The Catholic League is charging the New York City school system with discrimination against Christians. It plans to sue New York once a family with children in the New York City public schools agrees to be party to the suit; this is a requirement for the league to achieve standing. Working cooperatively with the Catholic League in this effort is... [Read more...]
On December 19, the Catholic League will erect its annual nativity scene in Central Park. It will be situated on the corner of 5th Avenue and 59th Street. The nativity scene will be blessed by Msgr. John Woolsey, pastor of St. John the Martyr in Manhattan, at 4:30 p.m. He will be joined by the Catholic League staff. William Donohue, president... [Read more...]
Gale Garriott, chief counsel of the Agency Counsel Division of the Arizona Attorney General’s office, has issued a memo banning the display of Santa Claus from areas open to the general public. In his memo of November 28, Garriott banned any items “that have a religious significance attached to them.” He personally listed Santa Claus as an... [Read more...]
In response to a complaint by the Catholic League, eBay, the Internet auction site, has withdrawn an offensive item from its listings, the “Weird Tattooed Jesus Statue!” The statue depicts Jesus with three eyes, vampire teeth and a dagger tattoo on his chest. The base is covered with roses and green painted skulls. It was designed by Michael... [Read more...]
On December 10, the Catholic League issued a news release criticizing a November 14 memo by Ron Sims, the King County Executive in Washington State, that warned county employees not to say “Merry Christmas.” He has now reversed himself saying it is okay to say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah.” However, Sims, and his chief of staff,... [Read more...]
On December 7, menorahs were removed from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach. On December 10, they were restored. The initial complaints were made by those who contended that the menorah is a religious symbol and should therefore not be displayed on government property. The second round of complaints came from the Jewish War... [Read more...]
The University of Northern Iowa will host the Terrence McNally play, “Corpus Christi,” December 12-14. The play depicts Christ having sex with the 12 apostles. Catholic League’s president William Donohue explained his reaction: “The taxpayers in Iowa are being asked to give the University of Northern Iowa a Christmas present—a three day... [Read more...]
Makers of holiday greeting cards show great unevenness in their handling of Christian, Jewish and Muslim holidays. To be specific, a review of the greeting cards available on the home page of Yahoo! reveal the following: There are over 350 Christmas cards yet only 25 have a religious content. There are at least 8 objectionable cards in the “Humorous”... [Read more...]
A memo has been sent to the employees of King County, Washington, regarding holiday celebrations that requires them to use “religion-neutral” language. The memo of November 14 says it is okay to say “Happy Holidays” and “Holiday Greetings.” But all references to Christmas are regarded as taboo. Ron Sims, the King County Executive who... [Read more...]
According to the Harvard Crimson, the campus of Harvard University is dotted with cardboard Santas and menorahs and most of the University Houses have both a menorah and a Christmas tree. But there is no mention of a nativity scene anywhere on the campus. Indeed, there is considerable controversy over the scheduled placement of a Christmas tree... [Read more...]