One battle won, one to go.  The Denver mayor backpedals and keeps the "Merry Christmas" sign.  Looks like the parade battle though is lost – for now. 

Outcry keeps "Christmas" lit up
By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer

Friday, December 03, 2004 –

A December dilemma over religion's proper place in the public square during the holidays has hit Denver with the force of a winter storm.

After being inundated with complaints in recent days, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper reversed himself Thursday and said the words "Merry Christmas" would remain in lights above the City and County Building. He had pledged to remove the message next year in favor of the generic but inclusive "Happy Holidays."

"My intention was never to disrespect or slight anyone or any religious tradition," Hickenlooper said in a statement. "I apologize to anyone who may have been offended or mistakenly felt I was being anti- Christmas. 'Hickenlooper' might have two O's, but I am not 'Scrooge."'

In a separate dispute, organizers of Denver's 30-year-old Parade of Lights are holding firm – at least for now – on a policy that prohibits groups from primarily promoting religion.

The Downtown Denver Partnership, a private nonprofit that will stage the popular procession of gingerbread floats and high-school marching bands tonight and Saturday, cited the policy in rejecting Faith Bible Chapel's entry last spring.

Jim Basey, president of the business group, issued a statement Thursday apologizing to anyone who "may have been offended or misunderstood that the Parade of Lights is 'anti-Christmas."' He pledged to review the policy after this year's parade, saying it has evolved over time and the group "will continue to listen to all community concerns."

City Council members Charlie Brown and Elbra Wedgeworth lobbied the group Thursday, with Brown urging a compromise: allowing a youth chorale to march in robes and sing traditional Christian hymns.

But that scenario appears unlikely. Susan Rogers Kark, the partnership's vice president, said the option has been explored but it is probably too late to organize an inclusive group.

While conflicts over Nativity scenes on public property and other demonstrations of faith during December are as predictable as snow in winter, the reaction in Denver to both the "Merry Christmas" debate and the parade flap has been intense.

Hickenlooper said his office received more than 100 calls in recent days, more than on any other issue since he took office last year. An overwhelming majority of callers, which included a Roman Catholic priest and suburban churchgoers, protested his decision to drop "Merry Christmas," he said.

"I didn't even think twice about it, and it's perhaps my inexperience as an elected official," Hickenlooper said. "To have it veer off in this other direction, where so many people felt being deprived of this tradition, was certainly not what we intended. It was so far from any of my intentions that it's easy for me to apologize."

The mayor appeared to be seeking a compromise over religious displays by keeping in place a Nativity scene displayed since the 1940s but pulling the plug on "Merry Christmas." Hickenlooper said he was given the impression the existing display was worn and needed replacement soon, which he now says may not be accurate.

But it doesn't matter, he said. "Merry Christmas" is staying. The mayor said the city would explore adding "Happy Holidays" to the display next year.

The parade controversy is more complicated. George Morrison, pastor of 4,000-member Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, said he envisioned putting people of different ethnic backgrounds on a float and singing a mix of traditional hymns and secular Christmas tunes.

Kark said Faith Bible Chapel was turned away in part because Morrison specifically mentioned that he didn't feel Christians were represented in the parade. The partnership's policy, which has been in place for years, is not to include "religious or political messages in the parade," its statement said.

Said Morrison: "I feel the business community is capitalizing on what traditionally has been a celebration of the birth of Christ. I challenge them to do it in January or February and call it Winterfest." He dismissed the partnership's apology as "sidestepping the issue" but agreed to meet with Basey after the parade to hash out concerns.

Kark said misconceptions exist. She said the parade does not ban people from saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah," and bands can play hymns along with secular songs.

Morrison raised concerns about the fairness of including parade participants Two Spirit Society, a group of gay and lesbian American Indians, and performers of a Chinese New Year tradition "meant to chase away evil spirits," among other things. Kark replied that those groups, while they might have a religious dimension, are not presenting a religious message.

The partnership is on firm legal ground because it's a private entity using no government funds, said Erik Stanley, chief counsel at Liberty Counsel, a Florida group that takes up conservative Christian causes. He cited a 1995 Supreme Court ruling that an Irish-American group in Boston had the right to reject a gay and lesbian group's entry in its St. Patrick's Day parade.

Morrison and a growing swell of supporters from metro-area churches will march the parade route an hour before tonight's event, sharing hot chocolate and singing hymns. Kark said the partnership welcomes that as long as it's done safely.

Staff writer Eric Gorski can be reached at 303-820-1698 or egorski@denverpost.com .
 
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