User:Taylormarieox

Christmas Tree Taylor Parker 3rd

Christmas is a holiday known for giving gifts to loved ones and commemorating the birth of Christ. The Christmas tree is often lighted and ornamented and used for decoration as a symbol of the holiday. Some people in the United States want to refer to the Christmas tree in front of a State Capitol as the "holiday tree". This is because various reasons, mostly for enforcement of separation of church and state.A State should be allowed to refer to a conifer tree, in front of it’s Capital, as a Christmas tree as long as it is among more displays of other religions

The first amendment secures the freedom of speech, religion, press assembly and petition. The Establishment Clause states the government shall not sponsor or promote religion. Christmas is a National Holiday recognizing the birth of Christ. To declare the recognition of this birth through the display of a nativity scene as unconstitutional not only insults those who celebrate the holiday, it goes against the Constitution itself; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Holiday displays shall not appear to promote any single religion or holiday, and such symbols must be displayed together to reflect the diversity of beliefs. Therefore, the name Christmas tree is constitutional as long as it is among other religious decorations. ( add two more cases)

The case Allegheny County v. ACLU concerned two holiday displays including a crèche, and then a Christmas tree and a menorah standing next to each other. The court decided that the crèche did violate the establishment clause, while the display with the Christmas tree and menorah did not. The crèche was considered unconstitutional because it stood alone, without any symbols of a less than religious intent. A Christmas tree corresponds to a decorative display that does not promote the religious faith. Therefore, a Christmas tree should be called what it is because it is not regarded today as a religious symbol. Calling a Christmas tree a “Christmas tree” expresses the core democratic value of Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion states that no one, especially the Government, is allowed to force religion on anyone else or prohibit anyone from practicing a religion. Also, there shall be total freedom of scruples for people of all faiths. The government should respect the freedom and choice of how to celebrate one’s religious holiday. This shall include the freedom of calling a Christmas tree a “Christmas tree”, because it is forcing no one into the Christian beliefs.

If people do not accept decorations in the State Capitol they are violating (mentally) the first amendment and are not applying freedom of religion, because putting a decoration from a certain religion is a way of expressing what your religion does in the respective holiday, in this case, Christmas. The law indicates that everyone has the right to decide there way of celebrating a holiday or their religion. The government should have respect with the different religions and the way they celebrate Christmas. You cannot take away the fact that a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree and not a holiday tree. Obviously, A State should be permitted to refer to a conifer tree, in front of it’s Capital, as a “Christmas Tree” as long as it is among other religions displays.