Over the last week or so, a perfect example of such a controversy has been bubbling over in Olympia, Washington. As Thaddeus M. Baklinski writes in LifesiteNews.com,
A sign which reads, "There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds" has been allowed to be placed beside a traditional Nativity scene and a 25 foot Christmas tree, now called a "holiday tree," inside the Washington state capitol building by state governor Christine Gregoire.There are some people who see this Christmas display event as just another battle in America’s raging culture war. That bastion of fair and balanced reporting, Bill O’Reilly writes:
The importance [of the] the Christmas controversy is that it has become the centerpiece [of] the culture war between traditional Americans and secular progressives. Outside of the war on terror, this culture war is the most important thing happening in the country today. At stake, whether the USA will turn into a secular country that mirrors Western Europe, or maintain its emphasis on Judeo-Christian values.O’Reilly identifies the warring sides as “traditional Americans” versus “secular progressives.” It appears to me that according to his use of the term, a traditional American is one who grew up believing that a particular (Christian) way of doing things was the right way and wants that way to continue without interruption or impediment. A traditional American certainly doesn’t want someone with a different set of experiences or beliefs to be able to change things. That particular brand of traditional American interprets any move towards multicultural acknowledgement as an attack on Christianity, or according to Bill O’Reilly, on “Judeo-Christian values.”
From my own unavoidably biased position, I think he and other “traditional Americans” would identify Judeo-Christian values as being: patriarchal dominance, superficial morality, and public piety, which means, by the way, brown-nosing God. (Just don’t get in the way of my ability to make lots of money.)
As I (and many other liberals and progressives) see it, these are not Judeo-Christian values. Judeo-Christian values are concern for the poor, hospitality to the stranger, love of neighbor and enemy alike, and a belief that abundance in life is for all, not just the few who are more righteous or more powerful than others.
A culture that is truly based in these values will want to make room for other expressions of faith right next to the “traditional” ones. A progressive, “secular” culture is not anti-religion or anti-faith. It simply “makes room in the Inn” for all.
Many commentators have noted that the problem with the atheistic sign placed next to the nativity scene and “holiday” tree in Olympia is not the existence of the sign itself. The problem is that it demonstrates the same narrow judgmental attitude as the “traditionalists” demonstrate. It is not an expression of one’s belief to state categorically that all the others are wrong. That sign demonstrates a kind of “atheistic fundamentalism.” And fundamentalism of any stripe only serves to maintain belligerent attitudes on both sides.
One other thought, the value of pluralism in public holiday displays is not about fairness – simply that everyone can have their say. The value of pluralism in public holiday displays is that everyone, then, has the opportunity to learn about one another’s perspectives, even those that might be radically different from ones own “traditional” perspective. Such mutual learning promotes relationship and community, and yes these are Judeo-Christian values.
What do you think?
Wayne Gustafson
“Our faith is 2000 years old, our thinking isn’t.”
The United Church___of Christ
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