By Bill Donohue
This article was originally published at Newsmax.com on December 19, 2013.

The “War on Christmas” began in earnest in the 1980s when the American Civil Liberties Union was filing one lawsuit after another attempting to ban manger scenes on public property.

In the 1990s, the Christmas wars morphed into the multicultural agenda of the nation’s schools, affecting curricula and school concerts. Worse, even the private sector began a campaign to neuter Christmas in the workplace.

But after peaking circa 2005, there has been increasing evidence — especially in the past three years — that the anti-Christmas activists are losing.

The “War on Christmas” has always been a top-down phenomenon, led by such militant atheist organizations as American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). By contrast, it’s mostly been a grassroots effort to maintain Christmas traditions, and this has certainly been the case in more recent years.

While there have been many organizations fighting the foes of Christmas — the Catholic League, the Thomas More Law Center, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the American Family Association — without the participation of men and women in our nation’s towns, villages, and cities, we wouldn’t be winning. Here are a few examples:

Last year, FFRF sent a threatening letter to city authorities in Faribault, Minnesota complaining about a nativity scene in the local library. This year the Faribault City Council voted unanimously to display a crèche on public land. As one council member put it, “This really bugs me. I mean, one person complained. There are 17,000 members [of FFRF] in the whole nation. That’s really a minority. We’re the majority here.”

In October, FFRF lost in a bid to have its hate-filled display erected alongside a nativity scene on the grounds of the Henderson County Courthouse in East Texas.

The Thomas More Law Center scored an impressive victory when a nativity scene that was built by a local resident was returned to its longtime home on a median in Warren, Michigan.

Thanks to Alliance Defending Freedom, students at Western Piedmont College in Morganton, N.C., were allowed to use the word “Christmas” to sell — you guessed it — Christmas trees.

The Catholic League moved quickly to restore a Christmas tree to a residence of senior citizens in Newhall, California after learning that the private company that owns the home ordered the Christmas tree removed on the imbecilic grounds that it is a religious symbol.

FFRF took it on the chin again when a judge told them to take a walk after the atheists sought to ban a nativity scene on public grounds in Crockett, Texas.

The mayor of Woodcliff Lake, N.J. rightly said, “There’s no controversy. There’s no story. It is a Christmas tree and Menorah lighting.” His strong response was to another attempt by the New Jersey chapter of the ACLU to censor Christmas celebrations.

The citizens of Oskaloosa, Iowa turned out in large numbers to attend a city council meeting on whether to keep a nativity scene in the city’s public square. The city council voted to keep it.

Last year, FFRF complained about a manger scene on the town property of Woodbridge, N.J., but this year the city council preempted another strike by affirming the right to erect the crèche.

When the authorities of Santa Monica, Calif. took the easy way out by banning Christian and atheist displays alike, local residents made a cultural statement of their own when they reenacted the Christmas story with a live performance.

To be sure, our side did not win every battle, and nativity scenes continue to be vandalized in many parts of the nation. But Newsweek/Daily Beast wasn’t far off when it concluded, “The War on Christmas Is Over” and “Christmas Won.” One thing is for sure: there is little doubt that the vector of change has moved our way.

Dr. William Donohue is the president of and CEO of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. The publisher of the Catholic League journal, Catalyst, Bill is a former Bradley Resident Scholar at the Heritage Foundation and served for two decades on the board of directors of the National Association of Scholars. The author of five books, two on the ACLU, and the winner of several teaching awards and many awards from the Catholic community, Donohue has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows speaking on civil liberties and social issues.

William A. Donohue

Almost all Americans (9 in 10) celebrate Christmas, and the majority (7 in 10) are Christian. So it should not be controversial to celebrate a holiday that is central to our country’s history. But it is.

We’ve been involved in the Christmas wars for many years. From my perspective, it reached a crescendo about a decade or so ago. Both sides can claim victories and losses. We decided to up the ante this Christmas season by having two public Christmas displays in New York City.

We’ve erected a life-size nativity scene at the foot of Central Park since the mid-1990s, just outside the Plaza Hotel; we are doing so again. This year we are also displaying a huge digital billboard celebrating Christmas in Times Square as well.

We are doing this because we want to combat the idea that religion should be privatized. That is what the enemies of religion want. They want us to stick to saying the rosary in church and absenting ourselves from all public celebrations and events. We refuse to do so.

The foes of religion don’t even talk about freedom of religion anymore; they speak about “freedom to worship.” It started with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, and has been trending ever since. But “freedom to worship” is not what the First Amendment is all about. It is about the free exercise of religion, and that means the public expression of it.

