Today is Easter Sunday. Like the majority of American Christians, we celebrated with church, candy, family and picture taking. While I do have some very specific spiritual beliefs (definitely the topic for another blog or 10), I'm not a particularly religious person. I don't feel compelled to have anyone else practice or even acknowledge my religious preferences. I am not offended by the term, "happy holidays". There are times when I am not even sure Christian defines my beliefs.
So, I am somewhat surprized by my own reaction to today's Google doodle of Cesar Chavez because frankly, I find it offensive. Christianity is the world's largest religion. Easter is its most significant holiday. To ignore that while highlighting Chavez is incomprehensible to me. Google's position seems to be that the doodle frequently acknowleges significant historical and cultural figures. Hello? Regardless of your particular religious beliefs, it would be hard to argue that there has been anyone more historically OR culturally significant than Jesus Christ. Cesar Chavez most definitely does not fit that bill.
I also don't buy the explanation that Google does not regularly produce a doodle for Easter or other religious holidays. That may be true, but obviously they don't create a doodle for Chavez's birthday every year either. They could have done it last year when it was his 85th birthday (a little more significant than 86), or waited for his 87th, 90th or 100th birthdays.
Do I think Google has an anti-Christian agenda? No, I don't want to believe that. But, Google, you need to own up to your mistake today. There's no excuse for it.
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