FOX News Channel pundit Bill O’Reilly is super good at refusing to look reality in its beady little eyes. We all know about his famous misunderstanding of how tides work, as it resulted in some delightful memes. The man has become a caricature of a caricature of himself.

And I’m sorry to break any readers’ hearts around here, but he isn’t exactly the biggest fan of us atheists.

As we enter into the holiday season, we also enter into our yearly “War on Christmas” (a.k.a. The Reasonable Request By Non-Christians That There Is No Endorsement of Religion In The Public Square). And there is no one who loves to get more up in arms over this than the folks at FOX.

Here’s the latest:

[Note: It was a special kind of challenge to transcribe this entire clip because O’Reilly kept talking over the other two women in the studio, making for both an annoying report and a difficult time getting the transcript down]

Lis Wiehl: In Elwood City [PA] they have this nativity scene for years — Correspondent#2: 50! LW: Right, and a group out of Madison, Wisconsin last year– Bill O’Reilly: 50! And where is it, Wiehl? LW: Now it’s not going to be there in front of the municipal building. BO: Okay, 50 years, Elwood City, little nativity scene, in front of the municipal building which is the local… LW: Local city council building, right. BO: So, Wisconsin atheist group does what? R2: They get upset, file a lawsuit saying– BO: Against Elwood City! R2: Against the borough– BO: Far away from Wisconsin! R2: It’s a little bit of a trek, you’re not going to get there on your bike. And they say “This is inappropriate, it shouldn’t be on public property.” However we spoke with a gentleman today who is representing the group, the Freedom From Religion Foundation– BO: The atheists! R2: Right. He said “I’m not opposed to anything on private property, they’ve moved it to the church– BO: So Elwood City already caved– LW: They didn’t want the lawsuit! They figured they’d lose the lawsuit. BO: They’ve moved it from the municipal building where it’s been for 50 years to a church? So the atheists won! R2: They prevailed. BO: But there is no War on Christmas, ladies and gentlemen. Remember Jon Stewart? [Makes duckface. I guess it’s what he thinks Stewart looks like? I don’t know.] Remember Stewart said that? R2: Yeah it’s tough to be a nativity scene these days. BO: But little Elwood City, 50 years, people are going, they’re looking for it, they’ll have to have little maps. Final question, and either of you can…Do the atheists in Wisconsin realize they are going to hell? It’s the Christmas season; maybe we don’t bring that up until January. We know Stewart’s going to hell. Just kidding, man! I’m just giving him material!

*Facepalm*

First of all, what’s that line? “Threatening an atheist that he’s going to hell is like threatening to kick an atheist in the aura”? Yeah, real scary, O’Reilly. I’m quaking in my Chucks over here.

Besides that… I mean we’ve said it all before, right? The reason we need to file these lawsuits to get cities to take down their crosses and nativity scenes and 10 Commandments’ thingies is because they will inevitably argue that “It’s been up for 5, 10, 50, 100 years! What’s the problem now?!”

To me, it seems that the harrowing tale they told was completely appropriate. A nativity scene was up where it shouldn’t have been, they got a call from FFRF, they moved it to a church (its natural habitat), and that’s that.

Once again, I am left baffled by what all of the fuss is about. I feel like the only people who are going to miss it at the municipal building are probably going to see it anyway when they go to church on Sundays, right?

Only seven more weeks ’til Christmas, guys, so prepare yourself for all of the War on Christmas stories to come! If anyone wants to set up a War on Christmas bingo game, I would be totally be cool with that.

(Via The Good Atheist)



