December Wars

In this age of "political correctness", Christmas has become our most controversial holiday. Each year brings new court battles over nativity scenes on public property and heated school board meetings in the public schools. Author Albert J Menendez traces this dispute as far back as the fourth century, when Catholic orthodoxy turned Christmas into a major propaganda tool as well as a religious observance. Over the centuries there has been a surprising amount of disagreement among the various Christian sects about the nature of the Christian observance and whether Christmas should be celebrated as a holiday at all.The English Puritans and the Scottish Presbyterians, for example, were adamantly opposed to Christmas celebrations. In our own day, the controversy has engendered a complex legal tangle stretching from local councils to the United States Supreme Court. Menendez reviews the specific arguments and decisions in the judicial debate over religious symbols in the public square, and he explores the broader implications of the controversy for church-state relations. "The December Wars" provides a fascinating historical and legal perspective on our most popular holiday.