Yesterday, Grand Rapids area Congressional Representative Vern Ehlers voted in support of a Congressional resolution "recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith." It is no surprise that Ehlers voted for the resolution, as he is very public about his Christian faith, however, the vote as a whole is interesting. The resolution was proposed by Iowa Republican Representative Steve King who felt that the resolution was necessary to remind the country of the importance of Christianity, with King stating that the "foundation of this American culture is Christianity." Earlier this year, King declined to vote on a resolution recognizing the importance of Islam.

The text of the resolution asserts that Christianity is the religion of the majority of the United States population, that Christmas is a holiday celebrated by Christians, that the U.S. has its roots in Christianity, and that Christianity has "contributed greatly to the development of western civilization." It goes on to state that the House:

"(1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;

(2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;

(3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;

(4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;

(5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and

(6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world."

The resolution--while stating a lot of obvious points--is part of the larger debate over the so-called "War on Christmas" with Christian right and rightwing activists arguing that "political correctness" is threatening to eliminate Christmas--and eventually Christianity--in the public life of the United States.