Imagine if we said that everyone is free to play music indoors, such as in concert halls and arenas. But there can be no sidewalk, street or park ensembles, the kind that made New Orleans famous. No one would believe it if the sponsors of this idea said they were not against music. To privatize it would be to squeeze the life out of it.

Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were strong advocates of the public expression of religion. No, we don’t have to wear our religion on our sleeve, but we have a right to make public our Christian convictions. Freedom of religion, then, is more than conscience rights—it is also about behavior.

The Christmas billboard (see the opposite page) is a digital display. It will be shown four to six times an hour, 30 seconds each, for the two weeks before Christmas. As you can see, we are playing off the theme of “diversity.”

We know that those in the ever-expanding diversity industry, which is indistinguishable from the grievance industry, are using “diversity” and “inclusion”—the twin propaganda tools—as a political club. They are invoked to discriminate against white Christians, especially male heterosexuals, and they are employed every Christmas season to diminish its essence.

For example, the anti-Christmas folks, who pretend to be faithful to separation of church and state, like to say that December should not be about Christmas because it excludes those who are not Christian. That’s pretty lame. Even though 87 percent of the country is not African American, we celebrate Black History Month each year. Should we do away with it because it is not inclusive of Caucasians, Hispanics, Asians and others?

By identifying Christmas as a celebration of diversity, we are taking a page out of the diversity playbook and using it to our advantage. This point will not be lost on those who want to censor Christmas.

While the nativity scene is integral to the billboard, its prominent display in Central Park makes for a purely religious statement. We are given a permit by the City of New York to have it on public property because parks are considered a public forum—open to musicians, artists, et al.—and therefore they must be open to religious speech.

The number of people who come to Times Square each Christmas season is astonishing. Our billboard is just above street level, between 44th and 45th Street on Broadway, facing west. It can’t be missed. The nativity scene is right at the start of Central Park, and it can’t be missed by tourists and those who take the 5th Avenue bus downtown.

We want a robust public expression of Christmas. The billboard and the nativity scene both carry an inscription of the Catholic League, with our logo. This way no one will wonder who is sponsoring these exhibitions. Moreover, since most will like them, it is good publicity for us.

The ACLU, of course, won’t be happy, but they can’t do a thing about it. They love to say that we have to guard against religious speech because children are “impressionable.” Yet this never seems to matter when they are pushing pornographic material on to children in the schools.

Similarly, when someone objects to pornography being sold or shown in public, the ACLU says we should simply “avert our eyes.” That’s what they should do when they object to seeing Christmas celebrations and nativity scenes in public—avert their eyes.

Believe me, we will not be driven from the public square.

Have a fun-filled and blessed Christmas.

Portland, Oregon had a hard time handling Christmas in 2025. Bill Donohue sent the following letter to Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on December 2.

I understand you presided over the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Pioneer Courthouse Square on November 28. But for some reason— phobia? bigotry?—the word “Christmas” was omitted. This creates a dilemma for you. What are you going to do for the rest of the Christmas season when there are plenty of Christmas celebrations taking place in Portland?

Will you call the Christmas Ships Parade the “Ships Parade”? Will you rename the Tuba Christmas Concert the “Tuba Concert”? Will you change the name of the Silverton Christmas Market to the “Silverton Market”? Will you switch the Singing Christmas Tree to the “Singing Tree”? Now it gets really tricky.

What are you going to do about the gospel singers at Gospel Christmas? Looks like you’ve been checkmated: both words are verboten in super-secular Portland. What are you going to do about the scheduled performance of Handel’s Messiah? Can you really allow the word “Messiah” to be said at Christmastime? In the Old Testament “Messiah” means “theAnointed One,” and in the New Testament it means “Christ.” Moreover, in Part I, the Messiah’s coming and the virgin birth are predicted by the Old Testament prophets. Can this be tolerated in Portland?

Are you aware of the fact that this composition is based on the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter? As you know, the former is an early English translation of the Bible, but are you aware that the latter is a 16th century translation of the Psalms, written by Bishop Miles Coverdale? The first lines of Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 carry special meaning to Portland. Psalm 1 says, “Blessed is the man who has not followed the advice of the ungodly,” and Psalm 2 reads, “Why do the heathen rage so furiously?” Seems like you are well-suited to provide an answer.

Now for the clincher. What are you going to do about the Christmas Festival of Lights that will take place at The Grotto? This venue is a Catholic sanctuary, formally known at the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother. Do you know who she is? Do you know that they allow Masses to be offered at The Grotto, as well as saying the Rosary, and that priests hear confessions? Can this actually be happening in 2025 in Portland?

