Posted on 12/24/2010 5:44:58 AM PST by Kaslin
The metaphor "the War on Christmas" can be mocked -- as if Santa and his reindeer are dodging anti-aircraft fire. But many of our public schools have church-and-state sensitivity police with an alarming degree of Santaphobia. Anyone who's attended a school's "winter concert" in December with no traditional Christmas music -- not even "Frosty the Snowman" -- knows the drill. The vast Christian majority (that funds the public schools) is told that school is no place to celebrate one's religion, even in its most watered-down and secularized forms.
There are real-life stories of Scrooge-like school administrators, like the one at the appropriately named Battlefield High School in Haymarket, Va. A group of 10 boys calling themselves the Christmas Sweater Club were given detention and at least two hours of cleaning for tossing free 2-inch candy canes at students as they entered before classes started. They were "creating a disturbance." One of their mothers, Kathleen Flannery, told WUSA-TV that an administrator called her and explained, "(N)ot everyone wants Christmas cheer, that suicide rates are up over Christmas, and that they should keep their cheer to themselves, perhaps."
Of course, that level of sensitivity is not applied when it comes to slamming Christianity during the Christmas season. On Dec. 16, The Washington Post paid tribute to another suburban school in northern Virginia, McLean High School, for warming hearts during the season with "The Laramie Project." This play is a political assault, using transcripts of real-life interviews by gay activists out to blame America's religious people for the beating death of homosexual college student Matthew Shepard in 1998.
The Post championed how in the play, "there is a Baptist minister who says he hopes Shepard was thinking of his lifestyle as he was tied to the fence ... There is a young woman who grew up in the Muslim faith in Laramie and thinks the town and nation need to accept what the case has laid bare. 'We are like this,' she says."
This account actually underplayed what the character "lays bare" -- a guilt trip. In the script, she says "there are people trying to distance themselves from this crime. And we need to own this crime. Everyone needs to own it. We are like this. We ARE like this. WE are LIKE this." (Emphasis by the playwright, Moises Kaufman.)
That attack keeps coming. A Catholic priest insists the killers "must be our teachers. What did we as a society do to teach you that?" A character also reads an e-mail from a college student: "You and the straight people of Laramie and Wyoming are guilty of the beating of Matthew Shepard just as the Germans who looked the other way are guilty of the deaths of the Jews, the gypsies, and the homosexuals. You have taught your straight children to hate their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters -- until and unless you acknowledge that Matt Shepard's beating is not just a random occurrence, not just the work of a couple of random crazies, you have Matthew's blood on your hands."
This is vicious anti-Christian propaganda, plain and simple. Any teaching that homosexuality is a sin is an invitation to murder? These mudslinging culture warriors are celebrated as compassionate by administrators, while just down the road, the Christmas Sweater Club is given detention for spreading Christmas cheer.
The McLean High students putting on this play are candid. They are trying to walk people away from the Bible. "I hope that this changes some people's perspectives on gay rights and maybe opens their minds a little bit," proclaimed Lauren Stewart, 17, the student-director. "I think the way to progress on issues is to talk about them."
Another student added, "If one person comes into the theater and is on the fence about ... any discrimination and leaves questioning their beliefs, I think we've done this play justice."
Making people "have conversations" is presented as glorious. But it wouldn't be a constructive conversation if students were trying to convert people to Christianity -- only when you try to convert people away from it.
A little research shows plenty of "socially conscious" public high schools have staged this propaganda bombing, aiming to crush biblical "discrimination." But it takes a really special school administrator to let it be scheduled in the last two weeks before Christmas. It's amazing that at Battlefield High School, the accusation was that Christmas cheer invited suicides, but plays about murderous "hate crimes" that America has collectively committed by our "fear and ignorance of the Other" somehow should make our spirits bright.
Paying property taxes to fund this crap is a violation of my first amendment rights. If schools want to treat families this way, then families should have an opt out provision.
I am afraid that I have to agree.
At my daughter’s “Winter Concert” there were few traditional Christmas Carols, certainly none that glorify the birth of Christ.
