THE ABSENCE OF A BELIEF IS A BELIEF. There are some follow-ups to Professor Althouse's post on the Freedom from Religion Foundation's petulant rebuttal to the Christmas tree in Wisconsin's Capitol. Armchair Philosopher catches the logic problem in the Foundation's statement.

First, the perspective issue: in the grand scheme of things, putting up a Christmas holiday tree is about as benign as it gets. I would have different feelings about a Nativity scene, but a tree? Give me a freakin’ break! For one thing, the significance of evergreen trees, and the practice of hanging things on their branches, originates with pre-Christian paganism; there’s nothing in the Bible about holiday Christmas trees. (Although tree-trimming suggestions might spice up the otherwise unreadable books of Old Testament law.)

The second problem with this sign is that it holds no moral high ground over that which it critiques. Atheism is just as capable of hardening hearts and enslaving minds as any religion. The problem with religion is not the belief in one or more supernatural beings; the problem with religion is its self-righteousness and absolute conviction that it knows The Truth. The FFRF sign’s haughty message is just as hard-hearted and closed-minded as many conservative religious expressions.

Thank you.

One suspects, however, that such subtlety would be lost on the folks at the foundation, who made an issue once about a basketball coach keeping track of the religious preference of her recruits and scheduling games against the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' all-star team.

So, never mind the subtlety. Here is Sissy at Sisu (which is Finlander for "Coming Through!") with a proper rejoinder.

Ann Althouse's Madison, Wisconsin town fathers have been intimidated into allowing a pathetic anti-freedom-of-religion message (image above) from something called the Freedom from Religion Foundation to stand side by side with a magnificent State House Christmas tree that soars through two stories to the skylights. Fortunately, both physically and spiritually, the glorious tree towers over the scolding little FRF sign.

Andrew at The American Thinker has a little sisu of his own.

Here is the truth. We are not in the “Holiday Season.” Believing Christians are currently observing (or rather should be observing) the season of Advent, a holy period of preparation for the Feast of the Incarnation and the following Twelve Days of Christmas. Now it is acknowledged that the vast majority of people of the United States are at least nominally Christians of one denomination or another. They by definition, therefore, believe, in varying degrees of intensity to be sure, that the Creator of the universe humbled Himself to become man, splitting asunder space and time, and was born in a lowly manger in Judea two thousand years ago. The celebration of this event, the Feast of the Incarnation, has been celebrated joyously by believers ever since.

Reality, however, has to be inclusive.

Against the stupendous Incarnation and the accompanying two thousand years of tradition and devotion what do we have arrayed? One genuine and two ginned-up alternative holidays.

The original multi-cultural offering is a Jewish historical and religious commemoration of a miracle – Chanukah – which is not counted among the High Holy Days of Judaism, but which is a genuine and ancient commemoration of legitimate significance. Conveniently, Chanukah takes place around the same time as Advent, and has become invested with temporal equivalence as an opportunity for the gift-giving, greeting cards, songs, and other less spiritual accoutrements of a religious commemoration, as have also attached themselves to Christmas.

That's convenient. For Gentiles, more convenience.

However the American scene is also now featuring a neo-pagan, fake-Druid solstice Saturnalia and a modern invention of politics and hodge-podge spiritual nonsense--Kwanzaa. But I have said here the one thing you are not supposed to say.

Read the whole thing. I'll be here when you get back.