Looks like you’re in a pickle. Either you engage in religious cleansing—scrubbing Portland free of any Christian symbolisms—or you stop with this nihilistic attack on Christianity and let Christians celebrate Christmas, without it being neutered by its enemies.

Something to think about.

Merry Christmas!

We heard from the mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff. We were told that they sang Christmas carols at the event, including religious songs, thus denying any exhibition of bigotry. But there was no mention of why they refused to talk about a Christmas tree, nor did they say why they allowed a pro-Palestinian performance at this Christmas gathering. In short, they tried to hoodwink us. They failed. We thought you’d like to know.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on various aspects of the “War on Christmas”:

The “War on Christmas” began in the 1980s with legal challenges to nativity scenes on public property, and then morphed into a multicultural rage in the 1990s. It peaked around 2005-2008, and then subsided.

The anti-Christmas forces are still out there, most notably on college campuses. One thing never changes: the anti-Christmas activists continue to make spurious legal and ideological arguments to justify their hostility to the holiday. But they do not speak for most Americans.

As a recent Pew Research Center survey showed, 90 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. The majority still celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, though somewhat less than a few years ago. The majority also note that the religious roots of Christmas are less emphasized now than in the past, however only a third say they are bothered by it.

Some observers conclude that since most Americans are not bothered by the diminishing religious role of Christmas that that is evidence of how contrived the “War on Christmas” is. Wrong.

The attacking and neutering of Christmas has had the cooperation of elites from many segments of society: the courts; the universities; the elementary and secondary schools; the media; the entertainment industry; and activist secular organizations. All have played a pivotal role. So it would be astonishing if the survey data were different.

It is important to note that the elites did not take their cues from the people: there was no push by the public to accomplish this end.

Americans are a practical people. Their primary interests are both micro and local: they put their family and community first. In general, they tend to accommodate themselves to the prevailing winds of the culture, even if they would prefer different conditions. This includes the transformation of Christmas.

Instead of asking respondents whether they are “bothered” by the decline in the religious elements of Christmas, Pew researchers should have asked if they are “happy” with this outcome. No doubt that would have elicited a different response.

Most Americans are not cultural warriors, so when they note changes in the culture that they dislike, they tend to shrug, saying such things as, “it is what it is.” That should not be read as an endorsement: it is a way of practically adjusting to new norms and values.

Similarly, if the American people had been asked some 30 years ago, when the “War on Christmas” began, whether they would prefer to preserve the religious roots of Christmas, or adopt a more secular approach, it is a sure bet they would have opted for the former. But the elites never asked—they never do—they simply imposed.

Anyone who thinks the “War on Christmas” is not real should go to the Catholic League website and check out our Annual Reports; there are hundreds of examples available online. To read a short list of some of our favorites, click here.

This article was originally published by Newsmax on December 18, 2013.

There are signs that the “war on Christmas” is abating. In 1994, a year after I took over as president of the Catholic League, we successfully pressed Barneys, the upscale clothier on Madison Avenue, to remove an obscene manger scene from its storefront window.

We erected a nativity scene in Central Park a year later, something we’ve done every year since. In subsequent years, we’ve been actively engaged in scores of skirmishes, winning some and losing some. Now it seems that things are calming down.

An examination of Catholic League activities in the war on Christmas is not dispositive, but it is an index of what has been happening in the dominant culture.

Our records show that our involvement peaked in the years 2005-2007. Those were the years when we took on Walmart, exacting an apology after we threatened a boycott following revelations that the megastore was discriminating in its treatment of Christmas.

Things got so bad that Jackie Mason and other Jewish leaders joined with us in protesting anti-Christmas attacks. TV shows and movies also featured assaults on Christian sensibilities during those years.

This year we have seen a clear downward tick in attempts to bash Christmas. Indeed, even vandalism is down: the number of nativity scenes being trashed is relatively low. But not all is well.

In 2013, as compared to previous years, the war on Christmas is being led more by national organizations, and less by local activists, than ever before. American Atheists, Freedom from Religion Foundation, and various humanist organizations are leading the way. Their weapon of choice is an array of billboards designed to denigrate Christmas.

The Catholic League answered by erecting an enormous pro-Christmas billboard in Times Square, and two digital ones in New Jersey.

Militant atheists have also targeted the schools, seeking to deny any religious component to classroom celebrations, and Christmas-themed events. But there is a decided pushback, and it is not being led by the Catholic League or any other national organization: The good news is that Christians are taking things into their own hands, pressuring local authorities to accede to their reasonable demands.

