Spat over Christmas parade might end it | The Columbus Dispatch

This village's Christmas parade might end because of concerns over possible lawsuits for using public money to finance it and possible protests if Christmas is removed from the name to avoid legal challenges.

[Godless]

Glad I don't live in Amelia. Sounds like a complete waste of time, money and effort. I guess they don't have any crime in their town, etc.

[Igor]

Godless,

Yes it is horrible to live in a place with low crime, cheap housing, decent schools etc.

[volunteers away]

Sounds like the Churches who want to protest should instead use their organization powers for good an have the protesters actually volunteer for parade work, and then maybe the sponser wouldn't back out. If they want to keep Christ in Christmas,they should be happy to help.

[MarkMyWords]

If all those folks building up a head of steam about having the word "Christmas" removed from the name of the event would divert all that energy into raising private funds to support it, rather than violating the constitution with the public financing, then I guess there wouldn't be a problem at all. Correct?

[Jeff]

I agree with the two posts above me. This parade was a funded by sponsors. The sponsors dropped due to lack of volunteers, and the city is basically saying that they can't fund a "Christmas" parade, but they would be able to fund a parade that wasn't directly linked to a religious holiday. Frankly, I think the city should just stay out of the controversy, and, if the churches can't get enough money/volunteers to run the parade, then there's no parade at all.

[DCM]

"Holiday" is all inclusive and should be used for the parade. If you want to keep Christ in Christmas there are better ways to go about celebrating than marching down the middle of Main Street. WWJD.

[john adams]

Those who want taxes used for a religious parade...do you also want to be taxed to pay for observances of non-Christian activities? Mexican Day of the Dead events? Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan events? Turn about is fair play.

[BuckI]

I don't have a problem with getting religion out of Federal, state, and municipal locales. Just be consistent: no Sundays off (for what? Going to church?), no "Christian" holidays off (you're paying people to stay home on Christmas Day? Forget it.), Easter, etc.

Seems unconstitutional to me.

Set up schedules like hospitals and other service-oriented companies do...no automatic days off.

[Reader]

volunteers away wrote:

Sounds like the Churches who want to protest should instead use their organization powers for good an have the protesters actually volunteer for parade work, and then maybe the sponser wouldn't back out. If they want to keep Christ in Christmas,they should be happy to help.

Or the churches could sponsor the parade themselves, or volunteer to bring in non-governmental sponsors. Face it, the real impetus behind such things has always been to bring out the shoppers.

[OH IOverrated]

Let me get this right. Tax dollars can sponsor a bunch or queers having a parade but not one that has the words Christmas? What is happened to my country? It is time to stand up and fight this liberal politically correct bullshit.

[Reader]

OH IOverrated wrote:

Let me get this right. Tax dollars can sponsor a bunch or **** having a parade but not one that has the words Christmas? What is happened to my country? It is time to stand up and fight this liberal politically correct ****.

And what leads you to believe that the Gay Pride Parade (I assume that's what you were talking about with the profanity that was blocked out) was government sponsored?

[carole]

Amelia in the news

[Joppy]

These stories are written specifically to infuriate me.

You godless idiots. You fools who deny the existence of God all around you! What are you afraid of, after all? You preach the economy of free thought, and yet you do nothing to proliferate what you believe to be the truth. You simply strive to silence others! Just make more atheist babies and rule the majority in your own town, complete with a atheist parade.

Are we supposed to be convinced that you are THAT offended by Christmas?

Yes, let's have a holiday parade based on nothingness. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Is mistletoe a religious symbol? What about holly?

JCC

[Joppy]

Sorry. One more thing for all you "constitutionals"...

Would someone kindly show me WHERE in the constitution it says that I can't enjoy a government-sponsored Christmas parade?

And yelling out "separation of church and state" will not make your case--because it is not there.

[Clueless in]

Why does the Dispatch report news like this? Is this really worthy? Or is there a darker agenda?

[claw71]

Joppy wrote:

Sorry. One more thing for all you "constitutionals"...
Would someone kindly show me WHERE in the constitution it says that I can't enjoy a government-sponsored Christmas parade?
And yelling out "separation of church and state" will not make your case--because it is not there.

You can have your Christmas parade, but then I want my Festivus Festival in the park and Donte wants a Kwanza Karnival. Seth wants a Dreidel Dance Revolution and Helga insists on a Pagan Pageant.

Come to think of it, it's probably best if we just call it a Holiday Parade and let everybody come together and celebrate the winter solstice, which is why Christians moved Christmas to December anyway.

We are a country of countless cultures and creeds. The government really needs to respect that, even if Christians can't.

[claw71]

OH IOverrated wrote:

Let me get this right. Tax dollars can sponsor a bunch or **** having a parade but not one that has the words Christmas? What is happened to my country? It is time to stand up and fight this liberal politically correct ****.

I believe the Gay Pride Parades are entirely self-funded.

I also believe that if you combined the gay pride parades with Christmas it would be fabulous. Sorry, but those queers really know how to throw a party.

[John]

Perhaps if Amelia's residents knew Dec 25 was the birthdate of Mithra they've been celebrating all along, this would be viewed as the completely Roman pagan holiday it's always been.

Mithra: born in a cave to a virgin with a god as his father on December 25th. Ring a bell, anyone?

To name but one from an ancient rostrum of mythological heroes worshipped and later appropriated by the wholly Roman church with absolutely no ties to Jesus whatsoever.

It hasn't for the last fourteen hundred years since it was incorporated by Constantine.

Leave it to American christians to know absolutely nothing about their so called religion,

[John]

Joppy wrote:

These stories are written specifically to infuriate me.
You godless idiots. You fools who deny the existence of God all around you! What are you afraid of, after all? You preach the economy of free thought, and yet you do nothing to proliferate what you believe to be the truth. You simply strive to silence others! Just make more atheist babies and rule the majority in your own town, complete with a atheist parade.
Are we supposed to be convinced that you are THAT offended by Christmas?
Yes, let's have a holiday parade based on nothingness. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Is mistletoe a religious symbol? What about holly?
JCC

What a silly argument to start a mindless little war pitting anyone who disagrees with you as an athiest.

Religious education, by chance?

No wonder you're illiterate. You weren't taught to think for yourself.

[Big Johnson]

Let the Christians pay for their own parade.