Louis R. Avallone

Category: Religion

  • Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s about Christ.

    Good grief, Charlie Brown! It’s about Christ.

    By Louis R. Avallone

    –

    In December 1965, nearly 15 million viewers, or one-half of the television viewing audience, tuned in to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. It has become the longest-running cartoon special in history, but it almost was cancelled before it ever was aired. You see, the CBS network executives were less than impressed. Aside from the technical criticisms, resulting from a rushed production schedule, the executives did not want to have Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. It was thought that viewers would not want to be preached upon by an animated cartoon, especially from Biblical passages. Obviously, after almost fifty years of airing every Christmas, receiving an Emmy and a Peabody award, those CBS executives got it wrong.

    “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country”, said Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz. Nonetheless, the religious celebration of Christmas continues to face trivialization by an increasingly vocal and secular strain of society today.

    Retailers have tried calling Christmas trees, “holiday” or “family” trees. They’ve pressed-on with “Happy Holidays”, even though 67% of Americans prefer the greeting, “Merry Christmas”. Advertisers have pushed out “Christ” from Christmas and pushed on with “X-Mas.”

    Last year an activist group spent big bucks to purchase a billboard advertisement in New York City’s Times Square – a 40’ by 40’ image that asks, “Who needs Christ?” and answers that question with “Nobody”. In 2012, there was another Times Square billboard that urged viewers to, “Keep the Merry. Dump the Myth,” with an image of Christ beneath a photo of Santa Claus.

    Now, this year, there’s another anti-Christmas billboard campaign, but it’s moving from Times Square and is spreading into cities like Memphis, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Fort Smith. This year’s billboard uses an image of a child scribbling out a letter to Santa Claus saying, “All I want for Christmas is to skip church! I’m too old for fairy tales.”

    Goodness gracious. What is it about Christmas that is so offensive?

    Well, you see, it’s not Christmas at all – it’s Christ that’s the issue. While many might deny the existence of God, it’s much more difficult to deny Jesus, for whom we have historical evidence of his existence, even from secular sources that are outside of the Bible. Still, the life of Jesus is so powerful, and his words so meaningful, that even atheists cannot seem to get Him out of their minds. They must find it helpful to mock the religious beliefs of Christians everywhere with their billboards, even as they encourage non-Christians to do the same.

    So, what effect is this having in our country, or even around the world? Well, last year, reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled from 2012. The number of people in America who believe in God has dropped almost 10% since 2009. In our public schools, there is increasingly no room for recognition of any faith whatsoever, Christianity or otherwise. And there’s even a case right now before the New Jersey Supreme Court to decide if the words “under God” should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance because it discriminates against atheists.

    Even while it is true that 96% of Americans celebrate Christmas, only 51% consider it a “religious” holiday – and that number is declining. That means that the odds are pretty good, that when you are out Christmas shopping, the person ahead of you in line, or the person behind you, probably doesn’t consider Christ’s birth as the significant “reason for the season”.

    They may not realize either that buying more and more expensive gifts or all that “stuff” we buy at Christmas doesn’t mean we “care” more about our family or friends, especially when the teachings of Christ can show that love so much more than buying another gizmo, or gadget. In fact, the person in line with you may not know the life of Christ very well at all, or his teachings of tolerance, and respect for one another and the goodness of life. Or of gratitude, and humility.

    So, while Charlie Brown first asked the question in 1965 on national television, “Isn’t there anyone, who knows what Christmas is all about?!”, the answer has been the same for over 2000 years – it’s Christ. And we ought to put that up on a billboard too.

     

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

     

     

  • Assertive Force: Did ‘Duck Dynasty’ Awaken the Silent Majority?

    Assertive Force: Did ‘Duck Dynasty’ Awaken the Silent Majority?

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    With 14 million viewers per episode, and endorsements and merchandise bringing in $400 million per year, “Duck Dynasty” is flying high.

    “Duck Dynasty” is a television series on A&E that portrays the lives of the unflappable Robertson family in West Monroe, who operate a family duck call business. In less than two years, it has more than quadrupled the number of viewers per episode.

    So, why are so many folks paying attention? Maybe it’s because the family is affectionate toward one another. Or that they are open about their Christian faith, and nearly every episode ends with the family praying around the dinner table. Maybe it’s because they’ve had to endure bad times, including when the patriarch of the family, Phil Robertson, was running a dilapidated bar, and abandoned completely his young family for a short time, before becoming baptized, seeing the errors of his ways, and starting anew. Maybe it’s because they are pro-business, pro-life and are committed to sexual abstinence before marriage.

