Parade Protest Has Organizers Rethinking Anti-Religion Policy
by Allie Martin
December 8, 2004
(AgapePress) - Organizers of an annual Christmas parade in Colorado's capital city are reconsidering the "no religion" policy they have long imposed on parade participants.The private nonprofit group that presents Denver's annual "Parade of Lights" has for years had a policy prohibiting religious or political messages in the parade. However, this past parade weekend, after the Faith Bible Chapel of Arvada could not get permission for its religious-themed float, a group of more than 600 Christians from area churches gathered for a peaceful Christmas pre-parade protest.
The Denver-area believers sang Christmas carols as they walked along the parade route and shared their faith with thousands of parade-goers. And the demonstration seems to have been quite effective. Faith Bible Chapel's Pastor George Morrison says he will soon be able to meet with the organizers of the Parade of Lights and, according to an Associated Press report, parade director Susan Rogers now says the nonprofit group is committed to being "inclusive."
Pastor Morrison is looking forward to this opportunity to talk with the parade's organizers and to respond to the idea that Christian groups and their expressions should be excluded from an event designed to celebrate diversity. "Let us as a community celebrate the season," he says, pointing out that Christians are not the only religious group that has a stake in the season.
"There are other religions that have this as a holiday," Morrison says, noting for instance that the Jewish community and others observe this time of year as "the Hanukah season." The minister says he has no problem with people of other faiths celebrating their traditions in the context of the parade, but he adds, "let's not just bring the people down there under the assumption this is a Christmas thing when it's not."
Whatever attempts are made to secularize the holiday, the pastor of Faith Bible Chapel believes everyone knows what time of year it is, and feels those who recognize the real reason for the season should have the right to acknowledge it. But instead, he says the Parade of Lights has been capitalizing on Christmas while banning all mention of the holiday and its namesake.
"People are going out at Christmastime in the stores," Morrison notes. "The lights are being put up and have traditionally been put up to celebrate the Christmas season. If it's a duck, it's a duck; if it's Christmas, it's Christmas." On the other hand, he says, "If it's a winter fest, or winter carnival or holiday or something else, then choose January or February and do that."
Morrison and other Denver-area Christians are hoping that, in the wake of this protest, the Parade of Lights organizers will act on their touted commitment to inclusiveness and change their policy to include those who want to call Christmas by its right name.
