# The menorah declared a secular image???

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-menorah-declared-a-secular-image/144284>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 21, 2002, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-menorah-declared-a-secular-image/144284 "2002-12-21T23:16:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ThatGuyWithPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@ThatGuyWithPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatGuyWithPants)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-menorah-declared-a-secular-image/144284/1 "2002-12-21T23:16:02Z")

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I don’t know the validity of this, but that’s why I figured I’d ask you all here on the SDMB. Too mundane to fit into General Questions, and I don’t know how accurate it is so I cant put it in Great Debates (but if it turns out to be true, I’m assuming that it’ll be moved there). Moderators, feel free to move this if you think its in the wrong spot.

Last week I heard from a pretty good source that the U.S. Government declared the menorah of Judaism and the star of Islam to both be secular images, while the Christmas tree was said to be a religious image. I’ve seen all 3 around my school so I don’t know if the story is bogus or people just don’t know about it yet.

Is this true or is this just a load of crap. I’m hoping its crap, because all three of them are religious symbols. Seriously. If somebody shows you a picture of a menorah, do you honestly think they are not going to think of Chanukah? Ditto with the Star/Moon thing with Islam and the Tree with Christian denominations. I’m a Christian myself, and yes I do celebrate Christmas but only as a secular holiday. I wont get into the “why’s” but I can honestly see how all 3 symbols are religious. Just a thought for today…Please anyone who would know the validity of this, please comment. I wouldn’t want to tell people false things.

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-menorah-declared-a-secular-image/144284/2 "2002-12-22T07:20:40Z")

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I don’t see the difference. Just because the government declares something, doesn’t really mean a lot in the long run. They can’t tell you how to think- if you want to view a menorah as a sacred symbol- great, if you want to burn Christmas trees, okay, great. They don’t have thought police (yet).

Besides, what of separation of church and state? I think the government has much better things to do than go around deciding what is religious and what isn’t.

Even if all three of them are in your school…they are just decorations, not declarations of an official religion, right?

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-menorah-declared-a-secular-image/144284/3 "2002-12-22T08:11:33Z")

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This is a [duplicate thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=151962) , **Zoggie**. The mods haven’t had a chance to close it yet.