According to a federal body in charge of Canadian human rights law, if you celebrate Christmas or any other Christian holiday, then you might be intolerant and perpetuating "settler colonialism". The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) recently published a taxpayer funded report discussing anti-racism in the workplace. It describes Christmas and Easter holidays as a form of discrimination and religious intolerance. The report goes on to say that if Canada wants to end such intolerance, the nation must understand "how it persists, in what kinds of structures or practices it shows up and how it affects peoples lives." It naturally goes on to both target its enemies and to exalt the left's chosen victim groups, all in the name of freedom and equality:
"No one is free until we are all free...Many societies including our own have been constructed in a way that places value on certain traits or identities to the exclusion of others, for example white, male, Christian, English-speaking, thin or fit, not having disability, heterosexual and gender conforming. Because of this many people are facing various forms of discrimination."
The report's release comes on the heels of the Canadian Armed Forces issued directive prohibiting chaplains from reciting religious prayers and mentioning God during official public functions and ceremonies, including Remembrance Day. Entitled Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance, the report claims that since "Statutory holidays related to Christianity, including Christmas and Easter, are the only Canadian statutory holidays linked to religious holy days", they are discriminatory.
The CHRC even proposes that "non-Christians may need to request special accommodations to observe their holy days and other times of year where their religion requires them to abstain from work." According to the CHRC, Canada has a long history of religious intolerance which is "deeply rooted in our identity as a settler colonial state." This legacy has led to the system in Canada being constructed in a way that places value upon certain traits or identities to the exclusion of others.
The war on Christmas is nothing new, of course. It begins around the same time each year, when stores start peddling plastic Christmas trees and giant Santa Claus inflatables. Depending upon which media talking head is speaking, the war is a subversive effort by leftists to erase all traces of Christianity. But most do not realize that this battle to keep Christmas in our own way goes back many centuries.
The Puritans were Protestant English Reformists who gained distinction in the 16th and 17th centuries. After King Henry VIII broke away from Rome to found the Church of England, Puritans sought to further reform his new church.
For centuries, people had been celebrating Christmas by going to church, closing businesses, singing carols and enjoying goblets of wassail with family and friends. Since most people of medieval England had little to celebrate, they looked forward with great anticipation to the Christmas season and a break from their daily toils and tribulations.
The Puritans held a contrary view of the matter. They believed that life must be lived in strict accordance to the Holy Bible. The Bible references celebration of the Nativity not at all-let alone drinking and merrymaking-and so the Puritans lobbied to ban Christmas. In 1642, King Charles I agreed to a request from Parliament to make Christmas a subdued period of fasting and spiritual reflection instead of a festive holiday. In 1645, Parliament produced a Directory for the Public Worship of God, laying out specific new rules of worship. Sundays were set aside for worship, but all other church services, festivals and religious revelries-including Christmas-were prohibited.
Parliament did not stop there. In 1657, they made it illegal to close businesses on Christmas, and to hold or even attend a Christmas worship service. But the English commoners decided that they would not let go of their traditions without a fight. Riots ensued and many celebrated Christmas privately in their homes. Anyone who recalls the Covid Christmas years can easily relate.
After the Puritanical Oliver Cromwell ordered execution of King Charles I and became the Lord Protector of England in 1653, he upheld the Christmas ban-despite its unpopularity. But when the monarchy was restored in 1660, so was Christmas. Some Puritans, unhappy with the Church of England, emigrated to the New World and settled in Massachusetts. They embarked on a hard life shaped by their staunch Christian beliefs and brought along their conviction that Christmas was a holiday for sinners and should not be observed.
Celebrating Christmas was discouraged but did not become a punishable offense until 1659. By 1681, colonial revelers could no longer be fined but were charged with disturbing the peace if caught celebrating in public. The Puritans managed to force Christmas underground in much of New England, but they could not compel other New World colonies to follow their example. Christmas celebrations were commonplace in Virginia, Maryland and other colonies where immigrants brought their holiday traditions intact from Europe.
The Puritans still managed to hold Christmas at bay for many decades before Massachusetts finally made it a legal holiday in 1856-nearly 200 years after Christmas was banned in not so jolly old England. It took the enormous popularity of Clement Moore's 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas-with its famous opening lines "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse"-to spark a new marriage of the religious and secular sides of Christmas.
As Christmas was gradually popularized over the years, it also became more commercialized. Christians and non-Christians alike trimmed Christmas trees, anticipated visits from Santa Claus, and shopped to buy gifts for family and friends. Despite commercialization of Christmas, it was still considered mainly a religious holiday for much of the 20th century. Over the past decade or so, secularists, humanists and atheists became increasingly vocal about the separation of church and state.
