- Hardcover: 186 pages
- Publisher: Sentinel; First Edition edition (20 Oct 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1595230165
- ISBN-13: 978-1595230164
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,464,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This slim volume (which can be read in no more than two hours),
by a commentator at Fox News in the U.S., convincingly documents the anti-Christian actions of local governments and schools in that country in regard to Christmas. (For example,
Christmas programs in elementary schools - which persisted up to the eighties in schools I know - are now "winter programs" and cannot use religious music). Far from being an even-handed
suppression of any religious sentiment, this development is
directed at Christianity and other religions (Islam, Judaism,
Hinduism, New Age) are permitted and even encouraged. The author fairly presents the comments of a school superintendant who promotes the new policies (although, typically, a nominal Christian himself). This is happening although eighty percent of
Americans still consider themselves Christians. Confirmation of the author's premise may be obtained by logging on to Amazon.com
(U.S.) and seeing the reviews to this book, which is now a best-seller.
by a commentator at Fox News in the U.S., convincingly documents the anti-Christian actions of local governments and schools in that country in regard to Christmas. (For example,
Christmas programs in elementary schools - which persisted up to the eighties in schools I know - are now "winter programs" and cannot use religious music). Far from being an even-handed
suppression of any religious sentiment, this development is
directed at Christianity and other religions (Islam, Judaism,
Hinduism, New Age) are permitted and even encouraged. The author fairly presents the comments of a school superintendant who promotes the new policies (although, typically, a nominal Christian himself). This is happening although eighty percent of
Americans still consider themselves Christians. Confirmation of the author's premise may be obtained by logging on to Amazon.com
(U.S.) and seeing the reviews to this book, which is now a best-seller.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Down with Santa Claus
May Santa become unemployed
Santa, the slick capitalist
Who bribes us with his commercialist gifts
Abolish Santa Claus
In favour of the Christmas Dog
The dog that can bark "Happy Holiday"
The Christmas Dog is a true friend
Of the children
And of all progressive mankind
He was present when Aurora fired
At the Winter Palace
With his barks, he led the cavalry charges
Of Budyonny
He was present when Little Father
Exterminated the kulaks as a class
And gave gifts to the children
Santa was a kulak
Down with Santa Claus
May Santa become unemployed
The slick capitalist NEPman,
Who bribes us with his commercialist gifts!
(With apologies to my high school buddies)
May Santa become unemployed
Santa, the slick capitalist
Who bribes us with his commercialist gifts
Abolish Santa Claus
In favour of the Christmas Dog
The dog that can bark "Happy Holiday"
The Christmas Dog is a true friend
Of the children
And of all progressive mankind
He was present when Aurora fired
At the Winter Palace
With his barks, he led the cavalry charges
Of Budyonny
He was present when Little Father
Exterminated the kulaks as a class
And gave gifts to the children
Santa was a kulak
Down with Santa Claus
May Santa become unemployed
The slick capitalist NEPman,
Who bribes us with his commercialist gifts!
(With apologies to my high school buddies)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
349 reviews
102 of 129 people found the following review helpful
Hunh?
19 Dec 2005
Format:Hardcover
Since I'm a Canadian, I'm probably not wired into the discussion that seems to be happening here. There seems to be two problems being argued here in the reviews:
1) The current legal decisions that public money can not be used to fund any particular religion. This is an ongoing area of dispute as governments at all levels attempt to determine what constitutes an establishment of religion.
2) Various non-government organizations attempting to use as inclusive a term as possible.
Since the first item is legal issue that depends on the way that the US Constitution is read and affects how governments spend tax dollars, it doesn't have much to do with what the greeter at Walmart says. And that, it seems, is where the current discussion is focussed.
And I'm not clear what the fuss is. I agree, some things are dumb: It's not a "Holiday Tree", it's a "Christmas Tree" just like "Turkish candy" and "French fries" are what they are called.
However, at the risk of pointing out the obvious: Walmart is not a Christian organization. Nor are governments--people are Christians, not organizations. It's not surprising then that, as a business rather than a Christian organization, Walmart might choose to greet customers with a term that includes as many of their customers as possible.
