ORLANDO, FL, November 10, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Florida based pro-life, Christian legal organization Liberty Counsel has officially launched its eighth annual “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign” aimed at combating the censorship of Christmas in today’s secularist culture.
In an announcement, Liberty Counsel highlighted its work over the past several years in educating people about their freedom to celebrate “Christmas” instead of the generic “winter holiday.” According to the group, it has overturned a number of “grinch-like” decisions, including rulings against nativity scenes on public property, the singing of Christmas carols by elderly members of nursing homes, and the censoring of words from Christmas carols by school officials.
As part of its efforts, Liberty Counsel offers a number of resources on its website for “Friends” of Christmas. Among the information on its site, Liberty Counsel offers two legal memos outlining the rights U.S. citizens have to celebrate Christmas. The first memo aims to educate citizens to their rights regarding the public celebration of Christmas, including the celebration of Christmas by teachers in public schools. The second memo instructs those in the work place regarding their rights.
The group has also published a “Naughty or Nice” list detailing those retailers who are not afraid to promote “Christmas” and those who opt for the politically correct “holiday.” Notable retailers that use the word “Christmas” repeatedly on their site include Big Lots, Cracker Barrell, Home Depot, Macy’s, and Sears among others.
Several large names landed on the “Naughty” side of the list, though. The clothing retailer Gap was put on the list for not promoting “Christmas” in its stores and several of its advertisements. The electronics store “Radio Shack” also ended up on the list after a search of its sight revealed that the word “Christmas” did not appear anywhere.
Mathew D. Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel remarked about the “Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign”: “Renaming a Christmas tree to a holiday tree, stopping students from wearing red and green, and censoring religious Christmas carols are absurd, but true, examples of the war against Christmas.”
“If a government entity censors Christmas in violation of the Constitution, then we will first seek to educate but, if necessary, we will litigate. If retailers choose to profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist, then we will patronize their competitors.”
To find out more, please visit Liberty Counsel’s site devoted to the campaign.