Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Refuses To Back Down After Atheist Organization Demands Retraction Of Christmas Proclamation Honoring Jesus

Not backing down.

It’s Christmas, which means families will gather to open presents, spend time with their loved ones, watch football (thanks to the NFL for gifting us with an all-time terrible slate of games today) and drink too much eggnog before passing out on the couch. At least that’s my plan for the day.

But you can’t talk about Christmas without talking about the true meaning of the holiday: The birth of Jesus Christ. While Christmas is fun for gift giving and Santa, it’s ultimately a celebration of the birth of our Savior more than 2,000 years ago. It’s the reason we celebrate, and the reason you get the day off work, not because Santa came last night.

Down in Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders decided to give state employees a couple extra days off for Christmas this year, issuing a proclamation closing state offices tomorrow, December 26. And in her message, she recognized that the holiday was a celebration of the birth of Christ:

“More than two millennia ago in the little town of Bethlehem, far from the centers of power in first-century Rome, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born in a humble manger… We give thanks for the arrival of Christ the Savior, who will come again in glory and whose kingdom will have no end, by celebrating His birth each year on Christmas Day.”

But of course, some people weren’t happy that she shared a religious message…on Christmas.

After issuing her message, the atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation sent Sanders a letter demanding that she retract her Christmas message – although they say they’re fine with the extra day off, as long as it’s not for religious purposes:

“While the state’s recognition of Christmas Day as a legal public holiday is constitutionally permissible when framed in a secular manner, your proclamation goes far beyond the mere acknowledgment of Christmas or other end-of-the-year holidays or festivities. Rather than focusing on administrative scheduling or the broadly observed secular cultural aspects of the holiday, the proclamation gives a detailed theological narrative presenting core Christian doctrines, including the divinity of Jesus Christ, his crucifixion for the sins of mankind, his resurrection, and his anticipated return “in glory” as government-supported facts.”

But Sanders is refusing to back down. In a response, the governor stated that she would not be rescinding her proclamation, while pointing out that it’s impossible to recognize Christmas without also recognizing the meaning of the religious holiday:

“Please know that I will do no such thing.

You say that my communications as Governor must be neutral on matters of religion. I say that, even if I wanted to do that, it would be impossible. Christmas is not simply an “end-of-the-year holiday” with “broadly observed secular cultural aspects,” as your letter states.

It’s not gifts, trees, and stockings that make this holiday special. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and if we are to honor Him properly, we should tell His miraculous, world-changing story properly, too.”

Sanders ends her letter with a message to the attorney for the FFRF:

“Though you may enter this season with bitterness, know that Christ is with you, that He loves you, and that He died for your sins just the same as He did for mine and everyone else’s.”

Seems like government employees in Arkansas don’t have to worry about losing that day off tomorrow. Just remember the true reason for the holiday as you celebrate.