WAR: Public schools across America ban Christmas songs due to absurd complaints.
By Valeria Gutierrez, Staff Writer
It is almost the time of the year again when the turkey decorations come down and the reindeer decorations spring up. As the weather cools, lemonade is traded for hot chocolate and eggnog. Every other television channel starts showing
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reruns of Richie Rich, The Polar Express, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland and Charlie Brown. Adults can sense their approaching holiday bonuses while children anticipate the smell of pancakes in the morning after a good night’s sleep. The best time of the year is easily Christmas break, or, um… “winter” break. Pardon my religious vocabulary, I did not mean to upset anyone with the word Christmas. If it seems bizarre to you that someone would be offended by a holiday, then you are not the only one who thinks so.
The war between the separation of state and church started long before America was even officially a country. The only difference between now and then is people’s attitudes about the school systems. Schools in Georgia and New Jersey banned all Christmas carols. Schools in Oregon, Indiana, Texas and Kansas prohibited some holiday traditions such as Christmas trees, the word Christmas and even the colors red and green. Although some public schools reconsidered and lifted the bans, others refuse to change them. While it is reasonable for public schools to offer various types of moral views, the public schools who put a stop to Christmas because it is “unconstitutional” are a bit biased.
Main Street Academy in Georgia is a public charter school with grades K-8 that recently sent home a letter stating that their children will start rehearsing holiday songs for “winter” concerts, but “religious songs will not be included.” This means classical songs like “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” “Ave Maria” and “Away in a Manger” will no longer be traditionally sung off-key by third graders. Despite the school’s attempts to limit religious influences, during October the school celebrated Halloween. Since Halloween is so closely tied to demonic and frightening figures, some Christians are at a constant war with the pagan holiday.
Fighting about religion is not anything new in the history books, but it appears that humans cannot learn from their past. Since we are unable to change from former mistakes, we must learn to compromise with each other.
Even a five-year-old can explain the concept of fairness. If public schools wish to give children the chance to choose their own religious beliefs, the district should express each holiday equally or express no holidays at all year round. Do not buy the excuses that teaching about a specific religion at school is unconstitutional, because freedom of speech is stated in black ink in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Before you go sue your school, educate yourself about the truth.
Why don’t we think like politicians and sweep the problem under the rug? Before all of the lawsuits between schools and tenacious parents, the holiday season was loving and peaceful. All of the diversity in public schools did not, and still does not, forcibly shove ideas into everyone’s head. If one’s faith in religion is pure and strong, nothing will shake one’s moral beliefs. Therefore, celebrating a Christian or pagan holiday should make no difference for those whose hearts are in the right place. Someone who is moved by and “afraid” of traditional holidays holds the wrong religious beliefs, or simply do not understand the origin and importance of these other religions. Without understating, he or she will not be able to live in peace with others and their differences.
In spite of different beliefs, we are all humans. To stay in spiritual and mental peace, society must comprehend others’ beliefs, whether it likes their ideals or not; this can only be done by teaching tolerance at a young age since children have open minds and are hungry to learn. Let the traditional religions stay as they were decades ago. Our past generations grew up successfully through enduring Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza and Christmas. Regardless of a poll in 2011 showing 79 percent of American adults believe public schools should celebrate religious holidays, some public schools refuse to listen to the majority vote. So stop the Grinch from stealing Christmas once again. Do not be a Scrooge: let diversity thrive by opening your eyes and allowing the holiday spirit to light up a whole new world.