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Welp, the Christmas season is upon us and, true to form, Focus on the Family is continuing their campaign to save Christmas from all those evil retailers who substitute "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings."  They even started a website where consumers can go and rate businesses based on how Christmas-friendly they are.  On StandForChristmas.com, consumers can rate 30 popular businesses including Target, WalMart, and Best Buy indicating whether they are "Friendly," "Negligent," or "Offensive."

Really Focus?

While I should have expected it (having worked there for a short stint), I'm surprised - or perhaps disheartened - that Focus is still up to its old ridiculous antics of focusing on everything but the family.  Is there nothing better for FOTF to spend their time, money, and resources on than pointing out all the ways that non-Christian culture is, surprise-surprise, non-Christian?  Perhaps it is this kind of garbage coming out of there that has resulted in their enormous lay-offs and cutbacks; people don't want to support an organization whose practices only highlight what they are against.

But, I imagine there may be some reading this blog who need a little convincing and I'll oblige.  Here's why this is nothing more than Christian Idiocy:

Being Offended by Retailers Not Saying "Merry Christmas" Makes Christians Look Weak

You cannot get around this with the whole, "But Christianity looks weak to the world" excuse.  That may be true, but the essence of our perceived weakness is the result of the upside-down nature of the Kingdom: dying to live, loving enemies, etc.  Those are essential to the Gospel and, as a result, worth dying for.  It is worth appearing weak for the sake of those.  But appearing weak because non-Christian retailers don't pay explicit lip service to a Christian holiday to the exclusion of all others, is idiotic precisely because it is not worth dying for.  Nobody is going to lay down their lives so that Best Buy will say, "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays."  And if they do...consider it a blessing of evolution and give them a Darwin Award.

Christians Should Be Happy About Respecting Others' Beliefs

Isn't it a little odd that the ones who are supposed to be the most like Jesus - you know, the guy who reserved his harshest judgment for the religious and instead of condemning the sinful world, accepted it - are the ones who are initiating this condemnation of non-Christians?  Wasn't it Jesus who told us to love our enemies?  Isn't the most basic form of love the extension of respect?  So why, again, should Christians be upset about the fact that non-Christian retailers are seeking to respect the beliefs of others?  Far from criticizing or being offended by these actions, we should be praising them!

For Retailers, ANY Holiday is Just an Opportunity to Make Money (Including Those Who Say "Merry Christmas")

Let's get something straight: retailers take the actions they do in the interest of making money.  Christmas, whether Christians want to admit it or not, is a consumer holiday, a cash cow, a day that is only as popular as it is because of the money that can be made in its observance.  That is why some retailers choose to respect the beliefs of non-Christians...they want their money.  And that is why some retailers choose to respect the beliefs of Christians...they want our money.  But let's ask a question here: is it helpful for Christians that retailers have to cater to our exclusive desires in order to not be taken through the ringer?  Is that the reputation God wants for us: do what we want or else?

Being "Christmas-Friendly" Should Mean More Than Paying Lip-Service

This is the most important point.  The biggest problem with Focus' campaign: it sends the message that paying Christmas lip-service is admirable and should be praised.  Because that's what Jesus was after, right - people who said, "Jesus is Lord" and went on about their lives without any commitment to him whatsoever?  If Focus' actually cared about which businesses were Christmas-friendly, they would be looking at other things like: hiring/firing practices, charitable giving, the wages paid to those who make the products they carry, community involvement, etc.  But, I digress.  Focus is too lazy to actually care about being Christmas-friendly so instead they've settled for making ridiculous attacks.  Praise the Lord, right?

But, I'm willing to change my mind if someone can provide any good reason for this.