There also seems to be a misconception that people avoid saying "Merry Christmas" because they don't want to offend others. Let me use an anology: My mother brought me up to show good manners and respect to others. No one who uses "Happy Holidays" is suggesting that others will be offended by using "Merry Christmas" (at least, no one with a brain). In the same way, I use "Please" and "Thank you" not because their ommission will offend anyone but because omitting those courtesy terms shows a lack of respect to others. In the same way, I might use "Happy Holidays" to those of my friends who are non-Christians as a way of showing respect for their traditions (even if I don't share them). I suspect that commercial organizations follow the same line of thought. It's not offending others that worries them so much as showing some respect for other's differing beliefs.
In fact the only people who seem to be offended in this discussion are those who insist that everyone must wish them a "Merry Christmas." It seems to me that insisting that people say "Merry Christmas" because 85% of the population is Christian is an odd thing to demand in a nation that values free speech. It seems to me that insisting that everyone who enters Walmart be greeted with "Merry Christmas" because I'm a Christian is--well--un-Christian.
I think I must be missing the point.
1) The current legal decisions that public money can not be used to fund any particular religion. This is an ongoing area of dispute as governments at all levels attempt to determine what constitutes an establishment of religion.
2) Various non-government organizations attempting to use as inclusive a term as possible.
Since the first item is legal issue that depends on the way that the US Constitution is read and affects how governments spend tax dollars, it doesn't have much to do with what the greeter at Walmart says. And that, it seems, is where the current discussion is focussed.
And I'm not clear what the fuss is. I agree, some things are dumb: It's not a "Holiday Tree", it's a "Christmas Tree" just like "Turkish candy" and "French fries" are what they are called.
However, at the risk of pointing out the obvious: Walmart is not a Christian organization. Nor are governments--people are Christians, not organizations. It's not surprising then that, as a business rather than a Christian organization, Walmart might choose to greet customers with a term that includes as many of their customers as possible.
There also seems to be a misconception that people avoid saying "Merry Christmas" because they don't want to offend others. Let me use an anology: My mother brought me up to show good manners and respect to others. No one who uses "Happy Holidays" is suggesting that others will be offended by using "Merry Christmas" (at least, no one with a brain). In the same way, I use "Please" and "Thank you" not because their ommission will offend anyone but because omitting those courtesy terms shows a lack of respect to others. In the same way, I might use "Happy Holidays" to those of my friends who are non-Christians as a way of showing respect for their traditions (even if I don't share them). I suspect that commercial organizations follow the same line of thought. It's not offending others that worries them so much as showing some respect for other's differing beliefs.
In fact the only people who seem to be offended in this discussion are those who insist that everyone must wish them a "Merry Christmas." It seems to me that insisting that people say "Merry Christmas" because 85% of the population is Christian is an odd thing to demand in a nation that values free speech. It seems to me that insisting that everyone who enters Walmart be greeted with "Merry Christmas" because I'm a Christian is--well--un-Christian.
I think I must be missing the point.
112 of 148 people found the following review helpful
Unimpressed
23 Dec 2005
Format:Hardcover
I read this book wondering of there was really any meat to the whole "war on christmas" hysteria, but there is next to nothing of real substance in the book. Gibson's book is essentially a 186 page pamphlet. It's largely anecdotal, offering almost no cites to back up anything. No footnotes, no endnotes, and most irritatingly, he makes reference to lawsuits without citing the civil docket number or even the venue, so good luck with your fact checking. On 12/20, Bill O'Reilly went on the air retracted his claim, which also appears in Gibson's book, that the Plano Independent School District banned red and green clothing.
83 of 112 people found the following review helpful
Muslim for Gibson
2 Nov 2005
Format:Hardcover
I was raised a muslim. I was devout follower and strict adherent to this religion for many years. When the attack on the twin towers occurred I converted from a believer and obsequious disciple of islam to Chriustianity. Christ taught charity and kindness and islam is a philosophy of hatred and control. Not many from the media have the courage to describe this barbaric and inhumane way of life for what it is. Mr. John Gibson is not afraid. Of all media personaliies, he is my hero. I love his book!
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Church & State
- Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Holidays > Christmas
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Political Science & Ideology > Political Science
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Cultural Studies > Popular Culture
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Sociology
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
