Barbara Walters likes to receive Christmas greetings from high-profile celebrities and leaders, but apparently not if they refer to the Bible.
On Thursday's episode of ABC's The View, Walters expressed dismay that President and Mrs. Bush would send out greetings containing Scripture.
During the segment, Walters showed the other gals some of the “highfalutin Christmas cards,” and explained the White House card:
“First of all, let me show you the cover of the White House, which is nice and bland…So that's pleasant enough. This is what interested me, that it is a religious Christmas card. Usually in the past when I have received a Christmas card, it's been 'happy holiday's' and so on- And this says:
“'You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You gave life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.'
“That's from Nehemiah in the Old Testament. I don't remember— and I'm sure people will remind me—getting a religious card. Now does this also go to agnostics and atheists and Muslims and –”
Moderator Whoopie Goldberg and co-host Sherri Shepherd tried to steer clear of controversy by joking that the Scriptures were about Walters, but Walters persisted in her critique, asking, “Don't you think it's a little interesting that the president of all the people is sending out a religious Christmas card?”
Walters showed her co-hosts a Christmas card from Elton John and his partner David Furnish that had angels on the cover. She didn't have similar concerns over the religious imagery as she did about the Scripture printed in the White House card.
Co-host Joy Behar pointed out to Walters that Elton John's card was “religious,” and Walters responded, “But it doesn't say anything religious. It says 'Season's Greetings.'”
Later in the show Walters did say, “By the way, I don't want to put down the President of the
Christmas greetings can be sent to Barbara Walters at the following address. CMI asks that Christmas greetings be worded in the spirit of the season.
Barbara Walters
c/o The View
Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the