Well, not exactly: atheists don’t want to be that offensive. It’s more like: atheists against the Christ who is represented in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
Unhappily for the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers though, Charlie Brown’s creator, Charles Schulz, was a Christian so it is no more possible to get Christ out of Charlie Brown than it is to get him out of Christmas.
Face it, atheists: you really are Charlie Brown haters.
From here:
An atheist group is accusing an Arkansas grade school of violating students’ constitutional rights by inviting them to a performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at a local church.
Students at Terry Elementary School in Little Rock were invited to a performance of the show at Agape Church. Teachers informed parents in letters home that a school bus would shuttle children to and from the show, which would be performed on a school day, KARK 4 News reported.
According to the station, the letter the teachers sent home indicates the play will be held on Friday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. at the church. Children attending will be taken on a school bus and will need to pay $2 to cover the expense of the bus rides, the letter states. Students are not required to attend the production, according to the school district.
One parent contacted the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers after receiving the letter.
“We’re not saying anything bad about Charlie Brown,” Anne Orsi, a Little Rock attorney and vice president of the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers, told KARK 4 News. “The problem is that it’s got religious content and it’s being performed in a religious venue and that doesn’t just blur the line between church and state, it oversteps it entirely.”
How sad. ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ is hardly overtly religious, even with its nativity scene. Better stay out of all those cathedrals in Europe too. When did people become so humourless and lacking in perspective?
Perhaps the reason why the antitheists are so against “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is because the show actually attacks them. The character Charlie Brown is struggling with all the hype and commercialism that has taken over Christmas, and is feel both lost and frustrated. Than when in outburst of this frustration he asks “can anyone tell me what it’s all about” the Linus character than says “I can tell you what it’s all about Charlie Brown”, and then proceeds to give one of the most beautiful readings from the King James Version that I have ever heard (rather impressive when you consider that a ten year old boy did the voice for Linus). Of course all of this is an overt attack on the commercial and secular forces that have tried to highjack Christmas for it is a deliberate reminder that Christmas is all about Christ.
I too have always been moved by Linus’ recitation, AMP. But I disagree it’s an ‘attack’ on antitheism: don’t Christians go shopping like mad and participate in hype as well?
My husband and I recently watched the Charlie Brown Halloween special “The Great Pumpkin” [made in 1966 and devoid of any sort of religious reference, by the way], after having not seen it for decades. It was great. And it was a world apart from the brass-knuckled approach of current “media products.” For one thing the graphics were beautiful, resembling vivid watercolours; children’s voices instead of adult actors playing children performed the voice-overs; it has quiet and white spaces; Vince Guiraldi’s jazz score gave it a hint of style; and there were lovely little touches of irony — like a beagle who thinks he’s a WW2 Flying Ace.
No, I don’t see it as an attack on antitheism. It was made before we got into these times of polarised action followed by reaction. Rather, I see that it pays homage to tradition, to culture, by carving out the space — within a modern, commercialised world — for its authentic celebration; and without calling attention to itself for doing so.
Unfortunately atheists are so self conscious that the mere hint of anything disagreeable sends them into fits of paranoia. The Jews and Muslims are in the malls right now profiting off an event they do not recognize. If they were as conceited and motivated as the atheists they would be protesting not getting in our face with Dead Sea cosmetics, ionic bracelets, Angry Birds and all sorts of Chinese imports.
I will bet there are lots of supposedly hard core atheists in retail, raking in the bucks then stamping their feet in little rages after cash-out.