    Or maybe it’s because they appear much less concerned with expressing political correctness, than with sharing their deeply held beliefs. This was certainly true last month, when Phil, in an interview with GQ magazine, paraphrased Corinthians by saying virtually everyone – from the adulterers, to the homosexual offenders, to the greedy, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers – won’t inherit the kingdom of God. He later went on to say, “We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

    But more important than A&E initially suspending Phil from filming indefinitely because of these comments, and then reinstating him, and more important than Cracker Barrel apologizing to their customers, after initially pulling “Duck Dynasty” products off of their shelves, and more important than the reality show ratings, is what this all says about the direction of our nation, and the yearning to return to traditional values by what some have called the “silent majority.”

    The “silent majority” are the folks that have not necessarily taken an active part in politics, and are not necessarily conservative, but they clearly resent anyone disrespecting traditional American values, such as freedom of speech, Christianity, marriage, the right to bear arms, etc.

    And although the influence of this “silent majority” has appeared throughout history, it perhaps was none more prominent, in recent times, than in the 1970s. In fact, in January, 1970, Time magazine named “Middle America” as a replacement for their annual “Man of the Year” award, recognizing the “silent majority” as a powerfully assertive force in U.S. society, especially during the dissent and confrontation of that era.

    These are the same folks who later went on later that decade to elect Ronald Reagan in 1980, and were also known, as “Reagan Democrats.” In fact, Reagan’s election was predicted on-air by another television icon at the time, who likewise seemed far less concerned with political correctness than sharing his deeply held beliefs — Archie Bunker.

    Archie was a blue-collar, World War II veteran, and the product of his working class neighborhood in Queens. Although fictional, the “All in The Family” television series ranked number-one in the ratings from 1971 to 1976.

    His opinions on race, sex, marriage, and religion were so politically incorrect that the initial episodes included prominent warnings about its content being offensive. Despite Archie’s opinions, “All in The Family” provided a platform for American dialogue, especially with the “silent majority,” and in doing so, gave way to greater understanding on many controversial issues of the times.

    So, while Bunker and Robertson are not the same characters, whether fictional or otherwise, they do have one thing in common: Their lack of political correctness resonates with the American people, and the “silent majority.”

    Actually, in the case of Archie, this was not intended at all by Norman Lear, the producer of “All in The Family.” He expected the public to dislike Archie, and was shocked when he became such a beloved figure. And maybe A&E is shocked, as well; maybe they expected that Americans would laugh at the amusing behavior of the “rednecks.” But we haven’t.

    And if political incorrectness is on the rise within the “silent majority” of Americans, perhaps this all means that the cultural pendulum is finally swinging the other direction.

    In the words of Phil Robertson, “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”

    And especially in this coming election year, hopefully our candidates can remember the same – the successful ones will.

  • Fake War: Christmas Spirit Comes From Within

    Fake War: Christmas Spirit Comes From Within

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    “I am so sick of myopic, self-centered, ‘persecuted’ Christians who complain about a fake war on Christmas by the people in this country who don’t happen to share their particular views,” a letter to the editor of the Dallas Morning News started out.

    The letter continued, “So please, Christians (‘persecuted’ Christians, not the kind who actually do unto others as you would have others treat you), open your eyes and see that the U.S. is not a Christian nation but a giant melting pot of many different cultures and beliefs. The world does not revolve around you.”

    Maybe this describes your opinion of the matter, as well. Maybe you feel Jon Stewart from “The Daily Show” said it best when he said, “You’ve confused a war on Christianity with not always getting everything you want.”

    Or, on the other hand, maybe you would have shouted “Amen!” to Ronald Reagan when he said, “Christmas can be celebrated in the school room with pine trees, tinsel and reindeers, but there must be no mention of the man whose birthday is being celebrated. One wonders how a teacher would answer if a student asked why it was called Christmas.”

    But whichever pew you sit in, the religious celebration of Christmas faces trivialization every year, and this is what many characterize as the “war on Christmas.” It draws attention (and controversy) whenever folks demand that a Christmas tree be referred to as a “holiday tree,” or when seemingly benign Christmas carols cannot be sung in our schools, or whenever Christmas decorations are not permitted to be displayed in our public squares, for fear of offending others.

    Just a few years ago, for example, even the White House was not planning to display the Nativity scene, which has been a longtime East Room tradition. Instead, according to the White House’s former social secretary Desiree Rogers, the “Obamas were planning a nonreligious Christmas.”

    But good grief. Does hearing, “Peace on earth, good will toward men” really sound oppressive? Does “Joy to the world” bring despair to those who hear it? Is there such a scarcity of darkness in the world that a few twinkling lights might not brighten one’s day, or where the innocence of Santa Claus might not teach us all that it is in giving, that we receive?

