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Stop playing 'Hallelujah Chorus' atheists tell school
Townhall.com ^ | September 13 | Todd Starnes

Posted on 09/13/2017 10:49:49 AM PDT by Kaslin

A gaggle of disgruntled atheists are doing a whole lot of hollering about the Hallelujah Chorus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s local chapter is angry after a teacher at Linden Elementary School played a portion of the “Hallelujah Chorus” during morning announcements.

“While this music may be beautiful and even inspirational for Christians, it is not acceptable for broadcasting to the entire student body at Linden Elementary,” Aleta Ledendecker wrote in a letter to the school district that was obtained by the Oak Ridger.

The aggrieved atheist group said they were acting on behalf of two parents who had children enrolled in the school.

“In consideration of all the possible choices of music, this piece with its distinctly religious content can be interpreted as proselytizing,” Ledendecker wrote.

For the record, there have not been any reports of children spontaneously converting to the Christian faith as a result of George Handel’s beautiful song.

“This is the litmus test I use: if I were a Christian parent walking in the school, and I heard over the PA system during morning announcements music with the words ‘Praise Allah. Allah is king on high. Bow down to Allah,’ how would I feel as a Christian parent with that being broadcast to all the children in the schools,” Ledendecker told the Oak Ridger.

The school district told the Todd Starnes Show that a teacher had a good reason for playing a 20 second excerpt from Handel’s Messiah.

“The passage was selected to correspond with the school’s overall music curriculum that, for that particular week, featured the musical works of George Handel,” the school spokesperson told me.

Long story, short – Handel is not going anywhere.

“The school system strongly disagreed with her position and, through our school board’s attorney, we responded promptly to the writer suggesting that she was in error,” the spokesperson told me.

“The criticisms articulated by Ms. Ledendecker appear to have been based upon insufficient information taken entirely out of context, incorrect assumptions about the school’s music curriculum and a fundamental misunderstanding of the First Amendment’s relationship with historically sacred classical music compositions being taught in a public school music curriculum,” the spokesperson added.

Yeah, that response is probably going to jingle the atheists’ bells.

It’s about time a school district stood up to those godless bullies and politely told them to blow it out their piccolo.

As George Handel would say, Hallelujah!


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: education; euducationandschools; leftismoncampus; music; religion; tennessee
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To: OftheOhio

She didn’t sing the “R” rated version.

.


21 posted on 09/13/2017 11:32:51 AM PDT by Mears
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To: Kaslin; Popman
"...told them to blow it out their piccolo."

Thanks for the great new tagline.

22 posted on 09/13/2017 11:36:54 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Blow it out your piccolo.)
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To: Kaslin

The name of their association is unconstitutional. The poor dears need a different hobby to gain the attention they so desperately crave.


23 posted on 09/13/2017 11:38:05 AM PDT by Darnright (If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. Anatole France)
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To: p. henry

“When I was in high school, my choir sang a truly beautiful version of Dixie.”

Our choir did, too. In the ‘60s.


24 posted on 09/13/2017 11:45:33 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: right way right

Dykes.


25 posted on 09/13/2017 11:47:16 AM PDT by brianr10
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To: Kaslin
"aggrieved atheist"

Sometimes it seems like that's a redundant phrase...
26 posted on 09/13/2017 11:47:32 AM PDT by chrisser
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To: Mears

He seems to have written several versions, and many verses that were never recorded/published.


27 posted on 09/13/2017 11:48:36 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630

That little girl melted my heart and look at that choir, lol. I bet they were a handful to keep under control.


28 posted on 09/13/2017 11:50:11 AM PDT by OftheOhio (never could dance but always could kata - Romeo company)
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To: OftheOhio

I enjoyed it very much.


29 posted on 09/13/2017 11:50:59 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Responsibility2nd

“I have always thought ‘Dixie’ one of the best tunes I have ever heard.” —Abraham Lincoln


30 posted on 09/13/2017 11:52:01 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: Jim 0216
Entities need to start suing these Atheist groups.
31 posted on 09/13/2017 11:53:24 AM PDT by Chgogal (Sessions recused himself for shaking an Ambassador's hand. Shameful!)
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To: CaptainAmiigaf

Atheists bereft of the presence of God in their lives, must constantly seek out some other reasons for living.


32 posted on 09/13/2017 11:56:01 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: Popman

Well the school district did that


33 posted on 09/13/2017 11:56:09 AM PDT by Kaslin (Politicians are not born; they are excreted -Civilibus nati sunt; sunt excernitur. (Cicero))
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To: CaptainAmiigaf

They hate everyone?

If they have ever filed a complaint against muslims, I didn’t hear about it.


34 posted on 09/13/2017 11:59:15 AM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: Chgogal

Yes, there’s no constitutional freedom from being offended, while there is constitutional freedom from government interference of religious exercise.


35 posted on 09/13/2017 12:01:37 PM PDT by Jim W N
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To: Jim 0216

It probably wouldn’t have been long before muslims wanted equal music time...


36 posted on 09/13/2017 12:09:28 PM PDT by ltc8k6
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To: Kaslin

This elementary school (Linden) is literally across the street from me right now. I’m looking at the playground as I type.

I think I’ll have to wander over to the office and thank them for standing up to these tyrants.


37 posted on 09/13/2017 12:13:16 PM PDT by Prince Caspian
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To: Kaslin

Mrs Eatapecker.


38 posted on 09/13/2017 12:22:21 PM PDT by Uncle Sam 911
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To: Kaslin

The atheists have never been able to Handel that one.


39 posted on 09/13/2017 12:30:34 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: onedoug

Remember this “Dixie” incident from 1993?

I love it.

Moseley-Braun, a Democrat from Illinois, told the story at the National Urban League annual dinner Wednesday night, about two weeks after another tangle with Helms in which she defeated his move to renew a patent on the Confederate flag insignia.

The incident happened Tuesday, she said. When Helms stepped into the elevator, “he saw me standing there, and he started to sing, ‘I wish I was in the land of cotton . . . ‘ And he looked at Sen. Hatch and said, ‘I’m going to make her cry. I’m going to sing ‘Dixie’ until she cries.’

However - it was all just fun.

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-08-06/news/mn-20952_1_carol-moseley-braun


40 posted on 09/13/2017 12:40:31 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
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