Schweitzer letter: Christmas tree
Does anyone else find themselves bothered by this: a Christmas tree on the steps of the Idaho Statehouse? As a citizen who identifies culturally as a Jew and as a very secular person, this makes me very uncomfortable.
Isn’t there supposed to be a separation of the state from churches? Now, I know that there will be people who would call this opinion a war on Christmas, and those who would point out that a Christmas tree is not an inherently religious symbol and can be considered a celebration of light or of winter greenery. I have no problem with Christmas trees, and I happen to think the tree on The Grove Plaza is very nice.
Yet Christmas and all of the traditions that often surround it are something that have never been a part of my life ,and so it seems alien to me to have a government — a body that I hope can represent me and my values — stating that this particular thing is in fact what it stands for.
Assuming that we all have the same cultural background is one of the most dangerous things a government and a society can do.
Ethan Schweitzer-Gaslin, Boise
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 8:23 PM with the headline "Schweitzer letter: Christmas tree."