Multiple lawsuits were filed by private citizens, the CHRC and other organizations urged federal and local governments to remove nativities and other Christian symbols from public spaces. Legal action has also been taken to remove Christian references, songs, and the word "Christmas" from school plays and programs. Many Christians justifiably consider this an attack upon their freedom of speech and religious liberty. They assert that nations like Canada and the U.S. were founded upon Christian principles and that Christmas is a national holiday celebrating the birth of Christ, so that Christian displays at Christmas must be left alone, regardless of their location.
Today, in your own neighbourhood, there is posted on the marquee at local schools signs saying "Winter Break". Why is it not still "Christmas Break"? The answer is that everything Christmas is under attack. It is no longer politically correct to greet folks with "Merry Christmas". The proper post-modern greeting is "Happy Holidays".
From whence does all of this foolishness come?
It is fabricated and forced upon society by an ignorant group commonly known as "the left". The left-right political dichotomy classifies political positions, ideologies, and party equality on the left to social hierarchy on the right. The left and right are presented as opposed, although a particular individual or group may take a leftist stance on one issue and a right wing one on another; and some of these may overlap and be considered either leftist or right wing depending upon the ideology. In France, where the terms originated, the left has been called "the party of movement" and the right called "the party of order". In our culture, the "party of movement" is often called progressive, although nothing could be further from the truth. It is in fact regressive and seeks to destroy 2000 years of Christian tradition.
So why does the left despise and seek to end Christmas?
The clear answer is that they oppose celebration of the birth of Christ because they hate Jesus-period. Leftists view Christians and Christianity as their enemy, and they are spot on in that a belief. They are correct in seeing Christianity as their primary ideological and political enemy. The only large-scale organized opposition to the left comes from the traditional Christian community. This includes evangelical Protestants, traditional Catholics, faithful Mormons, and Orthodox Jews.
Leftism is a secular religion deeming all other religions immoral and false. From Marx, to Lenin, to the CHRC, the left has regarded religion in general and Christianity in particular as "the opiate of the masses"-a drug that dulls us into accepting our oppressed condition and prevents revolution. The left understands that the more followers of Christianity and Judaism, the less chance the left has to gain power. What it fails to see is the truth that Christianity gives hope to the hopeless. It is powerful and can confuse and topple governments, and also rewards the simple faith of children.
Interestingly, the left does not concern itself with Islam. Leftists perceive Islam as an ally in the war against Western civilization, and lack the courage to trigger radical, violent Islamist groups. They know that confronting zealous Muslims can be fatal, whereas persecuting religious Christians bound by the Lord's Second Commandment entails no such risks. Leftists do not really want a fight; they just seek to bully those called to live a life of peace.
The CHRC regards Christianity as an intrinsic part of the Canadian national identity-one which it seeks to erode in favour of a global citizenship. The left has not only declared war upon Christians; it has sought to undermine other national identity defining holidays, especially Canada Day and Thanksgiving. The left deems Thanksgiving an historical fraud and an immoral celebration of white "genocide" of indigenous peoples-which is what our school children are taught. Similarly, any celebration of national independence is paying homage to what the CHRC calls our "settler colonial state".
The left especially hates Christmas because they are joyless. Whatever and whomever the left influences has less joy in life. No one has ever met a happy leftist. They are guided by the forces of darkness and governed by black hearts, unable to see any light or beauty in life or God's Kingdom. Regardless of the many examples we have cited, nothing stops them from suggesting that the war on Christmas is a conjured up tale, strewn like popcorn on a yarn that adorns a festive tree.
Nothing could be further from the Truth.
Soviet leaders banned Christmas celebrations many times between 1917-91 to assert their socialist, atheistic rule. In the 1920's, Soviet groups such as The League of Militant Atheists encouraged school children to campaign against Christmas. In her book, Religious Policy in the Soviet Union, Sabrina Petra Ramet wrote that atheist leaders enlisted children to protest the Christmas tree and encouraged them to actually spit upon the crucifix, the very symbol of Christ.
The hatred for Christmas in the USSR became even more vile during the Stalinist era from 1929-39. In his book, Christmas at the Movies: Images of Christmas in American, British and European Cinema, Mark Connelly wrote:
"Suffice it to say that there were, at least officially, no Christmas celebrations in the atheist socialist state after its foundation in 1917."
It was only after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 that Christmas finally returned to Russia. However, the war on Christmas did not just occur in the Soviet Union. It also occurred in socialist, atheist France during the French Revolution. French revolutionary rulers like Robespierre prohibited religious services and replaced the country's legendary holiday goodie-the three kings cake-by renaming it the "equality cake". Yum?
