Sounds like this lady needs to read Suzanne Sommers Book!

well first i'm getting cremated and second i dont believe we have souls...but its what i believe

Whew...when reading this thread,I thought to myself,I'm so glad I never had to all this with my son(he's23).I didn't push my beliefs on school events.I let him get involved,and suported his choices.I am a christian,but let my son at an early age deside what works for him.And yes he chose to be a learning christian,and has an open mind to what others believe.But doesn't have to practice what others preach.

America is a predominately Christian country and as in all other aspects in this country majority rules. I am sure there are many adults in this country who are not Christians who participated as children in Christmas pagents and shows growing up and still kept their beliefs. The songs mentioned the coming of Christ are also part of our Christmas traditions.

If we limit these programs to all songs that are not religious then are we not changing the traditions?

Do we next eliminate Valentines Day and St Patrick's Day? Do we take away all celebrations of holidays at schools because someone might not fit in? The school did not exclude these children. The parents made the choice not to have the children participate.

If I raised my children in a Muslim country, would it be fair of me to tell the school that they could not hold a traditional program because my beliefs were different?

If we continue to worry about being politically correct we are going to take the fun and joy of childhood out of our children's lives. Instead of teaching our children to be tolerant of all people's beliefs we are teaching them that if it is not what you believe then you should not accept it. Not a good idea but that's JMO

yeahhhhh but its been that way for hundreds of years

Santa Claus didnt actually appear till the turn of the century in America but he's become such a tradition


but for the Christian kids Christmas is a magical time with the stories of the baby jesus in the manger and the wise men and the star and angels and all that. It would be a shame to take that away from them

but I agree that kids shouldn't be forced to that don't practice that

any more than Christain kids should be forced to observe Ramadan

That's one very well written explaination from a very Smart Lady. Case Closed!!!

NO that is NOT O K!!!! Participation is giving your approval, racism in ANY for is dead WRONG!!!!!!

This I definatly agree with!!

I can respect your opinions and beliefs. But Christianity isn't what started this country. It was the search for freedom of religion.
When you say that the school didn't exclude the children, the parents chose to not have them participate, you are totally missing the point.
Why should parents have to let their kids particiate in a program that goes entirely against their beliefs? Their religion? Why? In a public school this shouldn't be allowed.
It's OK for you because it was Christian based. However, I have a suspicion that if it was a Pagan based program, or songs praising Allah, you wouldn't be so ready to let your kids sing along.
These kids had no choice but to be excluded.
If this country is going to be considered a "melting pot" and accept religions and cultures from all over the world, why is it OK to do this in a public school?
Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween, are all of Pagan origin. Yet, we only sing about Christmas and Christ being born? That makes no sense to me.
I am 100% for teaching tolerance for all races and religions. Which is why this whole program bothers me so much. It's not being tolerant of those that are different. It creates an enviornment that excludes all those that are different. That's not tolerance, that's bullying your beliefs onto others because you're the "majority". But Chritianity only became the majority from bullying others into giving up their beliefs and converting. JMO tho...

Why are the only acceptable songs that promote peace & joy Christian based?

They are not the only ones. In a christmas program though they probably are the ones that suit the theme.

msharmony... do you ever sleep?

lol,.,,usually not before midnight, it is only 1045 pm here in vegas.

aahhh it's goin on 1am here lol

daggon time zones,,,Id be sleeping if I were there,,,lol

for what it is worth...I don't think it should be mandatory. It should be up to the parents/students to decide if they want to participate

I agree to a point... I don't think it should affect their grade if they don't participate for sure. That's just wrong.
But I just feel religion as a whole doesn't belong in public schools if it's dictated by the staff.
If kids wanna get together and pray over their meal, or before a game, or whatever, I have NO issue with that. If they want to set up clubs or programs for after school, that's just fine with me. I have no issue what so ever that people want to worship or praise their God. You just can't make it a requirement for all the kids in a class at a public school. That's my problem.

Since everyone is ante-ing their 2 pennies into the pot, I will do so too. This is a public school, not a Christian school, right? Therefore religion of any kind should not be promoted in this school.

Now Christmas in and of itself is not Christian despite the name. Yes, Christians celebrate it, but not the way it was intended. Christ was NOT born on Dec 25th, it was more like January through April, by some historians. The holiday is celebrated because it was adopted by Roman pagans to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Jesus and the gang had no conifer in the house with gifts under it. The whole Santa, Frosty, and the reindeer were more Euro-pagan rituals tacked on to the Roman pagan solstice rituals. Add Xmas music, shopping, and Black Friday sales and we have nice little artificial Christmas.

Now as far as the school, they are free to sing non religious Christmas songs such as Jingle Bells or Frosty or any of those, but nothing with Angels, God, or Christ. If they do, the school is crossing the line of church and state, DESPITE what some Christians may think. If they cross this line, NO student should be compelled to attend this concert if it conflicts with theirs or their family's personal beliefs.

I fully agree that it should be all or nothing. But at the VERY least....it shouldn't be mandatory or effect the grade