The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

John Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

Yes, Virginia, there is a war on Christmas. It’s the secularization of America’s favorite holiday and the ever-stronger push toward a neutered “holiday” season so that non-Christians won’t be even the slightest bit offended.

Traditionalists get upset when they’re told—more and more these days—that celebrating Christmas in any public way is a violation of church and state separation. That is certainly not what the founders intended when they wrote, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

John Gibson, a popular anchor for the Fox News Channel, has been digging up evidence about the liberal activists, lawyers, politicians, educators, and media people who are leading the war on Christmas. And he reveals that the situation is worse than you can imagine. For instance:

• In Illinois, state government workers were forbidden from saying the words “Merry Christmas” while at work
• In Rhode Island, local officials banned Christians from participating in a public project to decorate the lawn of City Hall
• A New Jersey school banned even instrumental versions of traditional Christmas carols
• Arizona school officials ruled it unconstitutional for a student to make any reference to the religious history of Christmas in a class project

Millions of Americans are starting to fight back against the secularist forces and against local officials who would rather surrender than be seen as politically incorrect. Gibson shows readers how they can help save Christmas from being twisted beyond recognition, with even the slightest reference to Jesus completely disappearing.

The annual debate will be hotter than ever in 2005, and this book will be perfect for everyone who’s pro-Christmas.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Mr. Gibson deserves great credit for calling attention to a growing problem."
—Michael J. Gaynor, Theconservativevoice.com

"John Gibson, gutsy anchor of Fox News’ The Big Story, is to be commended for titling his latest book The War on Christmas, for as Gibson shows, the attempt by certain groups to prohibit Christmas displays is not simply an academic difference . . . but a desire by anti- Christians, to stamp out of society any reference to Christmas."
—Rabbi Aryeh Spero, Human Events Online

"Gibson’s book is an interesting read for all of us who are concerned that our rights to practice our faith in daily life are being eroded to such an extent that we must hide behind closed doors to celebrate a traditional holiday."
—Stephen Strang --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John Gibson is the host of The Big Story on Fox News Channel, which airs daily at 5:00 p.m. and is currently the sixth highest rated show in all of cable news. Before joining Fox News Channel, he was an anchor and reporter for MSNBC, CNBC, and NBC News. His first book was Hating America. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• ISBN-10: 1595230165
• ASIN: B000EUKQV4
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (349 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,689,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hunh?, December 18, 2005

By 

P. Vogel "Peter Vogel" (Goderich, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Hardcover)

Since I'm a Canadian, I'm probably not wired into the discussion that seems to be happening here. There seems to be two problems being argued here in the reviews:

1) The current legal decisions that public money can not be used to fund any particular religion. This is an ongoing area of dispute as governments at all levels attempt to determine what constitutes an establishment of religion.

2) Various non-government organizations attempting to use as inclusive a term as possible.

Since the first item is legal issue that depends on the way that the US Constitution is read and affects how governments spend tax dollars, it doesn't have much to do with what the greeter at Walmart says. And that, it seems, is where the current discussion is focussed.

And I'm not clear what the fuss is. I agree, some things are dumb: It's not a "Holiday Tree", it's a "Christmas Tree" just like "Turkish candy" and "French fries" are what they are called.

However, at the risk of pointing out the obvious: Walmart is not a Christian organization. Nor are governments--people are Christians, not organizations. It's not surprising then that, as a business rather than a Christian organization, Walmart might choose to greet customers with a term that includes as many of their customers as possible.

There also seems to be a misconception that people avoid saying "Merry Christmas" because they don't want to offend others. Let me use an anology: My mother brought me up to show good manners and respect to others. No one who uses "Happy Holidays" is suggesting that others will be offended by using "Merry Christmas" (at least, no one with a brain). In the same way, I use "Please" and "Thank you" not because their ommission will offend anyone but because omitting those courtesy terms shows a lack of respect to others. In the same way, I might use "Happy Holidays" to those of my friends who are non-Christians as a way of showing respect for their traditions (even if I don't share them). I suspect that commercial organizations follow the same line of thought. It's not offending others that worries them so much as showing some respect for other's differing beliefs.

In fact the only people who seem to be offended in this discussion are those who insist that everyone must wish them a "Merry Christmas." It seems to me that insisting that people say "Merry Christmas" because 85% of the population is Christian is an odd thing to demand in a nation that values free speech. It seems to me that insisting that everyone who enters Walmart be greeted with "Merry Christmas" because I'm a Christian is--well--un-Christian.

I think I must be missing the point.

111 of 145 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressed, December 23, 2005

By 

B. G. Piper (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Hardcover)

I read this book wondering of there was really any meat to the whole "war on christmas" hysteria, but there is next to nothing of real substance in the book. Gibson's book is essentially a 186 page pamphlet. It's largely anecdotal, offering almost no cites to back up anything. No footnotes, no endnotes, and most irritatingly, he makes reference to lawsuits without citing the civil docket number or even the venue, so good luck with your fact checking. On 12/20, Bill O'Reilly went on the air retracted his claim, which also appears in Gibson's book, that the Plano Independent School District banned red and green clothing.

77 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It's Bunk, December 22, 2005

By 

John "reality-based" (Shoreline, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Hardcover)

"This isn't a war on Christmas it's not even a skirmish," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "When the facts are exposed, the Religious Right's `war on Christmas' melts faster than a snowman on an 80-degree day."

Among the incidents debunked by Americans United is a tale frequently told by Fox News Channel commentator John Gibson. In Gibson's new book, The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought, he asserts that the public schools in Plano, Texas, have banned students from wearing green and red clothes. The story has been reported uncritically in other media outlets and hyped by Bill O'Reilly but it is apparently untrue.

A spokeswoman for the Plano schools told Americans United that the district has no such policy and expressed frustration that the story continues to circulate. The Plano schools have posted an item on its website denying the rumor. A similar claim about public schools in Saginaw Township, Mich., is also false.