SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Alliance Defense Fund announced today it has more than 930 allied attorneys available nationwide to combat any improper attempts to censor the celebration of Christmas in schools and on public property.
"Frankly, it's ridiculous that Americans have to think twice about whether it's okay to say Merry Christmas," said ADF President Alan Sears. "Thanks to the ACLU and its allies, Christmas isn't what it used to be. It's time to repair the damage that such organizations have done to America's favorite holiday. An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose censoring Christmas."
According to recent polls,
- 95 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas (Fox News/Opinion Dynamics, 2005).
- 90 percent of Americans recognize Christmas as the birthday of Jesus Christ (Gallup, 2000).
- 88 percent of Americans say it is okay for people to wish others "Merry Christmas" and the majority of Americans are more likely to wish someone they just met "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays" (CNN/USA Today/Gallup, 2004).
- 87 percent of Americans believe nativity scenes should be allowed on public property (Fox News/Opinion Dynamics, 2003).
"ADF's goal once again this season is to inform, educate, and help protect the rights of the 95% of Americans who celebrate Christmas," Sears explained. "It's a sad day in America when you have to retain an attorney to wish someone a Merry Christmas. The fear, intimidation, and disinformation spread by the ACLU and its allies over the years will not be changed overnight. That's why ADF wants to dispel the myths about religious expression at Christmastime that have prompted wrongful acts of government censorship of religious speech."
The purpose of ADF's Christmas Project is to clear up misconceptions about seasonal religious expression on public property:
- The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled that public schools must ban the singing of religious Christmas carols or prohibit the distribution of candy canes or Christmas cards.
- School officials do not violate the Constitution by closing on religious holidays such as Christmas and Good Friday.
- School officials are not legally obligated to recognize all other religious holidays simply because they officially recognize Thanksgiving or Christmas.
- School officials may use "Christmas Vacation" to refer to the December holiday break without offending the Constitution.
- Government-sponsored Christmas displays are not banned as some people believe. When faced with the question of whether a Christmas display is constitutional, a court simply asks, "Is the government celebrating the holiday or promoting religion?" Often, the "Three Reindeer Rule" is used by courts, whereby a judge reasons that having a sufficient number of secular objects in close enough proximity to the Christmas item (such as a crèche) renders the overall display as a constitutional community observance of the holiday.
Participating with ADF in this year's Christmas Project are Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, Coral Ridge Ministries, and the majority of America's state-based family policy councils.
ADF will represent people of faith, as well as school districts or other entities, free of charge--as it has in numerous instances in recent years--to defend their freedom of speech regarding Christmas, even after Christmas is over.
Despite statements made last year by the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State that allegations of legal attacks against Christmas are "fictional" ("A Fictional War on Christmas," by T. Jeremy Gunn,
USA Today, Dec. 18, 2005) and "thinner than cheap wrapping paper" (AUSCS press release, Dec. 19, 2005), the ACLU filed suit against the Wilson County School System in Tennessee just months later. Among the allegations in the suit, the ACLU objects to a kindergarten Christmas program held at one of the district's schools.
ADF has prepared a free informational pamphlet titled "The Truth about Religious Expression at Christmastime." Informational legal information letters that can be sent to school or municipal officials regarding the law and Christmas expression are also available. Concerned citizens can visit
www.saychristmas.org or call 1-877-TELL-ADF (1-877-835-5233).
ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.
www.telladf.org www.saychristmas.org
Related information
Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll: www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/poll_religion.pdf
Gallup polls: poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=14410&pg=2
ADF Christmas pamphlet, legal memo, and other resources: www.saychristmas.org/resources
ADF Christmas Media Kit (for media outlets only): www.saychristmas.org/docs/mediakit.pdf