From Mr. Michael Brown at Spirit Daily:

STRANGE TIME: DE-CHRISTIANIZATION STARTS WITH CHRISTMAS AND HINTS AT PERSECUTION

There is an aspect moving with the attack on Christmas this year that defies conventional explanation and begins to hint at something that Catholics and many Christians have long-feared.

That something is persecution, and an early sign is when a majority of people are in favor of one thing but a minority, a small one, is able to usurp control and herd the rest into following their liking.

In just the last few weeks, extraordinary signs of de-Christianization (which may certainly be the herald of persecution) have exceeded even outrages of last year.

In England, laments the Vatican newspaper, there has been "the disappearance of all religious reference on stamps specially printed for Christmas, which now feature snowmen and deer and no longer the three wise men" or the Star of Bethlehem.

In Pennsylvania, a statue of the Blessed Mother had to be declared a "lawn ornament" for a development to allow it.

In Hollywood, actor Charlie Sheen sang "Joy to the World" with obscene lyrics for a network special.

And from California came the announcement of a horror movie about Christmas to be released on December 25 -- a cynical blackening of the brightest day.

In Seattle, workers took down Christmas trees on the demands of a rabbi (before putting decorations back up after public pressure).

In Riverside, California, a high-school choir was muzzled by a cop after it started singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" at a public skating rink!

In Delray Beach, Florida, meanwhile, no Christmas tree, Nativity scene, or menorah is allowed in a principal's office, and only "winter parties" and "winter celebrations" (which start to sound pagan) are tolerated. In a Detroit suburban school district, a quota system of thirty percent has been instituted on religious songs that can be sung.

While in many quarters Christians seemed to take back some territory lost in recent times -- with certain cities reversing themselves on displays of the Nativity -- in general the opposition has continued and government leaders have forcefully followed the whims of secularists, atheists, and non-Christians despite a poll that has found more than 95 percent of Americans are not offended by the greeting "Merry Christmas" (and even Muslims defending the holiday).
When so few can predominate over a huge majority, and when they have the tools of government, prosecution can turn into persecution. In some cases, there is a link to Muslim opposition, as when, outrageously, a school head in the United Kingdom removed the word "Virgin" from Mary's name for Christmas celebrations -- so as not to upset pupils whose religion is Islam. ("We cut the name to just Mary because Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, not Son of God," she explained to those few who were outraged.)
Before our eyes, Jesus is being purge from His own holiday -- a signal of what could expand into wider methods of de-Christianization.

Few thought of it as starting with Santa Claus, but the devil is tricky and has succeeded too well in many quarters at turning anything Christian into a slur or insult.

If Christmas can be de-Christianized, so can anything. Intense opposition to this secularization, thus far lacking (including among Church leaders), is needed urgently.

"The traditional Christian values once cherished at Christmas have evaporated, with some countries, especially England, waging a veritable 'war against Christmas,' the Vatican paper Osservatore Romano," noted a secular report on Monday.

Is this how the stage will be set? Is it not worrisome that the trend has persisted now over a period of years -- in many ways, intensifying?

Sometimes, it is subtle: such as the United States Postal Service delivering mail (at least certain types) on Christmas Day, which once was sacrosanct.

But many cases are blatant. In England -- yet again -- "a soundtrack to a BBC trail for Christmas dramas has been slammed by the Church -- because it has lyrics about Satan," reports the London Daily Mirror. "The 30-second promo, featuring TV baddies such as Dracula and Keith Allen as the Sheriff of Nottingham, uses the spoof song Christmas with the Devil by Spinal Tap.

"Its lyrics include the lines 'There's someone up the chimney hole and Satan is his name' and 'No bells in hell, no snow below, silent night, violent night.'"

And it doesn't end there. Several channels have offered programs which claim that Jesus was a troubled youth who resorted to violence and had a relationship with a woman. The Man of Sin is preparing society for his entrance (in an open way) upon the world stage.

Pray.

Paul.