So Catholics had to secretly celebrate Christmas? So much for freedom of religion.
Yeah, Massachusetts is a swell place. The first public Mass wasn’t said in Boston until 1788, and Catholicism here wasn’t even made legal until 1780. Everyone buys into the “Pilgrims and freedom of religion” story, but they were about freedom of THEIR religious practices, no one else’s. Irish immigration in the mid-19th century is what finally turned the tide and made Catholicism at least public in a major way.So Catholics had to secretly celebrate Christmas? So much for freedom of religion.
In Philadelphia, we have the oldest parish in continuous existence in the United States (which was founded in the Colonies, not in the previously Spanish controlled areas).So Catholics had to secretly celebrate Christmas? So much for freedom of religion.
In the early years of our nation, mostly colonial times. Christmas was not celebrated because it was seen as “too Catholic”. That is one reason by George Washington was able to cross the Delaware river and attack the German Hussites helping the British. He knew they would be sleeping due to their Christmas celebrations. Christmas celebrations have been around much longer than 200 years in Europe due to the Catholic Church. In our country, Christmas wasn’t really celebrated until larger numbers of German immigrants came in the early 1800’s about. I think that is what the TV station was aiming at but as usual botched and mixed up some facts and ideas.
Isn’t it amazing that people claiming they want religious freedom where sometimes were the most intolerant of all. There was only one Catholic signer to the declaration, Lewis Carroll. While often times people want to pin intolerance on the Catholic Church with inquisitions, the Protestant countries of Europe were worst.
There is a difference between the first pilgrims who were separatists from the Church of England and the Puritans which followed and they were the most intolerant ones. The pilgrims were separatists and wanted nothing to do the Church of England which they considered too corrupt to reform. The Puritans were still involved and believed the Church of England can be purified from within, hence the name Puritan. They became the dominate force in early colonial Mass and New England. The colony of Rhode Island and Conn. were spin off from Mass for “unorthodox” groups from the puritans.
Yes, Lutheran and Anglican still followed some kind of liturgical year and holidays. But for a number of early Protestant groups, that wasn’t enough and Anabaptists etc threw out things like Christmas. Now a days most all Protestants including Baptists type groups celebrate Christmas and Easter and only a hand full still would think these Christian holy days are too Catholic.
Lewis Carroll was an English writer, Charles Carroll ‘of Carrollton’ was the Catholic signer of the Declaration.
Sorry! I knew there was one Catholic signer and the last name was Carroll. I should have double checked the first name. My badLewis Carroll was an English writer, Charles Carroll ‘of Carrollton’ was the Catholic signer of the Declaration.
See my editted post, My really bad.Sorry! I knew there was one Catholic signer and the last name was Carroll. I should have double checked the first name. My bad
See my editted post, My really bad.
.Others have related how Christmas was or was not celebrated in the English colonies in America and in the early days of the United States.
The first colony, Virginia, has always celebrated Christmas, but that’s because most of the settlers were Church of England (Anglican). Colonial Williamsburg is gorgeous at Christmas time.
An old saw: “There is no one so reactionary as a revolutionary who has achieved their objective.”
sometimes I think is it hard to understand people’s views and reactions from the past. Having real religious freedom as we understand it today wasn’t a political reality when the first colonies were forming. I try to keep that in mind when reviewing history. Up until the establishment of our constitution, the government or state were a controlling factor with religion and having multiple religious views and groups would be viewed as an unstable society. The new world became a convent dumping ground for unwanted groups yet those unwanted groups wanted control like what they left. We can look back on them and wonder how could they be so hypocritical but in the reality of their times, they were following the pattern of the day. I hope this make sense.
You do realize the concept of Freedom of Religion didn’t even exist in the Americas until 1791, right? That’s when the Bill of Rights was ratified …So Catholics had to secretly celebrate Christmas? So much for freedom of religion.