As some readers may recall, I am fine with public Christmas trees.
My sense is that public spaces should reflect holidays and so I am also good with the giant public menorahs of Chabad and whatever other symbols of holidays people want to put up.
Always on the basis that the displays are inclusive rather that exclusive.
A good argument for keeping, say, Christmas trees down is that, in specific cases, they may alienate already "at risk" people. So I understand keeping all such displays out of the Toronto Jarvis Street court where young children, many of whom are the victims of violence, are often of Muslim background. For those kids a Christmas tree in the very courthouse where they are taken during a family dispute where they may lose a parent might not have an inclusive effect but quite the opposite.
For what it's worth, Old City Hall in Toronto is full of Christmas trees... .
2 comments:
Last year, I heard a comment from a non-Christian on CFRB radio that if Christians are uncomfortable in expressing and displaying symbols of their religion, they are not going to be comfortable with other religions. A false sense of symbolic neutrality where nothing is displayed benefits only those who support the absence of religious or cultural symbols.
I do not suggest that we display every religious and cultural symbol everywhere. Depending on the community or neighbourhood, I think different symbols can be displayed.
There is an old saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
That could apply to any country. Would you go into Saudi Arabia and tell them what to do?
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