OPINION:
As millions of Americans enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and reflected on the birth of Christ, folks over at The Washington Post were apparently fretting about the Trump administration’s decision to celebrate the real meaning of the season.
In a head-scratching article titled, “Trump aides’ official religious messages for Christmas draw objections,” The Post opined that “overtly sectarian posts on official social media accounts contrast with a tradition of secular holiday messages.”
The article’s lede kicks off with an absurd line that was intended to send spine-chilling horror through the hearts and minds of readers.
“Top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration posted messages from their government accounts hailing Christmas in explicitly sectarian terms, such as a day to celebrate the birth of ’our Savior Jesus Christ,’” it read.
It’s almost unimaginable that someone would lament the government’s decision to celebrate Christmas — the holiday very literally marking the birth of Jesus, the Christian savior — “in explicitly sectarian terms.” Yet, that’s the grievance.
The Post mentions examples, including the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly posting “Christ is Born” and imagery including images of Jesus, crosses and a manger. Government officials were also called out for their “sectarian” messages.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote about celebrating the “birth of our savior” and other agencies posted similar sentiments. All of this was presumably too much for The Post.
“The messages sharply diverged from the more secular, Santa Claus-and-reindeer style of Christmas messages that have been the norm for government agencies for years,” the article continued. “The posts provided the latest example of the administration’s efforts to promote the cultural views and language of Trump’s evangelical Christian base.”
It’s this last line that’s almost mind-numbing and evidence of how far we’ve truly fallen as a thinking people. This is what happens when truth becomes so sidelined that people can no longer see beyond their own blinders.
Christmas, though sometimes whitewashed with secular messaging, is one of the most religiously driven days imaginable. And yet, for years, we’ve become comfortable with pretending the commemoration is about elves, reindeer and secular symbols.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not opposed to the folklore and related festivities that come along with the Christmas season, but it’s not the real reason for it. And the fact we’ve become so comfortable dumbing down a holiday — so much so that we’re publishing articles lamenting the legitimate observance of Christmas — is disturbing at best.
It didn’t take long for The Post article to go viral in some circles, as people recognized the absolute absurdity of dumbing down the true meaning of Christmas — all for the sake of feelings and inclusiveness propped up by a poor understanding of the First Amendment.
It should be noted that The Post’s grievances included a message delivered by Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. While The Post noted that some departments did post “a secular Christmas message,” the outlet said Ms. Dhillon was among those who “took a different approach.”
Ms. Dhillon posted a message to Christians across the globe, wishing them happiness as they celebrated the “birth of Jesus.” The Post noted that the accompanying video included the official discussing how religious liberty and the First Amendment protect Christians.
“She did not mention protecting other religions,” The Post added.
Considering Christmas is a Christian holiday, the point of her message was to note that Bible believers — the very people celebrating this religious holiday — are protected by American ideals. The fact that another religion wasn’t mentioned in a Christmas-themed message seems perfectly fine and uncontroversial.
Furthermore, The Post failed to note that Ms. Dhillon is a Sikh and not a Christian, an important detail you’d think would have made its way into the narrative but somehow did not.
It’s true that America is a diverse nation with many differing views on faith and religion, but the idea that even recent presidents haven’t delivered “sectarian” messages is quite silly.
In 1991, former President George H. W. Bush offered up a holiday message that couldn’t have been more Christ-focused. It read, in part, “At Christmas, we celebrate the promise of salvation that God gave to mankind almost 2,000 years ago. The birth of Christ changed the course of history, and His life changed the soul of man.”
And, in 2016, President Obama said during his weekly address that he and his family would “join our fellow Christians around the world to rejoice in the birth of our Savior.”
Ultimately, America for too long has been trapped in a truth desert, unable to answer even the simplest of questions, such as, “What is a woman?” We’ve made strides, but this latest article lamenting the government’s recognition of the real reason for Christmas is blatant evidence that we still have plenty of work to do.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell also is the author of four books.
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