Re: First Amendment as quoted on this page

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On 10/16/01, cbg wrote:
> On 10/16/01, Beth wrote:
>> On 8/25/01, anon wrote:
>>> If congress can't restrict the expression of religion, how
>>> is it they can 1)prohibit the display of Nativity scenes
>>> (just because it is on government property doesn't mean the
>>> government is endorsing it - it just shows free expression}
>>> and 2)the saying of "Merry Christmas" on the radio? You can
>>> only say "Happy Holidays" - "Merry Christmas" is in the
>>> same category as "f..." That seems a shame. Explain that
>>> to me legally.
>>
>> The Constitution calls for the separation of church and
>> state. That is the basis for the objections for displaying
>> religious-themed materials in gov't facilities, prayer in
>> pubic schools, etc.
>>
>> I don't quite know what you're talking about relative to
>> holiday greetings on the radio, but since radio stations are
>> not gov't entities, these choices would be a matter of
>> station policy, not constitutional issues. There are many
>> people in this country that don't observe Christmas - people
>> of the Jewish faith, Muslims, Buddists, etc. Perhaps some
>> radio stations have chosen "happy holidays" to be more
>> inclusive of all their listeners.
>
> Anon, in this area I agree with you, at least so far as the
> radio/television ads are concerned. For some reason it seems to
> be okay to say Happy Channukkah (my sincere apologies if I've
> misspelled it) and to wish everyone a Happy Kwanzaa, but Merry
> Christmas is forbidden. I'm sure Beth is right that they're
> trying to be inclusive, but it bothers me too.

The U.S. Constitution does NOT call for the seperation of "church
and State". Further, prayer IS allowed in schools. It becomes
violative of the first amendment when it is "lead" or "initiated"
in the school or an extension thereof.

With regard to the government endorsing the term "Merry
Christmas", this too is not violative of the First Amendment.
Where are you getting this information from?

Re: First Amendment as quoted on this page, 12/15/06, by v.

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