    Poll after poll has shown that the fear of offending others with “Merry Christmas” is misplaced. According to the polling firm Zogby, 95 percent of Americans are NOT offended when they hear “Merry Christmas.” In fact, even 62 percent of non-Christians (including Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists) all celebrate Christmas, in some form or fashion, plus more than half of self-identified atheists and almost 90 percent of agnostics.

    Interestingly, this misplaced fear of offending others, through religion, was the reason that the CBS network executives almost canceled “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” back in December, 1965. You see, the executives did not want Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. It was thought that viewers would not want to be preached upon by an animated cartoon, especially from Biblical passages.

    Yet 15 million viewers, or one-half of the television viewing audience, tuned in to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when it first aired in 1965 and it has become the longest-running cartoon special in history, having aired now for 48 Christmases, and receiving an Emmy and a Peabody award along the way. Those CBS executives just got it wrong when it came to religion.

    So, what’s the commotion about the “war” on Christmas? It’s really about a larger “war” on Christianity, and not just here at home, but around the world where Christians are persecuted, and even killed. It is estimated that 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today are directed against Christians. Even Pope Francis recently pointed out, “So many Christians in the world are suffering,” and “giving their lives” for their Christian faith.

    When your waitress at Denny’s says, “Happy Holidays,” or your local Radio Shack doesn’t even acknowledge the reason for the season, that’s not the same as taking machine gun fire to your soul, but some Christians are arguably concerned that it’s an awful, slippery slope.

    You see, history teaches us that imperceptible changes can have a lasting, irreparable effect on society. Dictators understand the effectiveness of eroding freedoms by imperceptible reductions. As Adolph Hitler wrote in his book, “Mein Kampf,” “the people will not see those rights and freedoms being removed until past the point at which these changes cannot be reversed.”

    And it is this feared, imperceptible erosion to the freedom of religion, and persecution for one’s beliefs, that concern folks so much that they characterize the trivialization of Christmas as a “war.” Those that mock their angst, or making fun of their concerns, simply aren’t digging down deep enough.

    Yes, the true Christmas spirit still comes from within, and it is not just a time of year, but a state of mind. I just pray now that Charles Schulz is still right when he said, “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country.” Well, I hope so. Our nation’s future literally depends on it.

  • A Motto to Live By

    A Motto to Live By

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    Wal-Mart says, “Save Money. Live Better.” Hallmark is “When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best.” Disneyworld is “the Happiest Place on Earth.” And of course, M & M’s “Melt in your Mouth, Not in Your Hands”. These are among the most memorable phrases, or mottos, used in advertising, and you would be hard pressed to find many Americans who wouldn’t readily recite these with great confidence. But, do you know our nation’s official motto, as well?

    Many folks might respond these days with, “Live and Let Live.” Others might answer, “The Land of Opportunity,” or “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.” If you asked the current President of the United States, he says it is “E Pluribus Unum” (which, translated loosely, means ‘one from many’).

    Of course, none of these are correct, because the official motto of the United States is, “In God We Trust,” and since our nation is facing such formidable social, economic, and political challenges, isn’t it about time that we better understand why?

    Although this motto has appeared on U.S. coins since 1864, and originated in the lyrics of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1814, it’s not hard to understand why “God” is central to our nation’s guiding principle.

    After all, The Declaration of Independence secures our unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by recognizing those rights are endowed to us by our Creator, not by men or government. Of course, Abraham Lincoln called for our nation to have a new birth of freedom “under God,” in his famous Gettysburg address in 1865 and Franklin Roosevelt led the nation in prayer, over the radio, calling on “Almighty God” for strength, and faith, on D-Day in 1944.

    How different it was then – The New York Daily News even printed “The Lord’s Prayer” on its editorial page on D-Day, in lieu of its usual content.

    So, it’s no surprise that a few years later, in 1956, Congress made it official – it passed a law declaring the official motto of the United States as, “In God We Trust.”
    Since then, our nation has seemingly retreated from our trust in God, and it is reported that only 40% of Americans regularly attend church, although some studies indicate that number could be as low as 20%. In fact, it is estimated that by 2050, the percentage of the U.S. population attending church will be almost half of what it is today.
    And with the current administration’s policies coming out of Washington these days, such as opposing the inclusion of President Roosevelt’s famous D-Day prayer in the newly built World War II Memorial, it should be no surprise that God is increasingly harder to find in our national conscience. Just this month, for example, it was announced that the military would make it a crime for anyone in uniform to share their faith – and it is reported that this would include chaplains (or military officers who are ordained clergymen of their faith) to minister to the spiritual needs of our soldiers – a practice which has been performed continuously since the founding of our military under George Washington.

