York Preparatory Academy in Rock Hill, S.C. sounds like a private school – but it isn’t. It’s a public charter school. One trying to sound exclusive.
Which is why its leaders recently told students they were forbidden from performing an instrumental version of the Christmas hymn “Joy to the World” (because doing so would expose the “Academy” to lawsuits).
According to Fox News’ Todd Starnes, leaders issued this ban on “Joy” after being warned that groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) “would be monitoring holiday concerts in South Carolina schools for possible constitutional violations.”
Seriously ACLU? There’s not a friggin’ massive domestic spying scandal or anything else your group could be focusing on right now?
Anyway, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom – a group which provides “a strong, coordinated legal defense against growing attacks on religious freedom” – the exclusion of religious-themed Christmas music represents an “impermissible hostility toward religion.”
As long as songs from other religions are incorporated in holiday performances, the playing of Christian hymns at government schools is perfectly legal.
That may be the case, but this strikes us as yet another reason why government intervention in the education marketplace is so ridiculous (and why parents should be free to spend their tax dollars as they see fit – not as the government dictates).
Every school ought to be free to mark the holidays as it sees fit … with parents incorporating their approval/ disapproval of such observances into their rationale for making a marketplace decision about their child’s education.
That’s the way the system ought to work, anyway …
UPDATE: According to a news release from the Alliance Defending Freedom, York Preparatory School has lifted its ban on “Joy to the World.”
41 comments
Sad. I am far from being one of those people who constantly bemoans the “loss” of prayer in schools, but as someone who is at best a “cultural Christian”, it is sad to see the absence of decorations of this festive time of year, as well as the politically correct removal of all references to the season and its reason. “Winter Holiday”, my big old hairy ass.
Even stores and malls, which have used the holiday as a prop for commercialism for decades, no longer give even a nodding acknowledgement of the reason the holiday is based on. FWIW, I would be totally cool with inclusion and acknowledgement of Hanukka, too. How long before even the secular Santas, lights, and other decorations are sacrificed to political correctness and spreading Islam?
Preaching to the Choir – stay the course
CIC,
TBG is a “pro-Christian agnostic” who agrees with you 100% on this.
Thank You, TBG, and OWB! If you were to slice me open and analyze the contents, you’d probably find more Pagan leanings than anything else.
That said, the atmosphere that used to mark the Christmas Season, could bring joy to the hearts of anyone, believer or not. The spirit of giving, acts of kindness and mercy, both small and large, shown by Christians, Jews, agnostics, atheists, and others, who got caught up in the spirit of the season are well known to many.
I am more frequently than not, turned off by churches, the “Christian right”, and the judgmentalism, and other things those factions seemingly take delight in inflicting on all, whether part of their flocks or not. Even so, there is an inarguable positive effect that this time of year has long had on all who allowed themselves to be swept up in the joy and happiness this time of year traditionally held. I really hate to see it fast fading away.
I personally feel greed is good. However, I think it unconscionable that the stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day. Of course it was inevitable once the convenience stores and gas stations and such opened on T Day. I have made a personal vow, and expressed it on Twitter, that I will not buy anything anywhere on “Black Friday” and I am extending this to T Day also.
Good for you!!!!
Many years ago I asked a Jewish friend of mine if he celebrated Christmas. He told me not like I did but it was a joyous occasion for him and his family as it was the most prosperous time of the year in their retail store. He also said he was glad Christmas was a Holiday because they needed a day of rest after dealing with last minute shoppers.
Of course, you don’t have to worry much about seeing the lovely holiday decorations from Islam (the “Religion of Peace”). They blow your ass up or cut your fucking head off for even drawing a cartoon of the Prophet, so I don’t think we’ll see a “Muhammad” ringing a bell (or maybe a little display of The Prophet with a few wives laid up in a department store window) at the Columbiana Mall anytime soon…
Aww man, you ruined it for me! ;-)
I had visualized beheaded corpse decorations, perhaps made from scavenged Halloween decorations or something.
How long before even the secular Santas, lights, and other decorations
are sacrificed to political correctness and spreading Islam?
You do realize that there is no Islamic holiday in December, right? Not that any Islamic holiday is celebrated by a vast majority of schools and state/local governments to begin with, right?
No offense, but every time someone brings up prayer or religious text readings in school, it is always, always Christianity. This is outside of the Ten Commandments being on courthouse grounds, nativity scenes on public school or public park grounds, and all of that stuff. There’s only one religion that governments have been trying to “spread.”
Hi Smirks. I believe the “Holy Month of Ramadan” kind of moves around a little bit from year to year, and has the potential to (albeit infrequently) occur in December, FWIW.
That said, there doesn’t need to be an Islamic holiday in December for factions of that ideology to be offended by celebration of anything that is secular or not Islamic (kind of like some factions of Christianity are likewise offended by celebrations of Halloween and the like). Some people, and their religious affiliations, just love being offended.
If you note in my original post, I am not one of those who constantly bemoans the “loss” of prayer in schools as a reason for societal breakdown.
When I was in school, we had secular decorations which always brighten up the place, whatever place that may be, and we also had Nativity scenes and traditional Christian seasonal music as well as the secular seasonal music. I found something to enjoy in all of them.
Even the Jewish kids I went to school with were fine with it and they enjoyed the cultural aspects of it. Again, I had no objection or offense to lessons or celebratory nods to Hanukkah and found it an enjoyable cultural celebration.
Now, in some places, stores and malls are afraid to have any Christian religious decorations because it might “offend Islam” or practitioners of that ideology. I recently saw a store ad which refered to the season as “the season of outrageous giving” or some such crap as that. I just find it sad that for the sake of political correctness, school can no longer call the Christmas Holidays what they are. They are now, “The Winter Break”.
Even though not a practicing Christian, I find wherever this is going to be just a bit depressing.
At some point in time when are “those in charge” going to realize that everything one does is potentially objectionable to some one else
If the TIC’s running the school wanted to be a role model for their students they should have told the ACLU to go fuck its self instead of sucking on their pecker
Couple of days ago stopped to drop a few coins in the Salvation Army Red Bucket. I commented to the senior citizen that his bell had no ring
He responded that they took his ding dong out because someone complained that its sound violated local noise ordinance – sons of bitches are running the Country into the ground
The fake war on Christmas is back.
Alert Bill O’Reilly and Sarah Palin!
But you forget, Willie wants the public teat to be used by private schools.
No, I believe, like many of us, that he would like to see people who send their children to private schools (and who therefore are not contributing to the financial drain on the resources of those public schools) get a fair shake on their taxes for the burden they are shouldering out of their own pockets, rather than out of everyone’s taxes.
Wrong, they want way more in tax breaks than they are contributing to public schools The average South Carolinian contributes less than $1200 a year to support public schools. Yet the voucher crowd wants way more than that in tax credits.
That means public school parents and people without children in school are being forced to subsidize private schools that would not even take their children. That is simply wrong. They are taking way more from public school children than they are paying in.
If you want to send your kid to private school, get a job or get a second job, or give up that beach vacation or the BMW. But don’t ask others to help you pay for your choice of private schools. Private means private.
Could you not conversely say that if you want to send your kids to public school, get a job or second job, make sacrifices, or whatever, for the good of the public schools rather than expect those who send their kids to private school to pay for your kids’ education?
No, because that would be private school. I believe in public education and I believe everyone has an obligation to pay a fair share of public education. I believe public education is a core government function, is necessary for democracy to survive, and for society to prosper. I believe we all benefit from public education just like we all benefit from roads.
…give up that beach vacation or the BMW.
Class envy, much?
Not at all. People are free to go on as many vacations as they want, buy whatever car they want, and be a stay at home mom if they want. But don’t do so and then tell me you need my help to pay for your kids’ private school.
I’m not poor, so I do not have to envy anyone. Many people are poor and still do not envy. I just have the ability to openly express my contempt for people where one of the parents does not work, who have country club memberships, beach houses, go on vacations every year, and drive expensive cars, but still want me to help them pay for their children to be in private school. I say give up those things and pay for it yourself.
I do not object to public schools, because I strongly believe in public education. I strongly object to being asked to help others pay for schools that everyone is not welcome to attend.
Not in England where “public schools” are actually private…
I am not in England.
ACLU – American Civil Liberties Union, an organization usually interested in neither liberty nor civil behavior. For that matter they seldom seem to be interested in what being American is really about.
I have noticed that Mr. 0bama has done a number of things that a good many people consider “unconstitutional” and yet the ACLU has not filed, nor even talked about filing, any kind of lawsuit or legal brief about those actions. They claim to have the intent of the Constitution at heart but let the current rape of that profound document go unchallenged.
They do have the Constitution at heart but it’s a progressive heart.
True dat – while they occasionally do fall on the “right” side of an issue, they generally after about grabbing headlines by supporting kooks, whiners and divisive issues.
Actually, the ACLU has been in the process of going after the NSA for quite some time. They aren’t a single-issue group, they take on a shitload of cases across each year.
Wouldn’t your usual position default to “performing instrumentals is not a core function of government” or “public schools should not be competing with private instrumental performances” or something anyways? Which actually brings up an interesting point: Why can’t these kids just sing their hymns at a private institution, one that openly accepts the Christian religion? You know, like a church?
When does the school get to celebrate other religious holidays, or religions in general? When does government in general celebrate other religious holidays? You know, other than the token Menorah that is put up somewhere, usually far, far away from the gigantic Christmas tree most state capitols spend huge gobs of money putting up every year?
It isn’t about expression, it is about government preference to one religion. That’s why some people who supported the “I Believe” Christian license plates would not support plates for other religions. That’s why that one legislator in Louisiana changed her mind about supporting taxpayer dollars going to private schools when she learned that yes, they could even go to Islamic schools. It is never about a child wanting to express themselves at a school-sanctioned event, it is making sure that a Christian child is allowed to express themselves at a school-sanctioned event, which the event itself is only held because of a Christian holiday, as the school hardly even recognizes other holidays.
TL;DR: The War on Christmas bullshit is kicking up before most people have even put up their fricking trees. Wonderful.
Merry Christmas to you too Smirks.
Isn’t Christmas a Federal and State holiday?
I wonder for how much longer…
When does the school get to celebrate other religious holidays, or religions in general? When does government in general celebrate other religious holidays? You know, other than the token Menorah that is put up somewhere, usually far, far away from the gigantic Christmas tree most state capitols spend huge gobs of money putting up every year?
The vast majority of Americans self-identify as Christian.
Deal with it.
This coming from an agnostic.
TBG is in favor of a healthy divide between Church and State, and agrees with you on the ulterior motivations of many on the right…….however quashing schoolkids performing “Joy to the World” seems a bit much.
Should “In God We Trust” be printed on our money? Probably not. But in the hierarchy..it seems way, way down on the list of things that need to be changed.
You haven’t been in Wal-Mart lately I assume – their trees have been up for weeks according to the spousal unit.
I was in a mall in downtown Kuwait city last week – Christmas music playing and Christmas Trees up in the local department store…
Well we know how much research went into this attack piece. I.E. I heard it on the Fake News Network, and I can use it to disparage public school children, so no need to investigate.
York Preparatory Academy is a Charter School. You have to apply to go there, and parents are not obligated to send their kids there, if they don’t like the band director’s choice in music. This is real school choice.
Of course we do not even know if this story is even accurate, given the credibility of the source. I like the “after being warned by groups like the ACLU” line. What groups are those? Clearly this was not the ACLU, as that would not be a group “like the ACLU.” Further, since the “group” was not identified, how do we know they are like the ACLU. Of course that does not prevent the Fake News Network and FITS News from implying it was the ACLU. Or the far right from taking the bait hook line and sinker. I love to watch the Fake News industry manipulate the right. Its so easy.
So the Fake News Network scoured the nation for evidence of their extremist war on Christmas, and this is what they come up with. A local school chooses not to play one Christmas carol because some unidentified group told them they might be sued.
As far as freedom of religion is concerned, I assure you that if a local public school band director chose to play Islamic religious music at Christmas. He would be looking for a new job the next school year.
Finally, I assure you the local public schools are celebrating Christmas. The local high school bands are having concerts, and they are playing Christmas music, and the schools are all shutting down for two weeks to celebrate Christmas.
Merry Christmas Tom.
Merry Christmas to you. I will be celebrating with my family, without fear of discrimination . I will be in church on Christmas Eve, and will attend the local Christmasville Festival put on by the City of Rock Hill, which begins with a Christmas Parade.
Good for you Tom.
Let’s see, there are these buildings where people can do just about any Christian thing they want. Damn, what are they called? Oh yeah, churches.
I know right. We should pass laws changing the Christian faith to only be practiced in a government-designated building.
To All My Liberal/Progressive Friends:
Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes
for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress,
non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice
holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious
persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with
respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of
others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions
at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and
medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally
accepted calendar year 2013, but not without due respect for the
calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society
have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily
greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western
Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed,
color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee.
To My Libertarian/Conservative Friends:
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Just remembered there are people that object to the Julian calendar, ha!! Good one. I’m too lazy for all the other stuff so forgive me, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I’m HAPPY!!!!!