[mrnoodle]

It's my belief that the effort to remove Christianity from the public arena extends beyond the government. The government touches every aspect of our lives, from school to church to our homes to our cars to our food. To say that you only want to remove Christianity from government doesn't make me feel much better.

Should the government establish a religion? No. But is it possible for the government to be absent of any religious influence? Maybe -- but only when the people who have elected that government become overwhelmingly atheist. That is not the case here. A vast majority (75-80% or so) identify themselves as Christian, or some offshoot. The next highest group, percentagewise, is nonreligious/agnostic/atheist -- accounting for about 15%. The next highest follows Judaism (single digit percentage, if I recall correctly). Everything else, paganism included, is sub-1%, and the total equals about 3% of the whole.

Of the number of atheists/agnostics who give a shit, there are maybe a few thousand actively involved in shutting down all mention of the predominant religion of the country. What I hear you saying is that these are the people who represent this country's foundation, and it is their wishes that must be adhered to.

That's not representative government. You are one of a handful of people who don't want your kids singing "Christmas carols" at school? Take em home. Don't turn it into a separation of church and state issue. The government isn't establishing a state religion by allowing the vast majority of its constituents to celebrate their holiday as they see fit. If you live in a school district that is primarily Muslim, and the Muslim kids want to do whatever it is they do at school, they should be allowed to. If you live in a Jewish neighborhood, and the local rec center wants a menorah up during Hannukah, more power to em. If there are 50 Scientologists and they want to exchange quasars in front of an altar to Zod at the city park, it's their park too. Just don't tell me I can't have a manger scene next to it.

The government might own the building on paper, but the taxpayers foot the bill, and it's they who are celebrating, not some faceless entity called the state.

It's freedom OF religion, not from religion.