Teacher takes 'Christmas' out of carol

WorldNetDaily.Com ^ | Posted: December 6, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern | © 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

[Bobby777]

A parent of an elementary school student is upset with a teacher who replaced "Christmas" with "winter" in a carol to be performed during an upcoming concert.

Mark Denison, music teacher at Clover Creek Elementary in Tacoma, Wash., revised the lyrics of Dale Wood's "Carol from an Irish Cabin" to read: "The harsh wind blows down from the mountains, and blows a white winter to me," the Tacoma News Tribune reported.

Darla Dowell, the parent of a 7-year-old student, thinks the move is "absurd," especially since the children will sing a Hanukkah song referring to the "mighty miracle" of Israel's ancient days.

School officials will allow Denison to lead students in singing the song without "Christmas," although they acknowledge he might have pressed too hard in an attempt to not offend, the Tacoma paper said.

"In the past, there has been a lot of sensitivity to not giving preference to one religion over the other," Mark Wenzel, spokesman for the Bethel School District, told the News Tribune.

Mike Sandner, director of arts education for the district, says Bethel allows students to perform both sacred and secular songs during the holiday season.

As WorldNetDaily reported, a civil-liberties legal defense organization has launched a nationwide campaign to prevent blatant religious discrimination by bringing lawsuits against any governmental agency that eliminates public displays of religious songs or symbols.

Conversely, says the Florida-based Liberty Counsel, it will defend any governmental entity that abides by the Constitution and allows the equal expression of religious views.

"We are resolved to stop the Grinch from stealing Christmas," declared Mathew Staver, the group's president and general counsel.

Staver said public school students may sing Christian Christmas carols, such as "Silent Night, Holy Night" so long as they also sing secular songs, like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

At Clover Creek Elementary, officials said they did not want to make it more difficult for the children after they had practiced the song a certain way for a month, the News Tribune reported. On Tuesday, Denison allowed the second-graders to vote on which word to use, and they chose "winter" by a 23-18 margin.

But Dowell still is upset.

"I've never made a stink about anything in my life," she told the Tacoma daily. "But I feel very strongly about this."

The current issue of WND's acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine debunks the myth of church-state separation.

[Bobby777]

FReepmail me if you'd like to be on or off this ping list ...

[metalboy]

You know, I wonder if all this current anti-Christmas stuff always existed, but was just never publicized. I can`t believe that all of a sudden that today people are doing all this as if some sort of anti-Christmas virus has overtaken America. I remember when I was about 11 (about 40 years ago)my elementary teacher was having us make mini Christmas trees all week and this ones kid mother came in one day and took her kid out of the class because she was an atheist (or something)

[Cindy]

LINKS Of Interest:

WorldNetDaily.com: "OFFICIALS BOOT 'GOD' FROM PATRIOTIC SONG" (December 7, 2003)

WorldNetDaily.com: "TEACHER TAKES 'CHRISTMAS' OUT OF CAROL" (December 6, 2003)

AGAPE PRESS: "CHRISTIAN LAW FIRM WANTS TO STOP SECULARIST 'GRINCHES' FROM STEALING CHRISTMAS" by Allie Martin (December 5, 2003)

FOX NEWS.com: "MOM SUES SCHOOL TO ALLOW NATIVITY SCENE" by David Lee Miller (December 5, 2003)

TOWNHALL.com: "THE 'OFFENSIVENESS' OF CHRISTIANITY" -Column by David Limbaugh (December 5, 2003)

AGAPE PRESS: "PRO-FAITH FIRM SUES CITY FOR VIOLATING SENIORS' RELIGIOUS FREEDOM" by Allie Martin (December 4, 2003)

CNS NEWS.com: "EXPRESS YOUR FAITH THIS CHRISTMAS, GOVERNMENT MINISTER URGES" by Patrick Goodenough (December 3, 2003)

WorldNetDaily.com: "'CHOICE ON EARTH' RETURNS FOR ENCORE Planned Parenthood Says Criticism of Christmas Card Boosted Sales" (December 3, 2003)

NBC30.com - New Haven Hartford CONNECTICUT News: "MERIDEN LIBRARY BARS PAINTING OF JESUS" (December 3, 2003)

WorldNetDaily.com: "STUDENTS THREATENED BY CHRISTMAS? ACLU Warns of Lawsuit Unless Principal Censors Celebration" (November 21, 2003)

WorldNetDaily.com: "'NO CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS AT CHRISTMAS' Red Cross stores bar religious decor fearing it might be offensive" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Fearing they might offend someone, Red Cross stores in Britain have taken the Christian out of Christmas this year, banning any display of overtly religious decorations.") (November 18, 2003)

stepping back in time...CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA BECOMES BATTLEGROUND As holiday traditions draw national controversy, believers, pagans grapple over Jesus' inclusion" (December 14, 2002)

[SkyPilot]

"In the past, there has been a lot of sensitivity to not giving preference to one religion over the other,"

Bovine Scatology. This same teacher has Kwanza songs in the play.

[Bobby777]

don't know ... but with California schools having students "celebrate" Ramadan from a book that says not to take Jews nor Christians as friends ... well, I'd say it's a new world out there ...

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Wait until the full effect of the actions anti Christmas morons kick in. Very few businesses aren't effected by Christmas, directly or indirectly. I'm talking red ink. I think the tune will change against the antis when that starts showing up.

Just as an aside, one of the most devout Muslims I knew in Saudi Arabia was the guy who sold me my Christmas tree.

[Mo1]

As WorldNetDaily reported, a civil-liberties legal defense organization has launched a nationwide campaign to prevent blatant religious discrimination by bringing lawsuits against any governmental agency that eliminates public displays of religious songs or symbols.