Contrary to those who sell the bogus idea that the war on Christmas is not real, Christians who are fighting back are not obsessed with who is saying “Happy Holidays,” and who is saying “Merry Christmas.”

On the contrary, they are engaged in serious efforts to stop those who want to censor Christmas. The evidence is clear that a small minority are hell bent on banning, trashing, and diluting the public expression of Christmas.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans are Christian, and 96 percent celebrate Christmas. Of the remaining four percent, most are indifferent, but are not hostile, to Christmas.

That leaves a small, but dogmatically extreme, band of secularists (many of whom are ex-Christians) who are seeking to impose their agenda on the rest of us. It is up to decent Americans of all faiths, and indeed no faith, to see to it that the cultural fascists do not win the day.

If a Martian were to descend on our shores in the month of December, he would no doubt conclude that Christmas is a fun time. What else he would conclude is uncertain, but it is not likely that he would identify the holiday season with the birth of Jesus Christ.

Each year it gets worse. Department store employees are instructed not to say “Merry Christmas,” school calendars dub the Christmas vacation the “Winter Holiday,” kids sing songs about reindeer, catalogs hawk nativity scenes proclaiming “It’s a Girl,” Elvis displaces Christ in the manger, “Happy Holidays” becomes the proverbial greeting, the Christmas tree becomes an ersatz religious symbol, cats, bears, mice and dogs–including real ones–are used in crèches, dishes are sold with animals replacing the Holy Family and TV features Charlie Brown.

What gives? The trivialization of Christmas is frequently seen as the consequence of an overly-commercial society. While there is some truth to this, it hardly satisfies as a response.

The dumbing-down of Christmas has more to do with our nervousness over the public expression of religion than the machinations of Madison Avenue. There have always been those who would sell Christmas down the drain for a buck, but only in recent times have we become so panicky over not offending non-Christians that we have literally done a 180 by trashing Christianity itself.

It has become a badge of virtue in some quarters not to publicly celebrate one’s own religious heritage. It is virtuous, we are told, to demonstrate tolerance for those who might be offended by a public display of our religion. But what does this say about those who think this way and what does it say about those whom we seek not offend?

At bottom, those who opt to dumb-down Christmas are basically ashamed to be called Christians. They think this way because they have become convinced that so many nasty things have been done by Christians that they have no reason to publicly celebrate their heritage. In other words, they are badly educated about history and Christianity.

Surely there are pages of Christianity that are full of blood; the same is true of all religions. But must it be said one more time that such chapters in Christianity represent profound departures from what Christianity teaches? Do we stop loving our parents when we learn that they are sinners, too? Doesn’t it matter more what the tenets of a religion espouse than what some do in its name?

We must also get over the hopelessly romantic notion that societies untouched by Christianity were essentially a Garden of Eden. No, those who lived closer to nature than we do were neither the egalitarians that some proclaim nor the friendly spirits that they have been made out to be. They raped, beat and killed each other with alacrity.

In a review of Rodney Stark’s new book, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History, Peter Monaghan had this to say: “Christianity offered security, health care, and loving family life. It provided a coherent culture but did not require converts to abandon ethnic ties. It also granted women higher status than the Greco-Roman world as a whole. Christianity forbade abortion and infanticide, while Greco-Romans practiced both commonly, killing many women and girls.”

And what does it say about those whom we seek not to offend when we decide to bury the meaning of Christmas? Aren’t we really saying that they are so intolerant of our religious customs and traditions that we would rather duck Christmas than face their wrath? If so, that means they have a problem, and so do we.

There is no need to be “in-your-face” about Christmas. But there is also no need to subvert the meaning of Christmas by submerging our heritage in public. There is a better way: we should encourage people of every faith to make manifest their religion in the public square. That’s what diversity really means. Not to do so is to allow the dumbing-down of Christmas to proceed towards its ultimate end. It’s one thing for Fidel Castro to ban Christmas, quite another for us to participate in its democratic demise.

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Catholic League.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan likes to honor the holidays of Hispanics, Jews, Muslims and African Americans, but not of Christians.

For example, in October the museum featured Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as aRamadan in New York City Festival; the latter event meant that children were read stories about Islamic traditions. But there were no Columbus Day events for the city’s Italian Catholic community.

In November, there was an Eid in New York City Festival for Muslims, but Christians got nothing for Thanksgiving. Jewish and African-American holidays will be celebrated in December when the museum honors Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. But there will be nothing for Christians at Christmas. Well, not quite: there will be a “Festive Fruity Fondue.” For the uninformed, this means the kids will learn how to melt chocolate fondue berries sprinkled with shredded coconut.

The following exchange of letters says it all.

