From Christian Week, Canada's National Christian Newspaper Oh, Christmas tree For a very short time, the brightly festooned fir in front of Toronto's city hall was called a "holiday" tree. When people began to ask what happened to the word "Christmas," the city's executive director of tourism explained that Christmas was too exclusive in Canada's multicultural society. "We want to get the message out that [the Cavalcade of Lights] is an inclusive celebration," he said. Nonsense, replied a chorus of voices. In fact, no one had complained about the tree being called a Christmas tree. And Bernie Farber, executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress of Ontario, observed that taking away or changing the names of symbols for any religious group is denying Canadians their right to a truly multicultural society. "The tree in front of City Hall is a Christmas tree," he said. "The menorah in front of Queen's Park is a menorah, not a candelabra...We should really be celebrating traditions, not looking for a way to deny them." This well-stated rebuttal to the ongoing secular bleaching of faith from public life is very welcome. But while politicians in Toronto bowed immediately to public pressure and without debate voted unanimously on November 27 to officially refer to the 16-metre tree in Nathan Phillips Square as a "Christmas tree," the underlying issue is not likely to disappear so quickly. Many Canadian already celebrate "winter" festivals, attend "holiday" concerts, participate in a variety of "light" cavalcades or parades and gather around "multicultural" trees decked out with menorahs and symbols from other faiths. That these celebrations normally occur during traditional Christianity's Advent and Christmas season is a mark of Christianity's pervasive influence on our culture. But this culture is changing, and the diminution of symbols is an important indicator of things to come. One ethics consultant commenting on the Toronto tree simply observed that the word Christmas is associated with Christianity, and only by removing the word does the holiday take on an air of neutrality without religious undertones. This makes the extraordinary assumption that religious tones of any sort are not welcome in public life. Sadly, all too many Canadians are content to drift toward a dominant secularism, taking it on faith that this represents a neutral position. But excluding or demeaning religious expression is not the best way to reap the benefits of a multicultural society. The multifaith reality does not mean we must abandon beliefs in order to be properly inclusive. It does mean we who would uphold religious faith in public settings must be properly respectful of any who believe otherwise, humble in the manner we commend our convictions and gracious in our public presence. This is what Christians should practise, what we should expect from practitioners of other religions and what we should expect from governments. Christians, of all people, should know that societal acceptance of religious holidays is not the real measure of our faith; and the Christmas tree is a compromised symbol at best. The way to embed a truly authentic Christian presence in the culture is for those who claim the name of Christ to draw near to Him, and allow Him to transform our lives. That's the real reason we celebrate this season. _________________________________________________________________ Protect your PC - get McAfee.com VirusScan Online http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963