In Nazi Germany, Christianity as a whole was attacked and named an enemy of the totalitarian state. Leaders there did not permit anyone to bow to a higher authority than their Fuhrer. Christmas celebrations were cancelled, and worse. Christmas songs were corrupted, their lyrics replaced with racist ones to serve the Propagandist Nazi agenda of hate.
Leftists today are more likely to object even to the messengers who point out the modern day war on Christmas, including yours truly. Regardless when it began or who brought it to light, once again the war on Christmas exists. Anyone who tells you otherwise is pushing the very propaganda used against the French, Germans, and Soviets in their darkest eras.
Many on the left have been warring on Christmas for more than a generation. Leftists always deny that there is a war on Christmas and mock those who claim it exists. There is an incredible lack of self awareness when people do something and yet deny they are actually doing it, even when they are caught in the act-like the CHRC. But the evidence is overwhelming, and it requires a breath-taking level of narcissism for a non-Christian to be offended by mentions of Christmas and an even greater degree of malevolence to seek to deprive the vast majority of Canadians their cherished public celebration of a religious holiday.
So why has this happened?
The "inclusive" objection raised by the CHRC report is patently absurd. Even Orthodox and secular Jews are not offended or feel excluded by an invitation to a Christmas party. So there must be other reasons for the left's neutering of Christmas.
On December 25th, Christians in Canada and around the world will celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ, or as non-Christians sometimes respectfully refer to him, Rav Yussel Ben-Yosef. For among his many other attributes, Jesus was a Learned Rabbi.
While historical evidence points towards the actual birthday of Jesus being in the spring, the December 25th date, or January 6th for Orthodox Christians-are the traditional days celebrated by Christians as the birth of Christ.
It is a time of year when people in predominantly Christian countries-as Canada once was-are more expansive, gentle, and at peace with each other. They smile more and let things go because it is Christmas: a time of cheer and goodwill, spent with family and friends.
It is also however a time when the secular left unleashes savage attacks upon the very nature of Christ and the holiday itself. Satanists demand the right to set up displays next to manger scenes, smarmy writers mock Christmas traditions and Christianity, while atheists and leftists go on the warpath with lawsuits designed to try to stop public religious displays of faith, especially Christian ones.
One well known radical feminist commentator even went so far as to publish a piece stating that religion in general is 'rapey' (her word) and Christianity in particular because-wait for it-the Gospel teaches that God raped the Virgin Mary without her consent, since consent is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture. It follows then that for leftists, the immaculate conception was nothing more than yet another instance of the exploitative Patriarchy in action.
Before we go any further, permit me to point out that all of these attacks, including the CHRC report, however offensive they may be to Christians, are permissible free speech.
But if we get beyond the secular trapping and look at the real meaning of Christmas, it becomes obvious that all of these attacks upon Christianity have a distinct motivation. It is glaringly obvious why leftists behave in this way.
Christmas is above all a time for Christians to celebrate a miracle of our faith, the birth of the Messiah; born in the humblest surroundings but recognized by the Magic and generations of future Christians as our Lord and Savior. To we Christians, Jesus is the one to whom we owe our ultimate allegiance-not to the state or to some other secular power-but to Heavenly Power. If Jesus is our Lord, then no secular ruler can be; and if Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Light, then salvation comes from Christ. Not from Moscow, from Peking, from Washington, from Ottawa, the WEF, the WHO, the UN, or any other seat of government.
The wise men who conceived Canada a century and a half ago understood all too well that the inalienable rights they sought came from the Creator, and not from any government or earthly king.
To the left, this belief goes against their entire WOKE ideology. That is why they need so badly to mock, attack, and destroy Christianity; and why all of us, even those whom are non-Christians, must vigilantly defend it.
Christmas, like our Constitution, is a way of reminding us that there are limits to state power. Hanukkah sends the same message, with its recounting of the Jewish triumph of faith and arms over the pagan, Hellenic Greeks. Is it any wonder that at the same time the left is cancelling Christmas, there is an alarming rise in global anti-semitism?
Just as the Seleucid Empire tried with all its might to destroy Jews and Judaism, the Romans sought to stamp out Christianity, and for the self same reason-to destroy natural God given rights and to bring all populations under an empirical yoke. Both failed, and the left will too.
And this is the real lesson of our times: that light will inexorably triumph over darkness, and that this is the essence of what we need to believe in, to protect and defend, no matter how hopeless things may seem at any given time.
With this thought in mind, all of us at Grey Matter, Return To Reason, and the entire Miracle Channel team, wish each of you a Happy and Blessed Christmas. Celebrate it with Peace and Joy, Faith and Family, Prayer and Reverence-because among other things, it is a festival not only of our freedom, but an acknowledgment of its Heavenly source:
