Happy Hanukkah
Dec 12th, 2009 by David Anderson
Against all odds, the Jewish people won a victory for faith, liberty, and sovereignty in their generation against the greatest imperial power then known. The call to stand up for those virtues is still with us.
To all my Jewish Friends, and you know who you are, Happy Hanukkah. And by the way thanks for wishing me a Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays.
And to you. I prefer to name my holidays because it shows respect for the various traditions, but I respect your right to take whatever approach you desire. Thank you for your holiday cheer.
David,
If you do not know the tradition a person is coming from, would you then say Happy Holidays? I think that’s the spirit behind the use of this greeting – not knowing what tradition to respect, then respecting the person. Even if they follow no particular tradition at all. Just curious.
No, We are a nation which recognizes the greatest one to ever be born as an historic figure. Christmas is both a religious holy day and a secular holiday remembering HIS birth. I don’t say happy civil rights day on Dr. King day because 10% of the people don’t celebrate it. It is an invitation to join a celebration not something strange and offensive. A person can accept it or not. My Jewish friends and Muslim friends wish me a Merry Christmas and I return appropriate greetings to them. We do not add by subtraction.
As I said, I don’t take offense at happy holidays. I just don’t share the sentiment. I am a name that holiday type of guy because that is the best way to celebrate the meaning behind each holiday. To do otherwise takes the meaning away and misses the point. We set aside these days to remember the past’s impact on the future. If they become empty jesters, we lose the value and meaning of them.
David,
What of those who celebrate no holidays or do not wish to be reminded of them? To such a person, the holidays ARE already empty jesters. While you may derive all kinds of meaning from holidays, does this mean that you have to impose that meaning on somebody who does not share your view? You have to remember – events, including holidays, don’t come prepackaged with meaning or value. We each assign these things.
Impose? Freedom means that you have a right to dissent not shut everyone else up. Most people see the value in holidays which is why they are established. About 10 to 15% of the population does not see the value in Dr. King Day and a like number feel the same about Columbus Day. Is it imposing upon them that we actually teach the valuable contributions of these people and ensure they are remembered? You have a wacked world view based upon oppression not freedom. An invitiation is not an imposition.
It is the very attitude that you express that must be pushed back against. It is the war against anything religious in implication. It is a religious apartheid.
No David,
Your view is outdated and dying.
We live in a progressive, pluralistic society – by design. This is why we have separation of state. And please, don’t try to tell me that the ‘founding fathers’ were devout Christians or anything. They were 18th-century philosophers, Deists who believed that God set things in motion and then pretty much stepped back to let us figure it out. Jefferson, a prime mover in our country’s founding, struck out all parts of the Bible (including Miracles) that he did not agree with.
… separation of religion and state, that is.
Also, I am speaking more in terms of interpersonal sensitivity, and the recognition that everyone else might not be coming from the same place as you. Can you do that? Is it reflected in your speech and actions?