{"id":245,"date":"2009-12-04T13:41:11","date_gmt":"2009-12-04T13:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/12\/its-heritage-not-religion-and.html"},"modified":"2009-12-04T13:41:11","modified_gmt":"2009-12-04T13:41:11","slug":"its-heritage-not-religion-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/12\/its-heritage-not-religion-and.html","title":{"rendered":"It’s Heritage, Not Religion and while we’re at it . . . Merry Christmas!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barry,<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nice try.  <\/span>But, you’re not going to convince me that displaying our national motto or the words from the Pledge of Allegiance somehow constitute a government-sponsored religion. To the contrary, inclusion of these words in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington simply reflects our Judeo-Christian heritage and does not represent “inaccurate history” as you suggest.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The fact is that while the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>And, it seems those atheistic sensibilities are offended very easily when Christians celebrate Christmas.  <\/span>Yes, it’s the time of year when many religions celebrate important beliefs and traditions.  <\/span>But it always seems that “Christmas” is the crosshairs.  <\/span>Don’t say “Merry Christmas” – it’s “Happy Holidays” – even though most Americans (72%)<\/a> prefer the greeting “Merry Christmas.”  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Actually, it appears those who want to make a federal case out of acknowledging our nation’s history and heritage are having no problem articulating their own “message” this Christmas season.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The American Humanist Association <\/a>has launched its atheist campaign in the nation’s capitol. <\/font>The United Coalition of Reason <\/a>is putting up billboard messages around the country. <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/font>And, the Freedom From Religion Foundation <\/a>(FFRF), which filed the lawsuit challenging the displays at the Capitol Visitor Center, is finding out that not everyone wants to see their<\/i> message – even those who usually side with them on these issues.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>FFRF said it was “floored” by the negative response it received from an advertisement it placed in the usually atheist-friendly Unitarian Universalist Association’s quarterly magazine.  <\/span>The ad quoted six famous people on religion – including a quote from Clarence Darrow: “I don’t believe in God because I don’t believe in Mother Goose.”  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>Acknowledging the ad “seemed to mock all religion” – the magazine issued an apology, saying it was “polarizing” and should not have run.   <\/span>Hmmm.<\/p>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/font>  <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barry,   Nice try.  But, you’re not going to convince me that displaying our national motto or the words from the Pledge of Allegiance somehow constitute a government-sponsored religion. To the contrary, inclusion of these words in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington simply reflects our Judeo-Christian heritage and does not represent “inaccurate history” as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[191,2,139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-american-history","category-courts","category-first-amendment"],"yoast_head":"\nIt's Heritage, Not Religion and while we're at it . . . Merry Christmas! - Lynn v. Sekulow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/12\/its-heritage-not-religion-and.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It's Heritage, Not Religion and while we're at it . . . Merry Christmas! - Lynn v. Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Barry,   Nice try.  But, you’re not going to convince me that displaying our national motto or the words from the Pledge of Allegiance somehow constitute a government-sponsored religion. 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FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. 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