Victoria Councillor Wants to Get Rid of Christmas Decorations With Christian Ties

[DonLever]

From Vancouver Sun:

 

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/victoria-councillor-wants-less-christmas-more-diversity-in-seasonal-decorations

 

Victoria shouldn’t be decking public property with boughs of holly, lighting up Christmas trees or handing out poinsettias, says Coun. Ben Isitt, who has won council support for a review of the city’s seasonal decorations.

 

Councillors agreed to have staff to report back on options for further secularizing or increasing the diversity of cultural elements in seasonal decorations.

 

In suggesting the review, Isitt said that a poinsettia recently appeared on his desk at Victoria City Hall.

“I don’t want a poinsettia. It is a symbol of the Christian faith,” said Isitt, who also questioned the lighting of the giant sequoia in Centennial Square outside City Hall.

The city’s $64,000 “seasonal animation program” includes installation of banners throughout the city.

 

While the city pays for seasonal lighting decorations such as the stars or snowflake lights on light standards, and the lighting of trees on Government Street, the lighting of Centennial Square is done by the business assoctiation.

 

Even though the association bears the cost of lighting up Centennial Square, it is a public space and the city should make sure it is inclusive and the city should not be turning the sequoia into a Christmas tree, Isitt said.

 

“Muslims, unless they are mixed families, they don’t have Christmas trees in their homes. Jewish people, like me, don’t have Christmas trees in their homes,” Isitt said.

However, he acknowledged that overtly religious symbolism has been “dialled back” over the years.

 

“I think there are still many elements of Christian symbolism that are paid for with taxpayer dollars and, for me, that doesn’t reflect a clear division between church and state.”

Isitt said having lights downtown “is great” and snowflakes “probably strike the right balance” but he city should ensure it is being inclusive.

 

While councillors supported the review, not all of them shared Isitt’s concerns.

 

Coun. Sharmarke Dubow, who is a Muslim, said rather than offending many immigrants, Christmas lights can be an interesting aspect of a new culture.

“I was born on Christmas Day. This is symbolic and I like them (the lights), on a personal note.”

 

Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said efforts have been made over the years to rein in Christian elements of decorations and moved to outlines of snowflakes and candles as more reflective of a winter holiday. She said decorating downtown is good business.

 

“We take these opportunities to celebrate, whether it is for tourism or downtown businesses because when the downtown businesses thrive all through the year our whole community thrives. ”

Coun. Marianne Alto said it has to be remembered that the lighting is subject to interpretation.

“My family has never celebrated Christmas, but we always put up solstice lights. That’s from a tradition in northern Scandinavia, where life is so dark that it was an opportunity to provide some light in order to help people get through that terribly dark, long season,” Alto said.

 

“I do think we need to be cognizant of the fact that while we’re seeking diversity, part of diversity is also about tolerance.”

 

Isitt suggested something as simple as a review by a group with representatives of secular humanists and the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths might be all that is needed to ensure that publicly funded decorations are as inclusive as possible.

 

“Just get a temperature check. For me it’s the Christmas trees, it’s the poinsettias, it’s the hollies that sort of ruffle my sensibilities in terms of the expenditure of tax dollars. And snowflakes and even dragon symbols for Chinese New Year, they don’t, for whatever reason,” Isitt said.

 

 

 

 

[Green Building]

I'm not religious in the slightest, but Ben, there are much better things you could be doing in Victoria than championing this crap. You're wasting tax dollars in the form of a salary whining about this. Oh, and you're an idiot - end of story. 

 

 

[CanuckGAME]

This world is becoming a joke.

 

 

Losers like this guy are EXACTLY what's wrong with this world right now.  

[HerrDrFunk]

I do appreciate that it sounds like the rest of the counsolers are just humouring the dude so that he shuts up and let’s them put up the Christmas lights.

[prix57]

This is more critical than building a sewage water treatment plant for BC's capital city? 

 

This guy is a douche. 

[6string]

Mainstream politico/media theatre..

 

Ignore it!

 

 

[Lancaster]

1 hour ago, DonLever said:

“Muslims, unless they are mixed families, they don’t have Christmas trees in their homes. Jewish people, like me, don’t have Christmas trees in their homes,” Isitt said.

 

Most people I know are non-Christian / non-religious, including myself.... yet we all have a Christmas tree.  

[Toni Zamboni]

[Dazzle]

So this cold Christmas, there's homeless and drug users in the city that need to be dealt with, but hey, I guess Christmas decorations are an infringement on people's rights. Damn them!

[DADDYROCK]

People are living in tent citys or out on the streets and this clown is worried about Christmas decorations,someone should mention this to this stupid bastard(pardon my french).

[fivethej]

What the heck was Victoria thinking when they re-elected this clown and Lisa Helps.

[Nuxfanabroad]

.

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

Apparently Ben Issit is an academic social historian and has written a few books through school press.  He's certainly got the credentials and intelligence to be a solid... historian.  Respect to him.  Probably should've stuck with that.  Instead he has started a firestorm because he had his had way too far up his own butt. 

 

This is a problem I felt with some of my history profs.  I had a lot of great ones but sometimes you had the ones who just couldn't translate their own personal enthusiasm into an exciting course or book.  Not sure about this man - he must've had some charisma to get on the city council.  But he really barked up the wrong tree here.

[Dungass]

Christmas is a secular holiday in Canada now.  Christians are free to dress it up as much as they want, nobody is stopping them (without public money).  

 

Instead of attacking these secular traditions, politicians should see the unifying value of celebrating a secular, winter festival.  In fact, Christmas time should be a unifying cultural celebration of all faiths and beliefs.  I don't get the whole, rip the entire holiday down stuff.

[riffraff]

I didn’t realize trees, poinsettias and lights were Christian symbols.

[riffraff]

Inclusive:

 

the new annoying.

[Putgolzin]

30 minutes ago, riffraff said:

I didn’t realize trees, poinsettias and lights were Christian symbols.

Cause they're not. 

 

[riffraff]

1 minute ago, nzan said:

Cause they're not. 

I know a Christian who used a spatula on Christmas once, it was awesome. The spatula is also not a Christian Christmas symbol.

But I think the Christians should enjoy Christmas and spatulas. 

And probably anyone who wants to celebrate Christmas (or something more meaningful to them) should have at it.

Every year a new inanimate object of worship!!!!

 

great idea!!

[goalie13]

7 hours ago, DonLever said:

“Just get a temperature check. For me it’s the Christmas trees, it’s the poinsettias, it’s the hollies that sort of ruffle my sensibilities in terms of the expenditure of tax dollars. And snowflakes and even dragon symbols for Chinese New Year, they don’t, for whatever reason,” Isitt said.

That's the thing with Isitt.  It's not about what Victorians want, it's about what Ben wants.  He easily forgets what his job is.

[Ghostsof1915]

A lot of things, are adapted from "pagan" rituals, adapted to be a part of the Christmas season. I never get offended by other religions or cultures holidays. Should we abolish New Years on January 1st, and Chinese New Year?