    And even though poll after poll reveals that almost 90% of Americans say that the motto, “In God We Trust” should not be removed from our currency, “God” is being challenged everywhere else, from praying in our legislative halls, to referencing God in courtroom oaths, to even reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools.
    You know, there was a time in America where an atheist did not want to stop prayer during a high school graduation, or protest a moment of silence to begin the school day. Instead, they just did not believe in prayer. Christians that were not for abortion did not bombs abortion clinics – they just did not support abortions. Times are different today, and I get it – and religion has always been personal. As a matter of tradition, though, we have always mixed church and state, but by respecting all religions, as well as of those who don’t practice any religion at all.

    The largest challenges facing our nation today seemingly originate from a declining consensus about what we ought to do, and what we ought not to do, from abortion to marriage to our work ethic. And increasing the separation of church and state has not improved our nation’s quality of life, or its liberties. In fact, our national conscience has become so diluted, and so politically correct, that it is in danger of eroding altogether. It’s like a popular country music song explains, “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”

    The bottom is line is that if life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are based on unalienable rights, granted to us by God, then in our society’s seeming rush to pull God out completely from our daily lives, in the name of political correctness, what replaces God? Who grants us those rights, if not by our Creator? Or will our nation’s new motto simply be, “In We, We Trust”?

  • Christmas on the Mind

    Christmas on the Mind

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    It’s just so out of wack, isn’t it? I mean, good grief. Does hearing, “Peace on earth, good will toward men” really sounds oppressive? Does “Joy to the world” bring such despair to those who hear it? Is there such a scarcity of darkness in the world that a few twinkling lights might not brighten one’s day, or where the innocence of Santa Claus might not teach us all that it is in giving, that we receive?

    You see, even though Americans have celebrated Christmas for more than 200 years, there is a growing number of Americans continuing to confuse the freedom of religion (which was intended by our founding fathers), with the freedom from religion (which is something altogether different).

    For those folks promoting freedom from religion, we must hear the argument each year on why a Christmas tree is a “holiday tree”, or why seemingly benign Christmas carols cannot be sung in our schools, or why Christmas decorations are not permitted to be displayed in our public squares.

    For the fear that some may take offense at anything that does not harmonize with their own beliefs (or lack of thereof), these folks urge tolerance, ironically, through the intolerance of those with whom they disagree.

    But poll after poll has shown, however, that this fear is misplaced. According to the polling firm Zogby, 95% of Americans are NOT offended when they hear “Merry Christmas”. In fact, even 62% of non-Christians (including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists) all celebrate Christmas, in some form or fashion, plus more than half of self-identified atheists and almost 90% of agnostics.

    Interestingly, this misplaced fear of offending others, through religion, was the reason that the CBS network executives almost cancelled A Charlie Brown Christmas, back in December 1965. You see, the executives did not want Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. It was thought that viewers would not want to be preached upon by an animated cartoon, especially from Biblical passages. Yet 15 million viewers, or one-half of the television viewing audience, tuned in to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas when it first aired in 1965 and it has become the longest-running cartoon special in history, having aired now for forty-seven (47) Christmases, and receiving an Emmy and a Peabody award along the way. Those CBS executives just got it wrong when it came to religion.

    This is because, in the words of Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz, “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country”. Still, the religious celebration of Christmas faces trivialization. Just a couple of years ago, for example, even the White House was not planning to display the Nativity scene, which has been a longtime East Room tradition. Instead, according to the White House’s former social secretary Desiree Rogers, the “Obamas were planning a nonreligious Christmas.” Great. Whatever that means.

    Regardless of the Christmas plans in the White House, Christmas has marked a dramatic return for retailers who have now put the “Christ” back into “Christmas”, after an experimental hiatus where many of the stores instead emphasized “Happy This” or “Happy That”, instead of simply, “Merry Christmas” in all of their advertising.

    In fact, the percentage of retailers recognizing Christmas in their advertising has risen from 20% to 80% in recent years, but there are still companies that refer to Christmas, if at all, as nothing more than a tradition, such as Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Radio Shack, and Victoria’s Secret. This just isn’t right.

    After all, according to the founder of the American Family Association, “Retailers which seek to profit from Christmas, while pretending it does not exist should realize they have offended the vast majority of Americans who enjoy Christmas”. (You can check out their “Naughty and Nice” list at http://action.afa.net/)

    I guess these “naughty” retailers expect you to leave the “Christ” part of Christmas in the parking lot. And no, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all is good with the world just because a store says “Merry Christmas”, instead of “Happy This” or Happy That”. The true Christmas spirit still comes from within because, Charles Schulz was right, “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country.” And that’s whether you call it a Christmas tree, or a Holiday Tree, or a Shoe Tree. As they say, Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, everyone.