October 26, 2005

Dear Dr. Donohue:

I am in receipt of your fax of October 25, 2005 regarding the programs of the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.

The museum provides extensive programming about many different traditions, cultures and faiths for an extraordinary diverse audience. Please allow me to inform you about some of the programs past, present and future of which you are clearly not aware.

For example, people of all backgrounds and faiths will enjoy the upcoming a capella performance of traditional Christmas music at the Museum on December 30. On January 16, visitors will enjoy a lively performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir, and two days of Easter programming will take place on April 14 and 15. In addition, I am sure you would have enjoyed the two-day Easter basket making workshop last Easter and our celebration of St. Patrick’s Day with the Marie Moore School of Irish Dancing (who also performed at out annual benefit last May). Last Christmas visitors to the Museum had a lot of fun making Christmas Ornaments and Gingerbread Houses.

Further, it is disappointing that you had not read our information more carefully. You lead your press release with “Fruity Fondue for Christmas,” a misleading and unfortunate characterization of an important program series at the Museum. As you are no doubt aware, there is a serious issue among the youth of today in regard to obesity. This program is part of a larger “Healthy Living Series” (clearly so delineated in the brochure), and the activity suggests healthy treats during the holiday season. This is a response to many families who have asked us to help suggest alternatives to the unhealthy treats available at holiday time.

Finally, many of our programs allow visitors to express their own religious traditions in open ended workshops where they make cards or create other artwork with themes that bespeak of their own family holidays and traditions. We find that this allows for free expression and for parents to work with their own children to celebrate their holidays.

It would be appropriate and kindly for you to update the information on your website to let your readers know the full and accurate story.

Sincerely,

Andrew S. Ackerman

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

October 26, 2005

Dear Mr. Ackerman:

Thank you for your speedy reply to my letter that was faxed to you yesterday.

Your website lists only events for the last quarter of this year, so I cannot pass judgment on what might have happened prior to this time or what might be planned for next year. But from what you have said, the Harlem Gospel Choir scheduled for January 16 seems appropriate: that is the day when the nation will honor Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Honoring African Americans, however, is not something I contested: the museum does that very well.

You do not say what will happen during the two days of Easter programming, but if it is anything like this year’s event—when for two days the kids learned how to make Easter baskets—then this would hardly relieve my concerns. (The Irish dancers that performed for St. Patrick’s Day are not an issue.)

My principal concern, of course, is that children learned “stories about Islamic traditions” at the start of Ramadan and on Hanukkah they will learn songs “that celebrate the traditions of the holiday,” but for Christmas there is no such analogue. To be explicit, why aren’t the children, especially those who are not Christian, learning about the meaning of Christmas as understood by Christians?

Having an “a capella performance of traditional Christmas music” the day before New Year’s Eve is nice, albeit belated (and does “traditional Christmas music” include songs like “Silent Night,” or just ones like “Frosty the Snowman”?). Matters are made even worse when the Christmas concert is renamed the “Winter Wonderland Holiday Singers” performance, thus sanitizing the religious meaning of Christmas even further. More important, citing this event misses the point about the lack of an instructional element to Christmas.

As for your comment on “Fruity Fondue for Christmas,” it’s wonderful to learn that you are worried about obesity in children. But that doesn’t get to the issue I am raising: Why is Christmas being dumbed down when Muslim and Jewish religious holidays are being treated as a learning opportunity?

Finally, why is the fondue made of chocolate? Chocolate is loaded with sugar and there is a direct link between sugar and obesity.

January
Westfield, MA—Students at Westfield High School who were suspended in December 2002 for distributing candy canes with messages attached filed suit in federal court claiming school administrators violated their constitutional rights to free speech and expression. The message with the candy canes explained the candy canes’ shape and colors, and included Bible verses and a prayer to Jesus. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a friend-of-the-court brief on the students’ side.

January 23
Grand Rapids, MI—Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” was performed at the Spectrum Theater at Grand Rapids Community College. The play depicts Jesus having sex with the twelve apostles. The play is patently offensive to Christians

February
Ithaca, NY—An anti-war poster at Cornell University read: “We Live In a Country Founded By Cheats, Murderers, Rapists, Thiefs [sic]…Terrorists. Whom [sic] Captured, Killed, Enslaved Millions of Africans. Whom [sic] Killed More Natives Than Nazis Did Jews. While the Catholic Church is Behind the Altar Justifying Molestation—God Bless Amerikkka.”

February
Knoxville, TN—Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” was performed at the University of Tennessee’s All Campus Theatre. The play depicts Jesus having sex with the twelve apostles. The play is patently offensive to Christians. In October 2002, the school suspended a fraternity for dressing in blackface at an off-campus social event.

