Bill O’Reilly blames abortion, gay rights for 'War on Christmas'

Bill O’Reilly agreed with a Fox News guest Thursday night that it's not just "grouchy misanthropic heathen atheists" who hate Christmas, but those who promote gay rights and a woman's right to choose.

In a segment promoting a book called "The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph Over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage," Bill O’Reilly decided to settle once and for all the debate on whether a "War on Christmas" really exists. To help set the record straight, O’Reilly invited Imus in the Morning producer Bernard McGuirk on his show. McGuirk, of course, is best known for kicking off Imus' infamous war against the Rutgers Women's basketball team in 2007 when Imus referred to them as "nappy-headed hos." MCGUIRK: The war on Christmas is very, very real, and if you ask me, in addition to some grouchy misanthropic heathen atheists it has to do — at the root of it — it has to do with two things — abortion and the gay rights agenda, because Christianity is against those things. It’s subtle but that’s why it’s so pronounced in recent years, in my opinion.

O’REILLY: Hundred percent agree. I absolutely agree 100 percent that it’s the diminishment of Christianity is the target and Christmas is the vehicle because the secularists know the opposition to their agenda — legalized drugs is in there as well — comes primarily from the Judeo-Christian traditionalist people. Reaction to the segment was swift with the folks over at Think Progress saying if anything, "it’s Fox News who’s waging a war on the millions of Christians who don’t agree with the network’s conservative positions." Others, fired back with humor of their own. "Bill O'Reilly is right!" wrote ThinkProgress user Dan Oh. "If you look at the song, Deck the Halls, the words, don we now our gay apparel appear...I don't know why anyone hasn't caught our agenda's sinister plot to infiltrate Christmas and turn it gay."