But I could not happen to feel a bit cynical when the chorus broke into song with “California Dreamin”
We aren’t allowed to sing of Christ, but a song written by a drug addict and incestuous pedophile is okeedokee.
Nevertheless, a very Merry Christmas to everyone!
Now there's a really thoughtful young person
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you!
It is reading stuff like this, now I KNOW WHY there is a GROWING BACKLASH against the war against Christmas, in the form of “flash choir mobs” and wearing buttons saying “it is okay to say Merry Christmas to me.”
You have got to be joking. What does Christmas have to do the song California Dreaming?
Yet at malls around the country, been hearing flash choir mobs singing “Handels Messiah”, a very good sign that people are taking Christmas back.
Our sons were in chorus at a public high school and the choral instructor said she slipped in a lot of Christian music throughout the year in Latin. Our younger son starting at age 8 was in a publicly funded children’s choir. At the beginning of the year, the instructor called a parents meeting and said that all the music that year would be religious because they were going to be participating at the end of the year in a huge gathering of children’s choruses from all over the midwest in Newton KS, big Mennonite area. No one objected. The music and the event were glorious. Almost a generation later and the trend continues. Sad that our children are being denied their heritage.
I thought it was revealed several years ago that the Matthew Shepard killing was not “gay bashing,” but a botched robbery attempt that turned into murder?
The concert had a theme of ‘dreams’
Oh, and I live in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts - should pretty much explain everything.
Its OK though, we don’t sing schools songs in Church, either, and there’ll be plenty of music at the service tonight. ;)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, parents and students who are upset by this should walk away from schools that diminish their faith and tell the administration why they are doing so.
Who would willingly send their kids to a school that mocks their children’s beliefs? You have to be crazy to do that.
The only thing liberal school administrators who foist this garbage on their students understand is $$$$.
Do you think Muslims would put up with this?
Kaslin, take confort, people are taking Christmas back. Noticed the flash choir mobs at malls singing Chritmas music as well as “Handel’s Messiah” and the wearing of those you can say Merry Christmas to me and put Christ back into Christmas.
I read these kind of stories every Christmas and feel so sad for y’all. I’m truly blessed where we live-our public school Christmas program featured secular AND holy carols. The big finish was an a capella by the entire elementary of “Silent Night”, the audience was asked to join in...we all did. It was beautiful.
And
not
one
person
complained!
Our elementary school knows it’s community and doesn’t kowtow to PC much (and we’re small enough to get away with it!). Thank God!
Sorry to say, that's just false.
Anybody who believes in a "vast Christian majority" cannot possibly comprehend events.
John 16:1-12 will explain it.
Should Christian parents be sending their children to schools where Jesus is forbidden? Should Christians be paying to support schools where Humanism is the only religion allowed...except for Islam, which demands prayer areas for their children and gets them?
“Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Then again, maybe not
Did this choral director think she was being oh so clever? So?...What lesson did this Christian choral director teach?
Answer: Christians are sneaky and too timid to proclaim the faith in plain and easily understood English.
It is time for Christian teachers to re-evaluate what they are **really** teaching the students by being a faculty member of a government school whose worldview is utterly godless.
We can wring our hands or we can do something about it! And if enough people did it, it would make a difference.
Tell your child, sorry honey but you will not be participating in the Wintertime chorus because this is Christmas time not just Wintertime. And then explain to them. Teach them to stand up for their rights and what their rights are! It is NEVER too young to start teaching your kids what you believe is morally right and wrong! Even if it means you don’t participate! Imagine the Celebration if all those who thought it wrong did not show up!
You can also make sure you TEACH your kids to challenge these teachers and stand up for themselves and their beliefs!
I hope that this changes some people’s perspectives on gay rights and maybe opens their minds a little bit,” proclaimed Lauren Stewart, 17,
“Gay Rights” Nonsense. You have the rights afforded All citizens under the Constitution. What you get beyond that is a special right that you really are not entitlted to.
You embrace a perversion and then demand that people not only accept it but issue you special rights because of your choice? To that I say horse shit.....
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