naiman@pegasus.UUCP (Ephrayim J. Naiman) (07/03/85)
<munch, munch> I don't know if this has been debated before or if there is a simple answer; either way here goes -- If there is "Separation of Church and State" how can Christmas be considered a "National" Holiday ? Avi Feldblum proposed (correct me if I'm wrong Avi), that a "National" holiday does not mean from the "State". Rather, "National" means a collection of holidays, some of which are linked with the "State" (4th of July comes to mind), and some that are "National" holidays only because everybody would take that day off anyway. Can anyone add any input ? Does anyone have an official list of "National" holidays ? Are there other "Quasi National" holidays, like Avi proposed ? Does anyone have an official definition of a "National" holiday ? Is anyone reading this on the 4th ? :-) -- ==> Ephrayim J. Naiman @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6259 Paths: [ihnp4, allegra, mtuxo, maxvax, cbosgd, lzmi, ...]!pegasus!naiman
rafferty@cmu-cs-edu1.ARPA (Colin Rafferty) (07/07/85)
> If there is "Separation of Church and State" how can Christmas be considered > a "National" Holiday ? > > Avi Feldblum proposed (correct me if I'm wrong Avi), that a "National" > holiday does not mean from the "State". Rather, "National" means a > collection of holidays, some of which are linked with the "State" (4th of > July comes to mind), and some that are "National" holidays only because > everybody would take that day off anyway. > > Does anyone have an official list of "National" holidays ? > Are there other "Quasi National" holidays, like Avi proposed ? > Does anyone have an official definition of a "National" holiday ? > > ==> Ephrayim J. Naiman @ AT&T Information Systems Laboratories (201) 576-6259 This is just my ignorance talking, but I seem to have heard somewhere that the word "holiday" was derived from "holy day". Not much separation there. I also know for a fact that one of the first things that Ford did after he became president (after pardoning Nixon) was declare "Lief Erikson Day" on October 23. This was in memory of the man who was really the first to discover America, back in the twelth century. Just spreading my ignorance. ---- Colin Rafferty { Math Department, Carnegie-Mellon University } "According to convention there is a sweet and a bitter, a hot and a cold, and according to convention, there is an order. In truth, there are atoms and a void." -Democritus(400 B.C.)
bmt@we53.UUCP ( B. M. Thomas ) (07/07/85)
Find that phrase in the Constitution and you win a cigar. You are referring to the popular interpretation of the "establishment clause" which says that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, etc.. The Christian holiday(if it is one) called Christmas is something that the nation at that time fully agreed upon, and it was clearly their intention that it should be so. brian
ptl@fluke.UUCP (Mike Andrews) (07/10/85)
Hi,
Just a quick note on separation of Church and State - if I remember my
history right, the Constitution doesn't say anything about separation
of Church and State. It seems that Thomas Jefferson wrote a personal
letter in which he mentioned the phrase 'separation of Church and
State'. He also mentioned something about how forcing people to
pay for something they didn't believe in was wrong - but that can be
taken to net.abortion.
God Bless,
Mike Andrews
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