March
Miami, FL—The administration of Varela High School did not allow the Choose Life Bible Club to have a picture in the yearbook because it said the picture would violate separation of church and state. The principal said the term “Choose Life” might offend students who support abortion. When threatened with a lawsuit, the school allowed the picture.

March
Pierre, SD—Parents of Catholic school students in South Dakota were told the state would no longer provide busing for their children. Public schools that provided busing to parochial school students were told they could no longer do so and still be covered by insurance. Citing a South Dakota law and an attorney general’s opinion from 1992, school authorities said they had no choice but to curtail service to Catholic students. In 1992, then-Attorney General Mark Barnett said that the South Dakota constitution does not permit funds for any sectarian or religious institution due to the 19th Century anti-Catholic Blaine Amendment aimed at prohibiting any funding for Catholic institutions. The state moved to enforce this provision, and the sitting Attorney General, Larry Long, backed the decision. Lawmakers, however, quickly came up with a compromise. Busing for parochial school students could be continued as long as the school districts do not spend any extra money as a result.

March 17
Oxford, MS—The Daily Mississippian, the student newspaper of the University of Mississippi, published a cartoon by student Allan Innman that showed a bishop talking to a priest. The bishop asks, “What are you giving up for Lent?” The priest replies, “Molesting altar boys.”

March 18
Westfield, MA—U.S. District Judge Frank Freedman ruled that students at Westfield High School, who had distributed candy canes with religious messages and were suspended for it, were denied their right to free speech when school administrators sought to punish them for their expression.

April
Madison, WI—At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Benjamin Dykman was teaching a course on Abnormal Psychology. During a lecture he showed slides illustrating different abnormalities. As an example of a pedophile he showed a picture of a Catholic priest with a child.

April
Princeton, NJ—The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University hosted “Ricanstructions,” an art exhibit by Juan Sanchez. Included in the exhibit was a display called “Shackles of the AIDS Virus,” a 1996 work by the artist that features such devotional items as scapulars and images of the Virgin Mary arranged in a circle. Another display showed naked female torsos arranged in the shape of a cross; it was labeled “Crucifixion No. 2.” There was also a display of torn up images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Dean Ann-Marie Slaughter admitted that a display that offended Islam wouldn’t be tolerated on the campus. But she still defended the anti-Catholic art for its alleged “educational value.” A letter challenging the dean to debate the issue was never answered.

April 4 
Columbia, MO—Colin Wright, a student at Rock Bridge High School and “design editor” for the school newspaper, The Rock, wrote a column titled “Vatican City is somewhat similar to Iraq conflict.” He stated that Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Vatican City “aren’t so different.” He wrote “Christianity has long been opposed to different religions…Christianity slaughtered men, women and children to further the domination of their religion”; “When Iraq attacked Kuwait…Saddam’s goals were similar to the Pope’s”; “It’s not necessary to allow a despot absolute power over a people but be consistent. If President Bush thinks it pertinent to dethrone one dictator, it’s necessary for him to dethrone them all, if he’s a hypocrite.”

April 8
Storrs, CT—The University of Connecticut’s newspaper, The Daily Campus, published an article by student Mike Kapralos, titled “Catholic Church a Mockery of the Ten Commandments.” Kapralos detailed how he thinks the Church fails the Ten Commandments. Here are some examples. The Third Commandment, on the Sabbath: “the church does not really break, per se, but it definitely trivialize it [sic] with their ‘Holy Days of Obligation.’… These are not days with any basis in the bible [sic]. I believe they are days artificially created through church-doctrine to raise more money and instill more guilt on the people who, because of other obligations, are unable to attend them.”

On not having false gods: “I have seen many ‘pagan-type’ acts when I see pictures of the pope…. Every time, without fail, is [sic] some person genuflecting and/or kneeling…. This looks a tad to the untrained eye as idolatry, but according to Catholic dogma, it is acceptable.”

On not stealing: “Every time you or your neighbor gives money into the church collection plate on Sunday, it goes to places you are unaware. Some may say this stealing [sic] by the church’s upper hierarchy.”

On not killing: “During World War II, Pope Pius XII largely ignored the plight of the Jews. He would and did not publicly decry the actions of the governments of Germany and Italy, both heavily Catholic countries. Most recently, Pope John Paul decried the war in Iraq as only a last resort…the pope is lying to the world and allowing the further murder of scored [sic] of innocent people and several genocides.”

