As a cultural Christian, i.e., someone who was raised a Christian and
practices values learned from that tradition but who is no longer a
"believer," I am perhaps another kind of case-study for the question under
discussion.

I love the Christmas tradition, and value it as the inherited version of
much older and ancient winter celebrations.  I don't like "happy holidays"
or "xmas" (where did that come from, anyway?) or any other substitute that
commercializes and erodes what should be (religious or not) preserved as
representing a profound sense of the enduring human spirit.  Such
celebrations and symbols are important, and the worst thing that could
happen is if in the name of political correctness we end up emptying them
all of their deeper human significance.

On the other hand, I recognize that other traditions exist to provide the
same experience for their adherents as Christmas does for me, and to
marginalize them does feel like a kind of cultural chauvinism that's not in
keeping with the shared humanity these events represent.

So, I'd say that every business, profit and non-profit, needs to survey its
own demographic and determine wisely how best to balance its presentation at
this time of year -- but I hope they would err on the side of risking some
small offense-of-omission to some, rather than branding the season in such a
way that it offends nobody and thereby defaults to being nothing more than a
consumer holiday, an empty shell that honors no tradition and cheapens them
all.


_____________________________________
S t e p h e n    N o w l i n

http://xrl.us/WilliamsonExhibits

Vice President,Director,
Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery
Art Center College of Design
1700 Lida Street
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.396.2397
[log in to unmask]

http://www.williamsongallery.net
http://www.artandscience.us
http://www.pasadena-culture.net
_____________________________________

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