In the House of Wood

Knoxville —

I am so tired of so-called “journalists” and ohter media personalities neglecting to tell the truth about religion, Christmas and our government. So, here’s my attempt at trying to set the record straight.

Let me preface this by saying that I have neither the time nor interest to search the Internet, archives and vast libraries of history for every little action to restrict or allow the exercise of religious practices or the celebration of Christmas. This is merely an attempt to demonstrate that religion has always been present in the US government, and the celebration of Christmas in America are longstanding, but NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN COMPELLED BY LAW to participate either of them in this country.

Let’s start with the Constitution. Once again, the only time religion is mentioned in the Constitution is in the First Amendment, which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The words, “separation of church and state” are not in the Constitution. That phrase originated in Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist association.

According to usconstitution.net, Jefferson believed that religion was a deeply personal matter, between an individual and his/her respective deity, in which government had no place. I agree. Here’s how Jefferson put it:

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association assurances of my high respect & esteem.”

Jefferson wrote this letter on Jan. 1, 1802, The Bill of Rights, which included the First Amendment, was ratified on Dec. 15, 1791, according to most historians. Jefferson’s letter did not change the Bill of Rights nor Constitution.

The line about religious freedom is due to the Church of England’s power and influence over government. The Founding Fathers did not want any outside entity, with an agenda that may not align with American ideals, to have that kind of undue influence over the American government. (We can see how that worked out.)

The Founding Fathers also did not want America to be a country in which religious differences led to oppression and greater atrocities. America did not want to be like those in the Middle East, where even today, if you are not Muslim, you need to keep that fact quiet if you want to survive.

Nevertheless, the Founding Fathers recognized that there is still something bigger than themselves, something bigger than manmade government, which should be revered and recognized. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights. If Americans, or any other people, were led to believe their rights came from government and not God, it is easier for government to take them away.

Despite the Constitution denying Congress from establishing a national religion, there have been 62 Senate chaplains in American history, according to Senate.gov. The chaplain is charged with opening every day the Senate is in session with a prayer.

Of the chaplains, 19 have been Episcopalian, followed closely by Methodists with 17. Many other Christian denominations have also been represented.

As for Christmas, according to thehistoryofchristmas.com, the celebration was largely rejected in the early days of our republic. In fact, Congress was in session on Dec. 25, 1789.

Americans did not embrace Christmas until the 1800s. In fact, Christmas was one of the numerous differences between the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. Many in the North saw sin in the celebration of Christmas, while the South saw Christmas as an important social event.

Alabama was the first state to proclaim Christmas a holiday in 1836, followed by Louisiana and Arkansas in 1839. Congress declared Christmas a federal holiday on June 26, 1870. Christmas, despite all of the efforts of secular progressives to marginalize it, remains a federal holiday.

Personally, as a Christian, I couldn’t care less if Christmas was a federal holiday or not. I do not need the blessing of Congress Almighty to celebrate the birth of my Savior.

However, it annoys me when anti-religion Congressmen and federal employees bash others for using the word “Christmas” in one breath, then follow their sentiments by gladly enjoying a paid day off. If you don’t want to recognize Christmas, and instead choose to ruin it for the rest of us, then go to work. For those of other religions who do not celebrate Christmas, but don’t criticize those who do, I’m fine with them taking the day off.

I hope this has been educational for you. I’d like to thank my lovely wife, Marcy, for allowing me to temporarily deviate from my promise to not write about politics in this column until after Christmas. She was swayed after I was yelling at some idiot, so called “Constitutional expert,” who was quoted on the evening news by saying that the Constitution includes the words “separation of church and state.”

Yes, I still have a tendency to yell at the television and get annoyed with those who intentionally spread false information. I hope you understand.

Take care of yourself and thank you for reading.

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