April 16
Williamstown, MA—A Williams College student group, Voice for Choice, invited Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, to speak on campus during Holy Week. A letter pointing out Kissling’s anti-Catholic bigotry was sent to the college president, Morton Owen Schapiro. Schapiro was not asked to bar her from speaking but to speak out “to challenge what is incorrect and to denounce what is bigoted.” Schapiro responded that he agreed with this principle and that the “students and faculty would have no trouble making their feelings known.” He promised a “spirited exchange” in the school paper.

April 18
Lawrenceville, NJ—The play “The Children of Fatima” opened on Good Friday at Rider University. Written by Rider faculty member Michael Friel, the plot revolves around a Catholic schoolboy in the 1960s who fears that the world will end when the pope reveals the third secret of Fatima. According to the Princeton Packet, a local newspaper, Friel admits that a friend of his called the play “Catholic bashing,” to which Friel replied, “I’m really going for the way that all institutions, whether it’s religion or government or even your parent, use fear to get what they want. By instilling fear in you, they can control you.” The play features a drunken Irish priest and a “hard-assed Sr. Regina Coeli.” Bart Luedeke, president of Rider, issued a statement distancing himself from the play and saying he was sorry that some found it offensive.

May 15
Cambridge, MA—The MIT Community Players, sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, presented the play “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told” by Paul Rudnick. The play, a gay retelling of the Bible, featured full male frontal nudity, filthy language, discussion of body parts, butch lesbians, effeminate gay men, ranting against nature, and damning God for AIDS.

May 30
Dover, PA—Andy Apgar, a choral music teacher at Dover Intermediate School, led a chorus of school staff called “Rockin’ Sisters.” He and the others were dressed in drag as nuns.

June
Santa Rosa, CA—On the website of Santa Rosa College was a listing for “Lutherans on Campus.” It contained the assertion that Martin Luther was a “recovering Catholic.” After the league wrote to President Robert Agrella, the offensive reference was removed, an apology was issued and school officials scheduled a meeting with the offending students.

June
New York, NY—A professor at Hunter College who specializes in Catholic mysticism and psychology and received the highest recommendations from her department was denied tenure. In a Tenure Appeals Committee meeting, the professor was asked direct questions about her religious faith. It was later revealed that she is Jewish. The committee approved her for tenure, but she was subsequently refused by the full committee. This committee was not privy to the information about her faith.

June 4
Oshkosh, WI—After threatening a lawsuit, a student at Winneconne High School was allowed to sing the song “He’s Always Been Faithful” at graduation ceremonies. She had initially been barred from singing it because it makes mention of God.

July 1
Pittsburgh, PA—A U.S. District judge ordered a teacher’s aide to be allowed to return to work after being suspended without pay by the ARIN Intermediate Unit 28 for refusing to cover up or remove a 1 ¼ inch cross that she wore. The judge wrote that the agency’s policy was “overtly averse to religion.”

August 27
Egg Harbor, NJ—The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of an elementary school that forbade a boy from giving out pencils with the message “Jesus loves the little children” with a heart symbol substituted for the word “love.” The Rutherford Institute, which represents the boy, plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

October 2
Topeka, KS—Professors and students on the Washburn Campus Beautification Committee chose and displayed a piece of sculpture by Jerry Boyle called “Holier Than Thou.” It depicted a Catholic bishop wearing a hat that resembled a phallic symbol. The inscription on the base read: “The artist says, ‘I was brought up Catholic. I remember being 7 and going into the dark confessional booth for the first time. I knelt down, and my face was only inches from the thin screen that separated me and the one who had the power to condemn me for my evil ways. I was scared to death, for on the other side of that screen was the persona you see before you.'” The piece provoked protest from area Catholics, including Archbishop James Keleher of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

William Donohue wrote to university president Dr. Jerry B. Farley to take action, pointing out that he once rebuked a school newspaper editor for making disparaging remarks about nontraditional students. David Monical, Executive Director of Governmental and University Relations, replied that “No one involved…intended for any viewers to experience pain or hurt.”

October 25
Hanover, NH—At the Columbia-Dartmouth football game at Dartmouth University, the announcer for the Columbia band uttered some disparaging remarks about the Terri Schiavo right-to-life case in Florida and about Jeb Bush. The announcer then introduced the Columbia half-time show by inviting the crowd to join the band in their “Celebration of partial-birth abortion”; this was followed by some ranting against the Pope and what the announcer described as his (the Pope’s) “drooling and stuttering” speech. This was the second year in a row that the Columbia band exploded in an anti-Catholic rant. Each year, the Catholic League received an “apology.”

