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<P class=storybody>This letter to the editor (below) was published in the Daily
News on December 25, 2009. Perhaps you were busy that day and missed
it.</P>
<P class=storybody>The message is right on.</P>
<P class=storybody>BL</P>
<P class=storybody> </P>
<P class=storybody>------------------------------- </P>
<P class=storybody>Last night I attended the Lena Whitmore Concert and found it
to be a wonderful and uplifting experience - that was until the end when the
parents' complaints emerged while waiting to collect their kids. It seems the
"Good Christians" in our community considered themselves persecuted because they
had to listen to a couple of songs not dedicated to Christ's birth.</P>
<P class=storybody>There were 15 songs last night; eight were Christmas songs,
53 percent. There was one song for Hanukkah, representing 7 percent of the
program, and one for Kwanza for another 7 percent. The remaining 33 percent of
the songs were secular and nonreligious. It seems that the Christians in our
community have defined persecution as getting your way most of the time.
Apparently they think they need to get their way all of the time.</P>
<P class=storybody>I would like to take this opportunity to remind Christians
they do not have exclusive rights to the month of December. In addition to
Christmas, December is graced with Hanukkah, Kwanza, Bodhi Day, the Islamic New
Year, Ashura, Yule, the Pancha Ganapati Festival and Hijra. Yet the Hindis,
Buddhists, Pagans and Muslims do not claim persecution when none of their songs
grace the elementary school program, despite having children of these faiths in
the school.</P>
<P class=storybody>So while Christians are singing "Peace on Earth, good will to
men," they are readily engaged in religious sniping, ensuring that good will is
only offered to Christian men. If Christians think they are being persecuted and
lament the trials of getting your way most of the time, you should try not being
Christian; perhaps then you would truly know what the face of persecution looks
like. For many, persecution is found on a Christian face. Is it no wonder then,
that so many are choosing not to be Christians?</P>
<P class=storybody><STRONG>Khaliela Wright</STRONG>,
Moscow</P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>