Which Stores Support Christmas?

Christmas,

P1160243This time of year, many stores offer discounts for Christmas shoppers, but for whatever reason some of the stores fail to acknowledge Christmas itself.

American Family Association has assembled its “Naughty or Nice” list for 2015. The list tells which stores actively promote and acknowledge Christmas; which stores are marginal in acknowledging Christmas; and which stores largely fail to acknowledge Christmas at all.

If you would prefer to do business with companies who are not afraid to say, “Merry Christmas,” this list may be a big help.

You can read AFA’s full “Naughty or Nice” list here.

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New Poll: Most Americans Attend Church at Christmas

Christmas

If church attendance is a major part of the Christmas season for you and your family, you’re not alone.

According to new polling from Lifeway Research, 61% of Americans plan to attend church during Christmastime.

Interestingly, more than half of those who said they do not plan to attend church this Christmas acknowledged they would attend if a friend invited them.

And in case you’re wondering, according to Lifeway, Jesus really is the reason for church attendance this season. They write,

When asked, “For you personally, which of the following is the primary reason you attend church at Christmastime?” 77 percent chose “to honor Jesus.”

Other reasons Americans chose lagged considerably with 9 percent saying they attend church at Christmastime to be with family and friends, another 9 percent say to observe tradition, and 3 percent to get in the Christmas spirit.

You can read more about the polling here.

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Judge Quashes Mountain Home Nativity Scene Ahead of Christmas

Christmas,

mthomenativityU.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks issued a ruling today quashing a Nativity scene on the Baxter County courthouse lawn, according to various news sources.

The ruling was the result of a lawsuit filed against the county by the American Humanist Association. The judge ruled the county must either stop putting up the Nativity scene or create a public forum on its lawn allowing people of all religions to place decorations on courthouse property.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Nativity scenes on public property constitutional in the past. In Lynch v. Donnelly the court ruled a Nativity scene on city property did not violate the Establishment Clause, writing, there was “insufficient evidence to establish that the inclusion of the crèche [Nativity scene] is a purposeful or surreptitious effort to express some kind of subtle governmental advocacy of a particular religious message. . . . The crèche [Nativity scene] in the display depicts the historical origins of this traditional event long recognized as a National Holiday [Christmas].”

Just because property is public doesn’t mean Nativity scenes and similar Christmas decorations are off-limits, as the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed and reaffirmed through the years. And as other courts have noted, the government does not have to put up an anti-Christmas decoration alongside a Christmas decoration in order to comply with the Constitution. (more…)

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