Bows of Folly: Portland Blasted for PC Pandering With 'Holiday Tree'
by Chad Groening and Jenni Parker
December 15, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A Christian leader in Maine says it is ridiculous that the City of Portland has bowed to the will of the politically correct crowd and renamed its Christmas tree a "holiday tree." Officials in Maine's largest city have decided to call the traditional Christmas tree at Monument Square a "holiday tree," citing a desire to be sensitive to other people and religions as the reason for their decision to avoid directly referencing the Christian holiday. But Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine (CCLM), notes that the Portland officials apparently have no problem with insulting 850,000 Christians who live in Maine.
"Secularism is running rampant, and this is just another example of how crazy it is," Heath observes. "Here it is Christmastime," he says; "we're talking about a Christmas tree, everybody knows it's a Christmas tree, and they're going to rename it a 'holiday tree.' It's ridiculous."
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CCLM's Michael Heath |
The CCLM spokesman says he and his group are angered that the City of Portland would change the name of the Monument Square tree at Christmastime in an effort to disassociate the Christmas symbol from its religious and specifically Christian roots. "It's also interesting to observe that the word 'holiday' means 'holy day,'" Heath points out. "So, even in the change," he says, "they manage to pass along religious meaning, which is something the politically correct crowd is loathe to do these days."
The Portland Press Herald quotes the City of Portland's marketing director, Liz Darling, as saying that she does not understand why referring to the city's "holiday tree" as such is even an issue. She says the city officials are simply, "trying to keep it neutral" and "trying to celebrate the holidays, no matter what you believe."
But Kiera McCaffrey, a spokeswoman for the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights -- a group that has been tracking the issue for some 12 years -- says Portland's renaming decision will not fool anyone. In talking with the Herald, McCaffrey asked what other religions take evergreen trees indoors and decorate them. "They are Christmas trees," she said. "Everybody knows that."
