This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE (12-09-04)

Where do you stand?
As the Christmas season brightens the landscape of the nation with lights, tinsels, shopping and displays of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, also comes the onslaught of the nay sayers who stridently demand that Christ be taken out of Christmas.
Now...this year particularly it has taken the tact of prohibiting the singing of religious carols in any school activities.
We have been bombarded over the past few years with those who want to take the word “God” out of everything that we as Americans observe. Our money....In God we Trust......the display of ten commandments on any public property......any display of religion seems to bring forth the atheists among us.
And...I’m puzzled.
First of all......The first amendment to our Constitution says....that Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
Now...certainly Congress has not tried to establish a single religion for the nation.......but what of the second restriction?
Listen again....it says....or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
When schools prohibit the singing of religious carols they certainly are prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
When judges declare that the ten commandments cannot be displayed on any public property......isn’t that also a prohibition against the free exercise thereof.
I don’t know where the impression began that the public can be barred from religious observances.....be it christian, jewish, muslim or otherwise.
In my instance I am a Christian....and certainly object strongly to these prohibitions. I would also object if Jewish, Muslims or even Atheists wanted to exercise their freedom to practice their religion.
I do object when one or two can prohibit the majority from doing one thing or another. We have seen this begin years ago with two students going to court to stop the recitation of prayers at graduation, for instance. In other words....two students deprived the entire class of several hundred from hearing these prayers.
We have gone a long way down the road to individual liberty that we have reached the point where one or two people can deprive the vast majority of one thing or another.
Individual liberties became the watchword pretty much after World War Ii....and since then there have been numerous violations of the will of the majority by just a few individuals.
Now....it’s obvious that we, Christian people, and those who profess belief in God.....are coming under attack.
That’s why I posed the question.....where do you stand?
Slowly....these antis are gaining leverage in this issue. Even today in many of our classrooms....the teachers have outlawed the saying “under God” from the pledge of allegiance. Now...the new attack is to call the season.....Happy Holidays....rather than Merry Christmas.
Not me.......It is and will always be.....Merry Christmas.

            This is Floyd Wynne and that’s THE VIEW FROM HERE.