St. Mary’s University history professor Shira Lurie blasted CTV News Atlantic for asking people to wish each other merry Christmas. .“Not enough hatred against religious minorities in the world these days, so @CTVAtlantic and @CTVSteveMurphy blessed us with this abysmal take,” said Lurie in a tweet. .CTV News Atlantic special correspondent Steve Murphy wrote an op-ed on Thursday saying people should recognize, respect, and acknowledge Christmas. .“But in our society, one need not be of Christian tradition to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas,’ nor should such a greeting cause offence to those who do not observe the religious holiday,” said Murphy. .“A Merry Christmas is good for everyone.”.Lurie wrote an email to CTV News Atlantic on Friday saying some people believe every one shares their identity and privileges, and she was surprised it would choose to amplify this opinion. .“Over the last few years, we have witnessed an alarming rise in hate crimes against religious minorities—the types of people who don’t celebrate Christmas,” she said. .“It’s concerning that, especially in this climate, you would choose to publish a piece calling on these minorities to suppress part of their identities to make Murphy more comfortable.” .The email acknowledged she is not a Christian and does not celebrate the holiday. It said asking she pretends she is Christian is an insult to herself, her religion, and her culture. .The professor went on to say perhaps CTV News Atlantic thinks this issue is trivial for her to speak out about. She added the war on Christmas “has been used by far-right leaders, like Donald Trump, to fan the flames of hatred against minorities.” .The email said these messages have inspired white supremacist violence. It is hopeless or irresponsible to behave as though aligning with this messaging is unproblematic. .She said it is her sincere hope in the future, CTV News Atlantic and Murphy “refrain from giving advice to persecuted minorities about how to exist in our troubled world, what to be offended by, or what is ‘good for them.’” .Upstream Group Founder Michael Diamond said Lurie was overreacting. .“I'm not Christian, but yesterday I signed and posted over 500 cards that say ‘Merry Christmas,’” said Diamond. .Quillette associate editor Jonathan Kay said Murphy is right. .“I'm Jewish but I often wish people merry Christmas in late December,” said Kay. .“Contrary to what you've argued, this hardly puts me in league with ‘white supremacists.’” .The Federal Court of Canada said in 2021 it was removing all references to Christmas in its rule book. .READ MORE: Federal Court cancels out Christmas.Amendments to the 1998 Federal Court Rules propose to delete references to the Christmas recess to be inclusive to lawyers, applicants, and defendants who practice other religions or none at all..“The definition of ‘Christmas recess’ would be repealed and replaced by ‘seasonal recess,’” said the Courts Administration Service in a legal notice.
