School’s ban on Christmas carols sparks debate

[scott.voigt]

New Jersey district may be challenged in court
Updated: 10:25 a.m. ET Dec. 22, 2004

NEWARK, N.J. - As a Jewish boy growing up in Texas, Joel Schwartzberg performed many traditional Christmas songs in the elementary school choir.


Uncomfortable about singing evangelical versions of songs like “Silent Night,” Schwartzberg kept his lips sealed during those parts. He remembers being told by his teacher that he had to sing all the words if he wanted to participate.

Schwartzberg, whose young children are about to enter school, said those memories surfaced this month when the South Orange-Maplewood school district decided to ban instrumental Christmas carols at school-sponsored holiday concerts.

The move has brought considerable publicity to Maplewood, located about 10 miles west of Newark, and echoes a larger debate over what public religious displays or expressions are acceptable during the Christmas season.

There have been several other publicized disputes in New Jersey towns, including Egg Harbor Township. The school board there voted earlier this month to remove “Silent Night” from an elementary school holiday program after a parent complained, then voted to reinstate the song after the complaint was withdrawn. The program already included songs celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

There have been lawsuits involving a public holiday display in Cranston, R.I.; a school nativity scene and performance of Christmas carols in Bossier Parish, La.; and a school in Saginaw, Mich., that prohibited a student from passing out candy canes containing religious messages.

'Reasonable person' standard
Courts have used the “reasonable person” standard — essentially, whether a reasonable person would feel a religious display or expression constituted an endorsement of religion. Jared Leland, a lawyer for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., said that courts have frequently ruled that recognizing the religious tradition of a particular holiday does not meet that standard.

The Alliance Defense Fund, an Arizona-based organization that funds legal actions in cases involving religious expression, is considering challenging South Orange-Maplewood’s decision in court.


“When these school boards start censoring Christ out of the holidays, they’re on the wrong side of the Constitution,” said Gary McCaleb, the group’s senior counsel. “It’s a kind of Orwellian doublespeak, in my mind.”

Jessica Schneider, a 16-year-old who plays in the ensemble band at Columbia High in Maplewood, called the district’s Christmas carol ban “kind of silly.”

“Personally, I don’t know anyone who objected, and as a student who’s part of the school’s Jewish population, I would think I would have,” Schneider said. “To me, it’s just music and it’s giving the community something to be happy about it.”

State and federal laws hold that teaching about religious holidays and practices is acceptable in schools as long as the holidays are not celebrated. Holiday displays are allowed as long as they do not advance religion and are temporary in nature.

Schwartzberg said a line can be drawn.

“When students are compelled to engage in evangelical activities — even without intent or proselytizing — with the alternative being nothing except to sit out, I think that’s not appropriate.”

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by scott.voigt

“When students are compelled to engage in evangelical activities — even without intent or proselytizing — with the alternative being nothing except to sit out, I think that’s not appropriate.”

Compelling students to take part in activities like singing Christmas songs when they aren't Christians is not appropriate, I agree. Neither is compelling students to take Muslim names etc and devoting class time to listening to Muslims talk about their religion when the same isn't done for the Jews, the Christians, Buddhists etc.

They should be allowed to mouth the words, or stand silent for those parts, but they should not be allowed to stop it for the majority just because they don't like it. As for sitting it out, what else would he suggest?

[johnjpender]

I emailed Federated Dept. Stores...they own Bloomingdale's and Macy's to inform them as to why I didn't shop in their stores this Christmas season. They didn't use "Christmas" or any "Christmas" symbols in their ads. On their site, they explain that they didn't tell their sales people not to say "Merry Christmas" to customers as reported on Fox. Then they had some diversity message about all the different holidays of different faiths in Nov. and Dec. I cut and pasted their quote and said: don't play us. The holiday that has most people rushing in to buy presents is Christmas. And I questioned what the beliefs of the people were who made that decision...to make a buck off Christmas while not mentioning the holiday. I'm going to write to the Gap too. They don't mention the holiday at all and don't use the colors. It's a crock and it's high time the majority stands up for itself. All of my friends are really mad about the anti-christian bias in the schools too. Luckily, my town doesn't have that problem.

[Snowden]

I can never spell the name of the Russian who came over here for a while - but you may recognize him "Soltzinetzan." Purely phonetic because my youngest son just left the room at the wrong time - he can spell it. Anyway, this man warned us here in the US. He said until and unless we Christians here are persecuted for being Christians, we will never really give that faith the devotion and worship it must have.

Oh, no - he didn't say it that way, of course. He said persecution makes Christians, just as it does with most religions, I suppose. Why is Judaism so strong? Why, in East Europe, in China, in many Islamic nations, is Christianity so strong?

Think it can't happen here? My dears, it is happening; we are allowing it to happen. We are to blame for what will quite possibly cause our grandchildren or theirs to be burned at the stake, dismembered, and whatever else is seen as "appropriate," because we are allowing such as the ACLU to take our Constitution and twist the meaning(s) of it into oblivion - because it's just easier than making a stand.

For this reason, I do the little I can. I do speak up here, where religion is not the topic; I will not buy or send Christmas cards that say "Season's Greetings," or "Happy Holidays," or some other meaningless mid-winter saying.

Believe it or not; but leave it as Christmas, because that is what it is. There is a reason for that - and if you don't choose to follow it, fine; we don't bang you over the head and demand it. But let us have it as what it is to us.




The greatest miracle mankind has ever acknowledged. God coming to live among us as a man. Coming as a baby. Coming because He loves us.

G. K. Chesterton said it best, "Christianity is not a religion that has been tried and failed; it is a religion that has failed to be tried."

Now they want to take away even the rudiments of His birthday being accredited to what it is.

[johnjpender]

I just emailed the oh-so-kewl Gap and told them I wasn't shopping there either because they want the Christmas business but won't use Christmas colors or any Christmas words in their ads. I quoted their commercial: "How do you share it?" I said not with the Gap. (Of course, if these stores knew who they were talking to they'd be like - get lost. )

I mean, I don't expect them to put mangers up in the store. And I wouldn't expect anyone in school who isn't Christian to sing Christmas songs. But this is the other extreme. Look at the UK, flying the Union Jack isn't considered PC because it's comprised of the cross of St. Andrew, St. George and St. Patrick...hello it symbolizes the United Kingdom..