Who Gets Their Faith from a Nativity Display at City Hall?

Here's something I absolutely don't get. All the blather about public displays of sanctity and love for the Baby Jesus and the rightful place that He plays in the Christmas season. I mean, I get the Baby Jesus part, but what is up with these Christians? Not the go to church and worship the Lord kind of Christians that I grew up with, but these in your face and you'd darn well better like it you commie rat bastard Christians who have popped up this year. Has someone been slipping steroids into the holy water?

Here's the thing. Since when did the private faith of these people require expression in a public place? And not only in public, government property, but in retail establishments too. You're going to boycott Target because someone somewhere thought they heard from their sister's cousin that employees were instructed not to say Merry Christmas?

Shouldn't you be expressing your faith in church and in the way you lead your daily lives? Shouldn't you be interested in the teachings of Christ and following his teachings? Shouldn't you be doing something constructive with your faith? But no. Apparently faith of a certain type is expressed by listening to TV talk show hosts and TV-ready preachers.

Since when?

Now when I was raised my folks expressed their faith by going to church. 3 times a week, every week. Without fail. And all of the kids went along too, since that was just what was done. My folks lived highly devout, even fundamentalist Christian, lives, but somehow managed to do it by actually internalizing their faith. They expressed their faith through prayer and fellowship and bible study and in the way they lived their lives. Not once do I remember my Dad saying that we ought to round everybody up and head over to City Hall for a good dose of religion.

Religion was something you practiced at church and in your home and in your attitudes and your life.

City Hall was where you went to pay the water bill and register the dog.

So excuse me if I don't get what the fuss is all about.

My faith and my beliefs are part of my personal life. I don't need any help from the government in that matter, thank you very much.