Ummm... were they shot off the teachers desks? Were they burned out of the hotel rooms? It has nothing to do with it "being the Bible", it has to do with any religious text that is positioned so as to be an unspoken endorsement of said religion. A subtle message that if you believe any other way, you are second class.

Don't know how to tell you this... but umm.... The Bible was not written by God, new testament or old. It was written by the HAND OF MAN, and only committed to print after centuries of oral tradition. Even if God sat next to the scribe penning His words and His prose were taken down verbatim, what are the chances that it would survive countless translations and interpretations unscathed?

"Teaching" comparative religion (which I assume is your reference), is not at all the same thing as teaching religion. It's simply a study of the similarities and differences amongst belief systems to in an attempt to dispel the hate that comes from ignorance.

And yes, you can say Christmas Holiday, Merry Christmas and the like all you want. But to say it to a non Christian just plain silly. If you are truly extending a greeting of good will to a person, wouldn't you do so in a manner that would be acceptable, even appreciated by that person? Otherwise, there is no good will, just you trying to feel good about yourself, shilling for your particular faith, and completely ignoring the teachings of your savior.

The Christmas issue has more to do with Christians insisting that it be used corporately, during sales at the holiday season, TV programming, office parties, etc. We are a diverse country, what is wrong with being inclusive and respectful of others? Jesus stayed with the lepers (who I'm sure weren't Christian at the time), but you all can't learn to get along with your neighbors? WTH? I'm willing to bet that if Christians spent more time practicing their saviors teachings, they wouldn't need to defend, promote and act as victims nearly so much.

Bulls-eye George