Posted on 12/19/2004 10:10:50 PM PST by Former Military Chick
A Republican in the blue state of New Jersey is bucking what some decry as a national trend to eradicate all traces of religion in public places.
Steve Lonegan, who is running for the Republican nomination for New Jersey governor, is defying a school-district edict that bans religious music from holiday-season celebrations this year.
Mr. Lonegan has asked local residents of all religions to join him at 5 p.m. tomorrow "to sing and listen to" songs such as George Frederick Handel's "Messiah" and "Silent Night," which have been banned from schools, even in instrumental form, by the South Orange/Maplewood School District.
Residents will sing and hear Christmas, Hanukkah and other music outside Columbia High School, where students and parents will assemble later that night for the school's official holiday concert.
"The school district's decision to prohibit even instrumental versions of classic Christmas tunes shows that those who claim to speak for tolerance are, in fact, the most intolerant," Mr. Lonegan said.
"It's time people lighten up and enjoy the Christmas and Hanukkah season, instead of denying the religious foundation of our nation and the holiday season," said Mr. Lonegan, who is mayor of Bogota, a small town across the Hudson River from New York.
In a Dec. 6 statement, school board President Brian O'Leary said the ban is intended "to balance the important roles that religion and music can and do play in our curriculum with a desire to avoid celebrating or appearing to celebrate a religious holiday."
He added that "religious music, like any other music, can only be used if it achieves specific goals of the music curriculum."
(Excerpt) Read more at insider.washingtontimes.com ...
From what I understand, Maplewood is the new Montclair.
If he was running for office anywhere else in the country, he probably would have been governor already.
Merry CHRISTmas
People who oppose any signs of organized religion in public places are really proponents of a DIFFERENT, competing religion -- an atheistic one. It is not that they seek so suppress ALL religion in the name of even-handedness, but that they want their own (godless, scripture-less) one to dominate in government unchallenged.
Yes this is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, not Santa Claus.
The godless religion has a few demigods, however: FDR, Barbra Streisand, Baba Wawa, Karl Marx, and maybe what's-his-name-the-recent-president-who-dropped-his-drawers-in-the-Offal-Office.
Free Exercise Clause.
I'm glad the Wash. Times article is stating a location, Steve's e mail did NOT!!!!! I hope in the future his staff pays closer attention to details before an event is planned and advertised.
This is exactly the kind of thing Christians should be doing more of. It's a Christmas freep! Can everybody see the difference between this and the municipality using taxpayer funds to erect and maintain a Nativity scene in public space?
Directions to the HS are here: http://www.loneganforgovernor.com/pressreleases/showRelease.aspx?id=119
I'll probably be there, hope to see some others!
Guess who's getting sued?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42018
Isn't it rich?
I love it.
Public high school-Jacksonville, NC-1980's Chorus Class:
On the program over the years, a combined band/chorus rendition of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus; "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"; "Wade in the Water" (Negro spiritual); and various Broadway show tunes and folk songs.
For our first concert after the bombing in Beirut, we sang the Navy Hymn.
Thanks, they deserve it...
Two groups came to mind when you posted that, Thomas More Center and the Rutherford Institute
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