Here is the heart of the problem

The ACLU as declare war on all Christan's and they are bound and determine to deny us our rights

[Looking4Truth]

...as if some sort of anti-Christmas virus has overtaken America.

Try hearing the word "Christmas" on any TV advertisements these days, it's all "Holiday Season" or some such PC crap.

[NYer]

At Clover Creek Elementary, officials said they did not want to make it more difficult for the children after they had practiced the song a certain way for a month, the News Tribune reported. On Tuesday, Denison allowed the second-graders to vote on which word to use, and they chose "winter" by a 23-18 margin.

Demand a recount! Look for hanging chads.

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[Bobby777]

absolutely true ... they just had some ACLU woman ranting about a local pastor playing Santa at one of the schools ... of course, you understand, she just wants "separation of church and state" ... hmmmpf ... wonder if she's that concerned about Islam ...

[radiohead]

I heard the mother talking about this on our local radio station. After she spoke, a number of people called in to say how they were forbidden from saying 'Merry Christmas' to their customers - in one case, even if the customer said it to them.

I'm not a Christian anymore, but good grief, it is Christmas isn't it? What event are people celebrating here??

I have wonderful memories of Christmas plays at (Catholic) school, Christmas music, etc. I, like most people, I expect, enjoy the season, even if we don't involve ourselves in the religious aspect. I'm sorry that kids today will have memories of a 'winter holiday.' (which all sounds vaguely pagan to me).

[Vesuvian]

and now all of a sudden it's a "Holiday Tree."

[ladylib]

"At Clover Creek Elementary, officials said they did not want to make it more difficult for the children after they had practiced the song a certain way for a month, the News Tribune reported. On Tuesday, Denison allowed the second-graders to vote on which word to use, and they chose "winter" by a 23-18 margin."

So, it's going to tax the kids' minds if they substitute Christmas for winter because they practiced the song for a month already?

If enough outraged parents let the school officials know that they are tired of Christianity being marginalized by public school offficials and they will remove their children from schools hostile to it, this would change overnight.

[kittymyrib]

I was watching the Food Channel the other night, with all their specials on cooking for Christmas...only Christmas was not mentioned once on any show I watched. What "holiday" is all this cooking for? I make it a point to answer all the "happy holidays" from sales clerks with "Merry Christmas". If this keeps up, I'll start saying "Happy Jesus Birthday." The Guest of Honor is being banished from His own birthday party!

[Spiff]

On Tuesday, Denison allowed the second-graders to vote on which word to use, and they chose "winter" by a 23-18 margin.

Unable to rationalize her own stupid decision, Denison hit upon the idea of having a bunch of 7-year-olds vote on it so that they would take the blame. Disgusting.

[searchandrecovery]

My 2 cents - take SANTA out of Christmas, put CHRIST back in there.

At the very least there should be two distinct "days" - one for a religious celebration, the other a secular gift-giving thing hosted by a fat guy in a red suit. Why these two events are held on the same day is beyond me (unless santa is actually satan (wait, wait, the spelling is so close, oh no.)).

[Spiff]

I don't normally take the family to our town's Christmas parade, but this year my two daughters were in it so we had to go. The last time we went (years ago) whatever "theme" the parade bore caused most of its participants to dress up like Dr. Doolittle and duct tape stuffed animals to their floats.

It was therefore surreal to see again, in this year's parade, everyone dressed up as Dr. Doolittle dragging stuffed animals around. What the....!?

Apart from the stupidity of choosing Dr. Doolittle, year after year, as the theme of a Christmas parade, why choose a theme at all. By default the theme is Christmas!

My 10-year-old son and I spent the parade trying to find any actual Chistmas content in it - as opposed to Santa Day stuff. In the 3-hour long parade, we counted 2 floats that had anything to do with Christ's birth and a hand ful of signs or other decorations that actually mentioned Christmas instead of the holidays or season. Of the 6 or 7 marching bands, only 1 was playing an actual Christmas carol. The rest played stuff about snowmen, Santa, bells on horse tails, or some other subject.

[muawiyah]

I'm offended. That teacher must be removed from the care and education of children.

[muawiyah]

The "two" events are NOT held on the same day although there are definitely some lazy people around who do it that way.

According to the most ancient customs (those of the Saami whose traditions may be more than 10,000 years old), the "Day of the Dead" occurs on the shortest day of the year (now celebrated on December 24).

It's a time to "give gifts" and "pass the bowl", although you really don't want to know what's in that bowl ~ in America, the Church of the First Born has taken to peyote rather than the traditional reindeer based ablutions because the counterpart to amanita muscaria is not "toxic" here as it is in the Old World).

The next day, usually understood to be "Christmas Day" has to do with religious practices imported from the Middle-East by the Norse. Unfortunately only lightly Christianized people have taken Saami symbols and traditional designs to create a new demi-god out of "the Little Red Man" whose "essence", not "being", is used during the "Day of the Dead".

Folks who adhere to the most ancient standards reject all the false religiosity and Santa Claus stuff now associated with December 25.

The absorption of dwarfs, "reindeer man (shamen), Saami hats, red-backgrounds with white dots, and a host of other symbols and characters into what is known as "The Christmas Season" is not terribly respectful of these hardy people.

Intriguingly, mind-numbed Liberals who think Santa Claus and Christmas trees to be strictly secular elements are probably in the forefront of those seeking to eliminate American Indian symbols from school mascots.

It's time to put Santa Claus' "image" back in the "Day of the Dead", along with the elves and reindeer, and quit mixing up the two religious traditions!

Christmas is for Christians and Christmas Eve is for the old beliefs.