Tell me more ×
Christianity Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 10 down vote favorite
2

Often times I see political correctness as an excuse to remove references to God. The excuse is that it is an effort to not offend those of different faiths. For example instead of Christmas it is the Holiday Season.

I often times find myself torn on this matter. I have friends of many faiths, and I do not want to offend them, but is being politically correct showing shame for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Mark 8:38 (KJV) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Is there a middle ground were we can show respect for the faith of others where we are not softening the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Of course I am never offended to hear members of other faith's talk about or celebrate their beliefs. Is maybe the true political correctness to just accept the faith and beliefs of others? I wish my Jewish friends a Happy Hanukkah and they wish my a Merry Christmas.

share|improve this question
I always wondered why so many people expect to hear 'Merry Christmas' so far in advance of the day, like expecting a "Happy 4th of July" in mid-June. If it's Christmas, say Merry Christmas. If it's Hanukkah, say Happy Hanukkah. But if you have to say something because it's just generally December? – Muke Tever Dec 24 '11 at 13:32
God created those other religions and people. – Greg McNulty Jul 2 '12 at 20:26

3 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

My experience is that this form of political correctness is an over-reaction against something that isn't really a problem anyway, and is intended to appease people who are offended by Christianity--most likely a small minority of vocal athiests and those with similar political views.

I am never/would never be offended when a Jew wishes me a "Happy Hanukkah," or for that matter if a Catholic wishes me a "Happy X" (where X is a holiday celebrated by Catholics, but not by protestants--and there are many).

I think it is reasonable for Christians to wish "Merry Christmas" to non-Christian friends. After all, we do want non-Christians to have a merry Christmas, don't we?

Now if I know that it offends a friend for some reason, I would be happy to abstain from that greeting for that friend. In much the same way Christians who consume alcohol would (hopefully) abstain from consuming alcohol in the presence of those it would offend, or for whom it would be a "stumbling block."

But I'm not going to refuse to wish Merry Christmas to strangers (store clerks, waitresses, etc), or otherwise profess my faith, for fear of offending.

The Gospel of Christ is offensive, after all.

share|improve this answer
1  
I don't know of any problem with a Christian celebrating Hanukkah; it's a celebration of one of the miracles the Lord performed for his people (just before His birth). – compman Aug 28 '11 at 0:56
up vote 5 down vote

Turn the question around. What if the Jews had conquered Europe and Britain instead of the Romans. What if we celebrated Passover instead of Easter and Hanukkah instead of Christmas, and about 50 other public holidays on the Jewish calendar. Would you find that offensive? Would you demand that they change "Passover" to "The Day of the Messiah", because you believe Jesus was and the vast majority of (this hypothetical) society don't?

If you are not offended when a Jewish friend wishes you "Happy Hanukkah", why should anyone be offended if you wish them "Merry Christmas". Likewise, I am not at all offended if someone wishes me "Happy Holidays", but I feel no compulsion to use the phrase myself - I happen to believe it's good for society to be reminded of the religious connection to the holidays we celebrate. Much like Passover and other feasts were instituted to remind the Jewish people every year of the mighty works God had done for them.

In my opinion, most political correctness is a disguised agenda to strip society of it's historic Christian moors with a goal of producing an atheistic or at least agnostic social culture.

share|improve this answer
1  
I don't think Jews practicing their Jewish holidays, or wishing that I (a Christian) have a "Happy Hanukkah" is at all offensive. Now, if they tried to force me to observe their holidays, and refused me the right to observe mine, that would be a separate issue, but not really related to political correctness. – Flimzy Aug 27 '11 at 21:32
True, and I agree entirely. However, in western societies no-one if forced to celebrate Christmas or any other Christian holiday, other than giving them a paid day off work. – Software Monkey Aug 27 '11 at 21:43
That's exactly my point :) Nobody is forced to celebrate... so the analogy of a Jewish-controlled society is irrelevant to this discussion. – Flimzy Aug 27 '11 at 21:52
No, I am saying by way of analogy, turn the tables - would you insist on such or be offended if the tables were turned. If not, why allow others to insist on dictating to you in the society we're in. – Software Monkey Aug 27 '11 at 22:10
And my answer is "No, I would not be offended." – Flimzy Aug 27 '11 at 22:13
show 1 more comment
up vote 3 down vote

As one of the supposedly-offended here, allow me to add a perspective: I am not in the least bit offended by anyone wishing me a happy Christmas; nor would I be in the least bit offended by friends an associates wishing me a happy Eid etc. Or new year, or Chinese new year. In fact I dislike intensely any attempt to hide the names in the sake of political (in)correctness. After all, we haven't renamed Thursday (Thor from Norse mythology) or January (Janus from Roman mythology, IIRC) in a long time.

In all cases, these are simply (in my interpretation) points of reference - days on a calendar that allow us to talk about a date or social holiday in the most terse way. This has particular meaning in Christmas as a time to try harder to spend time together as a family (at a time when our kin are also generally available), make an extra effort to see friends, take a moment to appreciate our own fortune, and make an extra effort towards consideration of those less fortunate. As Christians you may have additional considerations, but I'm sure you'll share in the ones above.

So: on behalf of any non-Christians who share my interpretation: Happy Christmas to all on the site, no matter your beliefs.

In terms of "showing shame for our God" - no; I would have to suppose that those promoting alternative names are merely trying to observe that a great many people do not share your belief. The aim is misplaced, though, IMO.

(what might be considered offensive, though, is the suggestion that non-Christians should not be celebrating at Christmas-time in any way, when a: the reasons above are not unreasonable, and b: Christmas has absorbed previous social celebrations such as Saturnalia and Yule; a little celebration seems to do us all good).

share|improve this answer
Nice perspective thanks! – Jim McKeeth Dec 24 '11 at 17:27

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.