By Mel Harkrader Pine

I understand that many of my conservative and libertarian friends believe that the war on Christmas is real, but like much in today’s polarized world, I don’t get it.

A Jewish Buddhist Unitarian Universalist Contrarian, I grew up in a Christmas-loving culture. I often wish others a merry Christmas and am not offended when others wish me the same. Perhaps more important, I’ve never seen anyone else offended by those words.

Easter? Resurrection? Those are a different part of the story and may offend some.

Truly religious (as opposed to seasonal) use of public land? Also a different matter and open to debate.

The Three Wise Men? Count me among those who think they just might have been Buddhist monks from the East.

Followers of the world’s two largest religions are taught that Jesus was a Prophet, the Messiah and/or the Son of God…