Topic: CNSNews.com
CNSNews.com's nitpickiness of President Biden even extends to his Christmas messages. In December 2020, CNS repeated Biden's Christmas message, though it saited until four days after Christmas to report on it and refused to identify him as president-elect -- not a surprise, since it was still promoting Donald Trump's election fraud conspiracies. CNS didn't even report on Biden's 2021 Christmas message.
But for the 2022 Christmas message, CNS decided to nitpick. A Dec.23 article by Susan Jones nitpicked how Biden delivered it:
Instead of an end-of-year press conference, where he might be asked a few difficult questions -- about the border chaos, for example -- President Joe Biden delivered a "Christmas Address to the Nation," as the White House described it.
His message: "Things are getting better." And: "Spread a little kindness."
The message was delivered at the White House, with no reporters present.
An article by Craig Bannister later that day nitpicked the words he used -- a running theme lately -- then compared him unfavorably to the last president:
This year, when President Joe Biden spoke at his second annual White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony, he neglected to mention either “Christ” or “Jesus,” just as he did last year.
Not until the last two sentences of his remarks, did he wish Americans a “Merry Christmas” and mention “God” (“God bless you.”)
At the 2021 Christmas tree lighting ceremony, on December 2, Biden did actually commemorate a birthday: that of his Interior Secretary, not that of Jesus Christ (“It is wonderful to join you here on your birthday, Madam Secretary. Happy birthday”).
In contrast, at his last Christmas tree lighting ceremony in 2019, President Donald Trump reminded Americans of the Christian heritage and beliefs that Christmas trees represent:
Bannister didn't not that there's no evidence that Trump lives the words he spoke, nor doid he explain why the president must shoehorn Christianity into a secular ceremony.
In an apparent attempt at partisan contrast, managing editor Michael W. Chapman cranked out two articles on the Christmas messages from more conservatively correct Republican presidents, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump; Chapman made sure to put their references to Jesus by name in the headlines. For unexplained reasons, Chapman also reposted a 2019 article recounting how "As heavy clouds and torrential rain stalled the advance of the U.S. Third Army during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, Gen. George S. Patton ordered the Third Army chaplain to compose a prayer for good weather to kill Germans, to 'crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies.'"
From there, the nitpicking duties went to CNS' new commentary editor, Georgiana Constantin-Parke,who began her Dec. 29 column with a bit of an apology (while also making sure to include her employer's senility narrative):
There already have been several articles about President Joe Biden’s 2022 Christmas message. And while some might see this type of scrutiny as nitpicking or quite a tedious hobby of the right wing or right-leaning individuals in general, it is essential that one is always aware and awake, as the reality of faith and the burden of freedom demand. Analyzing the actions and words of our leaders is vital to understanding our potential futures.
However, firstly, one must acknowledge that both he and his speech writer are human, and therefore cannot be expected to be free of flaws. On the other hand, they are also not expected to be all flaws.
Secondly, let us take into consideration that this is probably not an easy time for him, as the memory of the death of his first wife and one of his children many years ago around this time is not one which will ever go away. We should offer prayers for the souls of his departed loved ones and be understanding of this difficult time for him and his family.
Finally, whether he is in the (arguably) early stages of Alzheimer’s, or he lies habitually, or is no longer the Christian he claims to be, or perhaps he is doing the very work of those who would see the church dismantled around the world, makes no difference in one respect: he is, somehow, the President of the United States.
Tump lied habiltually, but we don't recall CNS ever being concerned about that.Constantin-Parke then moved to a partisan attack on Biden's message:
So what was his message?
At first glance, it was one that called people to unity, to remember the light for which we all stand, no matter our beliefs, and to be kind and empathetic to one another. In a nutshell, it was a classic example of ‘do as I say not as I do’ rhetoric -- his messages to the electorate have rarely been uniting or empathetic or ones to steer people toward the light of goodness.
Encouraging the mutilation of children through speedy so-called gender-affirming care, treating children in the womb as if they were parasites there to steal the mother’s independence, and calling for an end to patience with the unvaccinated, among other things, did anything but unite or inspire kindness in people.
Then the real nitpicking began, with Constantin-Parke being weirdly perturbed that Biden said "Son of God" instead of "Jesus Christ":
An important part of the speech revolved around, as some have noted, hinting to Christ rather than saying His name. This is true. But perhaps the more noteworthy concern was the way he talked about Christianity and the picture he painted of religion and faith in general.
To start off, the language used was one of an objective observer rather than a participant in faith. He stated that Christmas is about the birth of a child that “Christians believe to be the son of God.” It would perhaps have been more appropriate for a practicing Christian to have noted “ a child all of us Christians know as the Son of God, the Christ.”
By distancing himself from his declared faith, Catholicism, he made a clear statement. Perhaps they did not want him to seem overzealous or fanatical, but rather inclusive. But the problem with this approach is the message that it sends to everyone.
It wasn't until near the end of her column that Constantin-Parke acknowledged that Biden might be the president ofall Americans, not just the Christian ones, and that his message should be at least somewhat universal -- yet she still insisted on slamming his Christmas message anyway:
Of course, I could be wrong and he could truly have meant to speak of joy and unity and show himself as the president of all Americans, not just Christians. But even then, you cannot stand and defend peoples’ faiths while distancing yourself from your own. Not to say that he should be the most devout Christian, but if he just does not trust in Christ anymore, why lie about it? His actions speak quite clearly. And many would probably call him brave for stating his disbelief or change of creed.
Or perhaps he has not pondered nor does he care about the discrepancies between his words and actions. This is politics after all. But then again, even politicians have to tell some truths sometimes, otherwise there is no point to any political system. So, where are Biden’s truths?
The real issue is that he is diminishing the idea of religion and faith in general and shrouding it in a light of embarrassment and myth. This is a more diplomatic version of what the communists did in Socialist Romania. They ridiculed faith and church so that no “serious scientist” and “man of reason” would ever dare think of “such nonsense.”
This is the direction the Christmas message was heading. It was not the avoidance of the words Jesus Christ or the watered-down presentation of his own declared faith that were the most problematic, but the combination of what was blurred and what was made clear.
So inclusive Christmas messages are sending America down the road to communism? Constantin-Parke didn't explain why the president must force-feed Christianity to Americans who aren't Christian.
