightenment. Thus is the grand farce. Tolerance and diversity is a one-way street. The cultural elite will tolerate only those views and people coming from the left. While harping on Christians for being "intolerant" and "judgmental" they have proven themselves to be of the most intolerant and judgmental lot themselves. Instead of whining about the supposed ever pervasive hypocrisy of Christians, those on the intolerant left should look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are practicing what they are preaching. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy, folks. These double standards are apparently OK in the minds of corporate, governmental and educational elites. While they want to bend over backwards to accommodate the extremely sensitive views of a militant and whiny minority, they have no problem offending or discriminating against Christians. This is always very evident every year as the Christmas season approaches. It also is appropriate to consider those whom the politically correct elite are kowtowing to. Let me just be very blunt, if it offends you that bad to hear someone say "Merry Christmas," if you internally get that worked up over seeing a nativity scene, and if you are a smarmy elementary school administrator that prohibits one of your teachers from teaching 5th graders about the Declaration of Independence because it mentions God (as was made public last week), then it is you and not everybody else who has a problem. You’re the one who needs to have your attitude and values checked, not those nasty and backwards Christians. The politically correct bias and hypocrisy against Christians is nowhere more evident than in our nation’s schools. While liberals schools and teachers blast creationists for attempting to teach pseudo-science that omits relevant facts, these same people hypocritically teach pseudo-history that gives a simplistic portrait of historical America and the impact Christianity had in shaping American culture. If it’s wrong to teach science simplistically and purposely withhold relevant data, then the same is true is true with history and the other social sciences, which unfortunately have been hijacked by the militant Left at most institutions. The danger goes far beyond private business discriminating against Christians. The Left has historically attempted to radically reinterpret the law to marginalize Christians. Most notably has been the peculiar interpretation of the "establishment clause" in the Constitution. Somehow liberal elites have interpreted the establishment clause to mean that no one can say anything nice about God in public. I’ve yet to see how anyone has been able to logically show how teaching real American history (not pseudo-history), harmless symbols on public property, or saying "Merry Christmas" are the same as establishing a mandatory State religion. The reason is because they can’t and the obsessed politically correct should just openly admit their biases and hypocrisy instead of putting on this silly show of objectivity.
December 2, 2004 Bill Barnwell [send him mail] is a pastor in Flushing, Michigan. He spent most of his undergraduate college career studying politics and government before feeling called to the ministry. He has completed a Master of Ministries degree and is currently working towards a Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree at Bethel College in Mishawka, Indiana. Copyright © 2004 LewRockwell.com |
Those
on the libertarian Right should rightfully speak out against excesses
of religious conservatives who want to themselves use public policy,
law, and government structures to violate the rights of others.
But even the most honest atheist, if he is truly objective must
admit that the excessive discrimination and hysterical fear of religious
faith in our neurotic politically correct culture is downright nutty
and hypocritical. Enough is enough. That’s all I have to say. And
in case you don’t hear from me in the next few weeks, Merry Christmas.
Oh wait, excuse me, Happy Holidays.