November 13
Eau Claire, WI—Aaron Brewster wrote an article in The Spectator, the newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, called “‘Catholicism Wow!’ Vatican needs to modernize stance on issues.” The writer took issue with “the Vatican under the current fascist pope.” The issues he objected to were abortion, birth control, divorce etc., stating, “Another group that banned abortion and birth control was the Nazis.” The article ends with: “On a final note, the bread and wine do not actually turn into the body and the blood, or else people would be getting food poisoning from eating raw meat.”

December
Richland Center, WI—A public school told its students to substitute “religious” words in Christmas songs with “secular” words for their concert. Any song mentioning Jesus or God was prohibited.

December
Cedar Springs, MI—A public school removed all books dealing with the religious aspects of Christmas or Hanukkah from its library and placed them in an out of view area.

December
Dahlonega, GA—A public school instructed its teachers that they could not read Christmas books in class, make Christmas decorations or use red and white candy canes because of their religious origin. Some teachers were told they could not wear Christmas-related attire.

December 8
Bloomington, IN—Indiana University law professor Florence Roisman issued a complaint about a Christmas tree on campus. She said the 12-foot tree celebrated Christmas. Roisman, who is Jewish, stated, “To honor one religion and not honor others is exclusionary.” (The tree had no religious ornaments on it.) The dean of students, Tony Tarr, acceded to her demands and had the tree replaced by two smaller trees, along with a sleigh stuffed with red and green poinsettia plants. He declared the first tree to be a “denominational” tree and the new ones to be “a normal Indiana scene.” Roisman objected to the new display as well.

December 11
Bethel, WA—Mark Denison, music teacher at Clover Creek Elementary School, replaced the word “Christmas” with “winter” in Dale Wood’s “Carol From An Irish Cabin” at the school’s concert. The same concert included Hanukkah songs with lyrics about the “mighty miracle of Israel’s ancient days.” School officials said, that the teacher went too far in his decision, but left it in place. A spokesman said, “In the past there has been a lot of sensitivity to not giving preference to one religion over the other.”

December 12
Mount Pleasant, MI—Central Michigan University’s affirmative action office published a calendar online that denoted various holidays. For December it listed Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Las Posadas. Next to Christmas was an asterisk that read, “Warning of Holiday Decorations.” The “Warning” pointed to a document titled “How to Celebrate Christmas Without Offense.” There were no asterisks next to the other three holidays. The document stated, “During the December Holiday season it is important to realize what may be offensive to others within a place of employment…. It is inappropriate to decorate things with Santa Claus or reindeer or other ‘Christmas’ decorations…. Good ideas for decorations during this time are snowflakes, snowpeople, poinsettias to give a feeling of the winter.” After protest by the Catholic League, the university removed the warnings. One of the top officials said the university had been unaware of the document.

December 12
Plano, TX—A student at Thomas Elementary School was refused permission to hand out candy canes at a school party along with an explanatory booklet called “The Legend of the Candy Cane.” Among other explanations, the booklet said that candy canes are hard because Jesus Christ is the “Rock of Ages.” School officials said district policy forbids students from handing out such materials.

December 14
Medway, MA—Memorial and Burke Elementary School canceled its holiday concert. Said Principal Scotti Finnegan, “Medway has become more diverse. One of the things we were finding is the holiday concert, as wonderful as it has been here at Memorial and Burke, the focus has really been Christmas.” No Christmas decorations were allowed in the school. Finnegan said that they would be “inappropriate,” excluding children who do not celebrate Christmas; and that “this is not always a happy time for kids.”

December 14
Spring Hill, FL—Powell Middle School did not allow Christmas trees or Santa Claus visits on campus. Principal Michael Ransaw said, “I just really don’t want to offend anyone. We have something for everyone. We don’t promote religion or the meaning of Christmas. We’re celebrating everyone.”

December 15
Southfield, MI—Adler Elementary School did not allow any Christmas decorations in the school. Principal Janet Jones stated, “We’ve never done Christmas trees and Santa Claus or anything because we want to be sensitive.” The holiday concert was of patriotic songs.

December 18
Horsham, PA—Karen Davis, principal of Dorothea Simmons Elementary School, removed a nativity scene placed in the school by parents, but left a menorah. “I felt that the nativity scene was definitely promoting Christianity,” she said. When asked why she allowed the menorah, which is a religious symbol, she replied, “Judaism is not just a religion, it’s a culture.” The Catholic League threatened a lawsuit on the grounds of religious discrimination. Shortly after, Dr. William A. Lessa, Superintendent of Schools for the Hatboro-Horsham School District, ordered the nativity scene put back. He said, “To even begin to imply that the acknowledgment of a nativity is inappropriate doesn’t sound right to me.”