Christians celebrate the life and works of Jesus on Christmas and Easter, and, depending on their levels of devotion, possibly on all other days as well. But shouldn't there be a public holiday to celebrate the man who has done more to shape Western civilization than any other?
Turns out there is, at least in Texas. On April 17, 2000, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush proclaimed June 10 to be Jesus Day, encouraging all Texans "to follow Christ's example by performing good works in their communities and neighborhoods."
Mr. Bush didn't invent the holiday: It coincides with the annual March for Jesus, first held in London in 1987, in which Christians worldwide gather in public to pray and march.
Not everyone was thrilled by Bush's government endorsement of the central figure of Christianity. Speaking to The New York Times, Phil Baum, executive director of the American Jewish Congress, called the proclamation ''an egregious and blatant violation of the spirit of the First Amendment.''
