Because He’s Making a List and Checking It Twice Gonna Find Out Who’s Hating the Christ
Well, because everything is so dandy in Texas, our dutiful State Lege just passed House Bill 308 which —
… allows public school teachers to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” and display Christmas trees, nativity scenes or menorahs. Winter displays must represent more than one religion or include secular symbols.
But while the legislation specifies that schools may not constitutionally favor one religion over another, the bill is named for only one religion — Christmas.
The War on Christmas is over in Texas. The loser is an inclusive and loving Jesus Christ.
Let the bullying of non-Christian children commence. It’s state sanctioned now.
Thanks to Carol for the heads up.
As an elementary school music teacher, I frequently dealt with this issue in preparing for concerts. There was pressure from all points on the religious spectrum on what was permissible and what was not. I focused on cultural celebrations, staying away from religious doctrine.
This bill portends to allow a similar result, but actually permits the use of one religious and one secular display/concert etc.. So they could do Christmas AND Santa Claus and still be complying with it. There’s your
1War on Everybody Else.
When I was a home room mom many years ago, we worked very hard to make parties as inclusive as possible. Winter break parties were snowmen cookies, we even tried to avoid the red and green combo. Some times this was a total pain in my backside, but the day of the party I was always glad for our extra efforts.
I lived in Sugar Land at the time and the elementary school comprised a very diverse ethnicity.
When we moved to Needville, VERY different story. There was no diversity and the parties were very religion oriented. The kids sang Christmas carols at school. The people who did not want their kids to particpate were told to come pick them up at party time. Oddly this did not seem to anger anyone.
2I demand equal protection and that all schools be required to serve fried food (such as latkes) during Hanukkah.
3What the heck? Even when I taught in a parochial school, no one was around for the year end vacation anyway so all I did was let the kids make paper chains in holiday colors and string them up. We also made paper flowers with seasonal colors. The kids were not interested in exchanging gifts which was fine inasmuch as the majority of them couldn’t afford to and would be lucky if they even got underwear as a present from Santa. No one bothered me or my students about all of this since I always made it clear that school was for book learning, not biases. Two nasty blasts of the fog horn for the state leg!
4This is going to lead to nothing good. These poor kids are merely pawns of the Christian right-wing who are attempting to inject the mandatory teaching of their Bible, and prayer, into the public school system. What will occur the first time a non-Christian student doesn’t want to participate in Christmas festivities and is called a ‘Christ killer’ by another student? In Texas, I’m guessing nothing, since this will be called the free expression of religion. Meanwhile, these morons, disciples of Louie Gohmert, are fearful of Sharia Law being implemented in this country?
5“Christmas symbols” always makes me snort, because the only one that IS Christian is the manger scene, with angels. Everything else they think is Christian– trees, wreaths, candles, big dinner, gifts, and so forth– are winter solstice or Pagan symbols. (I also want them to tell me what eggs, bunnies, and chicks have to do with the crucifixion….)
6I think it’s mean to make Jesus unhappy on his birfday. But I think that’s the best word, with all it’s possible definitions, to describe Rethuglicans. They are MEAN!! ):/
725 years ago, my Kindergarten cousin, a Jew in Austin, asked her teacher about the creche in the classroom…and the teacher explained that it was a Winter decoration with NO religious meaning whatsoever. Glad to know TX has this straightened out now.
8I just can’t wait to see Dan Patrick and the other bible thumping Tea Party people celebrate a Muslim Celebration.
9Patrick walked out on the first Muslim prayer offered in the Texas Senate. This whole tolerance thing is just a one way street for the GO{P.
http://www.texaskaos.net/showDiary.do?diaryId=3031
10Rhea, in various mythologies you find savior figures being hung on trees. The early church didn’t just borrow heavily from early religious practices, they stole egregiously.
11When I was in grade school many many moons ago. At christmas time all the classrooms were decorated and we had a little christmas party in each room. But we also had jewish students in almost every classroom. Their mothers would also set aside a day and the would bring electric skillets to the room to cook their traditional dishes for us and the Jewish students would show us the prayers they performed for Hannekuh. No one disrespected them we enjoyed learning
12first hand about other cultures. Now that we have more diversity in our schools it would be a great opportunity for the students to learn how that time of year is celebrated by different cultures all over the world.
christmas, bah, humbug. When I was a kid, I loved getting the presents. When I was a young adult, I enjoyed giving parties and making party foods, and decorating a tree. When I was middle-aged, I enjoyed baking and then taking two or three really big boxes of cookies and cakes to my job and putting them out in the coffee room, and that was my gift for the holidays. Nowadays, as a crone, I say Happy Holidays, and go to the stores to get the christmas cookies and candy and buy food-based gifts for myself – I love all the little gadgets. But I don’t put up a tree. I am a pagan of the Celtic tradition, and I don’t do christmas or easter. I celebrate the pagan quarter and cross-quarter days, usually just by being thoughtful, and celebrating nature. And I back away from any religious conflicts over any holidays because they are really a waste of everyone’s time, and the best time to see who all is more interested in arguing about it than in celebrating it in their own ways.
13Many years ago, I mentioned we were going that night to get a Christmas tree to my friend, while we were having lunch. My dear friend, who was Jewish, asked if they could come over and help decorate it. “I’ve Always wanted to do that,” she said.
14That evening when they appeared at our front door, she had two small Beautiful angels in her hand.
“I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to buy a gift for the tree,” she said “but I couldn’t resist these angels.”
That started a long cultural tradition in our families. We joined each other and families at the other’s holiday celebrations, even attending religious services together.
Superficial questions were answered about ‘why’- but more importantly, it instilled deep respect, and true understanding about each faith.
We continued for several years until we both were transferred out of state.
A life-changing tradition, sadly missed–especially when I hang her angels on my tree every year.
Growing up, some of my Jewish friends had Chanukah bushes (AKA Christmas Tree), but at my house we stuck to traditional Chanukah decorations. In college, my dorm threw a big Christmas party. The whole dining hall was decorated including an 18′ tree. Every year, the kids who focused on decorating the tree more than the rest of the room were the Jewish ones.
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