  • Merry Christmas

    Merry Christmas

    December 1, 2010

    By Louis Avallone
    –
    Good Grief, Charlie Brown

    In December 1965, nearly 15 million viewers, or one-half of the television viewing audience, tuned in to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas. It has become the longest-running cartoon special in history, but it almost was cancelled before it ever was aired. You see, the CBS network executives were less than impressed. Aside from the technical criticisms, resulting from a rushed production schedule, the executives did not want Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. It was thought that viewers would not want to be preached upon by an animated cartoon, especially from Biblical passages. Obviously, after almost 45 years of airing every Christmas, receiving an Emmy and a Peabody award, those CBS executives got it wrong.

    “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country,” said Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz. Nonetheless, the religious celebration of Christmas continues to face trivialization. Last year at this time, even the White House was not planning to display the Nativity scene, which has been a longtime East Room tradition. Instead, according to the White House’s former social secretary Desiree Rogers, the “Obamas were planning a nonreligious Christmas.” Great. Whatever that means.

    The commercialization of Christmas, however, continues to increase in prominence, not to mention that the “shopping season” begins earlier and earlier every year. Actually, the commercialization began as early as 1851. But it was FDR, in 1939, who may have inadvertently most influenced our modern day, obsessive and compulsive preoccupation with spending at Christmas; he moved the date of Thanksgiving back to the third Thursday of November to expand the Christmas shopping season. And today, Americans spend over $450 billion annually on Christmas.

    But it was the character of Linus, in A Charlie Brown Christmas, that may have been the first television appearance bemoaning the commercialization of Christmas and the 1960s-style “modern” aluminum Christmas trees. And speaking of trees, did you know that the commonly known “Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree” was officially named “The Tree at Rockefeller Center” last year? Seriously. But the times must be changing. This year, it is, once again, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.”

    In fact, it seems that “Christmas” may be mounting a comeback.

    Last Christmas marked a dramatic return for retailers who put “Christ” back into “Christmas,” after an experimental hiatus where retailers instead emphasized “Happy This” or “Happy That,” instead of simply, “Merry Christmas.”

    The percentage of retailers recognizing Christmas in their advertising has risen from 20% to 80% in recent years. What a remarkable turnaround! In years past, retailers, such as Lowe’s, were like Santa following behind his reindeer with a pooper-scooper: They were scrambling to clean up their own seasonal mess.

    For example, in Lowe’s Holiday 2007 catalog, the pages were adorned with beautifully decorated Christmas trees. However, Lowe’s decided to advertise these as “Family Trees.” According to the American Family Association, “Lowe’s evidently did not want to offend any non-Christians, therefore they replaced “Christmas Tree” with “Family Tree.” Lowe’s quickly responded the following year with an apology saying that it was merely a proofreading error and, according to their spokesman, they are redoubling their efforts “to proofread those catalogs in the future.”

    There’s a lot of “proofreading” going on it seems nowadays. In 2008, The Home Depot notified the American Family Association that Christmas would also be returning to their promotional advertising, in store banners and displays, and just last year The Gap did the same.

    Compare that to the folks at Barnes & Noble, CVS Pharmacy, Radio Shack, and Victoria’s Secret. These companies simply refer to Christmas, if at all, as nothing more than a tradition. According to the National Retailers Federation, 91% of consumers plan to celebrate Christmas, compared with 5% for Hanukkah and 2% for Kwanzaa. And according to the polling firm Zogby, 95% of Americans are NOT offended when they hear “Merry Christmas,” but almost half (46%) are “bothered” by the greeting “Happy Holidays.”

    There are a lot of folks who are fed up with the crowd who repeatedly use politically correct “white out” to edit the “Christ” out of “Christmas.” In fact, for several years now, the American Family Association (http://action.afa.net/) has maintained a “Naughty & Nice List” for consumers. According to the group’s founder, “Retailers which seek to profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist should realize they have offended the vast majority of Americans who enjoy Christmas.”

    I guess these retailers expect you to leave the “Christ” part in the parking lot. And no, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all is good with the world just because a store says “Merry Christmas,” instead of “Happy This” or Happy That.” The true Christmas spirit still comes from within.

    Charles Schulz was right, though, “There will always be an audience for innocence in this country.” And that’s just what we could use more of, isn’t it? Merry Christmas.