‘Tis the holiday season, and that drives some conservatives crazy. They want it to be the Christmas season, because the more inclusive “holiday” allows for beliefs other than their own–you know, those people’s.
No one has been more forceful at promoting this grievance than Bill O’Reilly, Fox News’ master of spittle-flecked outrage. Not surprisingly, O’Reilly is at it again, this time lauding the work of the homophobic group pushing the Christmas War. Alliance Defending Freedom is involved in everything from opposing marriage equality to criminalizing gay sex in Belize, which apparently makes the group the ideal representation of the spirit of Christmas.
At least to O’Reilly. In his shout out (to himself as well), O’Reilly praised the ADF for its work. “So once again this year, I will keep an eye on the situation. Helping me is the Alliance Defending Freedom organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have been very successful in defending traditional rights in the courts. Therefore I say to them, ‘God bless you, each and every one,’ with apologies to Dickens.”
Apology not accepted.
This isn’t the first time that O’Reilly has made nice with the antigay forces behind the faux War. Just last year, he was happy to lump us in with the “secularists” who are attacking Christmas.
ADF has been called “virulently anti-gay” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, with good reason. The group has an impeccably homophobic pedigree, having been founded by such godfathers of the religious right as James Dobson and D. James Kennedy. Not content to oppose LGBT rights in the U.S., ADF has sent lawyers to Belize to defend a law criminalizing homosexuality and, more recently, has been reaching out to antigay forces in Russia.
So the next time you hear about the War on Christmas, keep in mind who the War is really against. All you need to do is look in a mirror.
Photo credit: Justin Hoch, via Wikimedia Commons
jimbryant
Isn’t this jerk O’Reilly making millions through his books etc? What does Christianity say about wealthy people? I think it says that it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than it is to thread a camel through the eye of a needle.
O’Reilly’s money-making schtick is just so transparent. Using Christianity to make millions reminds me a little of Jimmy and Tammy Baker.
ScaryRussianHeather
Ya know, spewing wrong facts does not help the situation.
O’Reilly’s book proceeds go 100% to non profits.
And shame on you about Tammy Faye who was the very first Christian to be supportive of LGBT people. RuPaul even narrated the film about her life.
That’s more than can be said about Sharon Needles, who wears a Tammy FAye tattoo on her arm. When Ru asked her about it on TV she copped out with some stupid joke about mascara instead of taking the opportunity to educate people about how at least SOME Christians are on the right side.
Furthermore, while O’Reilly’s been all over the place on marriage equality, he said this in March:
” The compelling argument is on the side of homosexuals,” O’Reilly said. “That is where the compelling argument is. We’re Americans, we just want to be treated like everybody else. That’s a compelling argument, and to deny that you’ve got to have a very strong argument on the other side. And the other side hasn’t been able to do anything but thump the Bible.” This, he added, was not a basis on which to enact public policy.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/bill-oreilly-gay-marriage-thump-bible_n_2962110.html
His position is the same as Obama’s ~evolved position. Let the states decide.
LulaWSoto
my neighbor’s step-sister makes $86/hour on the laptop. She has been fired for eight months but last month her pay check was $20442 just working on the laptop for a few hours. see post……. x.co/3KtbE
BlogShag
Never thought I’d say this, but I actually agree with Bill O’ Reilly.
If December 25th is Jesus’ birthday then we should leave it at that and pick other days to celebrate Kwanzaa or Mohammed day… whatever.
After all, Hanukkah isn’t celebrated on the same day or days as Christmas either.
sangsue
@BlogShag:
This year. But it has come out at the same time when the Jewish calendar matches. I think you’re just an anti-semitic, anti Muslim, Anti-Kwanzaa creep.
Josh in OR
@BlogShag: Or, or…and hear me out…
We could just not favor any one religion over another in non-religious settings and just stick to “Happy Holidays” since it’s the one truly neutral greeting, and neutrality is pretty much all anyone is asking. If it’s Hanukkah and someone wishes you a happy Hanukkah? OK, fine, wish them one back. If someone wishes you a Merry Christmas on December 25th (Or even December 24th) then feel free to say “Merry Christmas”. But if the customer or tourist, or employee doesn’t specify, and you feel the need to wish them a happy holiday, regardless of religion? Happy Holidays is just the polite way to go, and only lunatic fringe righties with a persecution complex have a problem with that.
Josh in OR
@BlogShag: Also – and this is easily provable through only the most cursory of researches – If one takes the Bible as the literal truth, as the nutters do, then Jesus was born while shepherds watched their flocks in fields by night. This is not done in December, but in the spring. However, when the Catholic church absorbed pagan cultures, it appropriated the practices and observation of the winter solstice/Yule into their faith (some would say perverting Catholicism into a pagan religion, but that’s a different argument entirely), resituating Jesus’ birth to the more ‘conversion-friendly’ date of December 25th.
So, you know…there’s that reason to not bother observing Christmas as a literal birthday either.
2eo
How exactly do you celebrate the birth of someone who never actually existed?
Why isn’t there a Deckard day?, or a Vader day?
SpunkyBunks
Conservatives contradict themselves. They pushed for globalism to make more money but they don’t like how it made them a minority. Corporations are global in nature and need to accommodate everybody, not just American right wing christians.
iMort
@LulaWSoto: Shut up!
krystalkleer
@ScaryRussianHeather: you are right about ol’ Billy boy about his marraige arguement that the ghost followers adhere to…they have no leg to stand on…let alone morals! the only time i ever agreed with Bill!
http://getoffmydress.blogspot.com/2013/12/as-eyelash-curls.html