'Silent Night' secularized (Wisconsin School changes lyrics)

World Net Daily ^ | December 7, 2005

[NYer]

For a performance in its "winter program," a Wisconsin elementary school has changed the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night," calling the song "Cold in the Night" and secularizing the lyrics.

According to Liberty Counsel, a religious-liberty law firm representing a student's parent, kids who attend Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville, Wis., will sing the following lyrics to the tune of "Silent Night":

Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm.

Liberty Counsel says this year's winter program included decorating classrooms with Santa Claus, Kwanzaa symbols, menorahs and Labafana, a mythical witch that's a part of traditional Christmas celebrations in Italy.

A letter the law group sent to the school demands a change in the winter program. Liberty Counsel attorneys say they are prepared to file suit if the Dodgeville School District does not immediately remedy the situation.

"For those who deny that there is a war on Christmas, the Wisconsin school district is exhibit A," Mathew Staver, Liberty Counsel president and general counsel, said in a statement. "The law is clear – Christmas is constitutional. When a public school intentionally mocks Christian Christmas songs by secularizing their content, they cross the line from a neutral position, which the Constitution requires, to a hostile position, which the Constitution forbids. Changing 'Silent Night' to 'Cold in the Night' – come on, let's stop this madness! Does the school not realize that Christmas is a national holiday?"

Controversy over Christmas and its celebration in the public square has reached a fever pitch this year with battles raging over everything from what to call evergreen trees to whether or not retailers allow their employees to wish customers a "merry Christmas."

"Silent Night" is the most recorded song in history. The carol was written by Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr. Gruber led the singing of his new song for the first time during an 1818 Christmas Eve service in Oberndorf, Austria, accompanying the choir on guitar.

Julie Piper, principal of Ridgeway Elementary, did not return a call by press time.

[NYer]

Original Version

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

[NYer]

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[martin_fierro]

Cold in the night / no one in sight / winter winds / whirl and bite / how I wish I were happy and warm / safe with my family out of the storm

Can't sing that.

It trivializes the homeless.

< /sarc >

[traderrob6]

Related:

http://exposingtheleft.blogspot.com/2005/12/mom-upset-christ-missing-from.html

[right right]

The left is so dumb they do not realize that the quickest way to spread something is to try to suppress it. That's how Christianity spread originally. Could this be the start of the final revival?

[in hoc signo vinces]

Anybody watch SNL on Sat night?

Where the sang PC "regular" day songs?

"Away in a "Barn Box"" was hilarious...I think for once, SNL was poiting to the stupidity of people who were anti-Christmas.

[massgopguy]

What vapid and depressing lyrics. At least sing The Winter Song by Angel.

[auto power]

Wow, I know Madison has gone all liberal (used to live there before the "enemy" took over)....now liberals have spread throughout the state...I mean Dodgeville, WI???? Not exactly a college campus.

[halosfan2002]

Denny Crane!

[joesnuffy]

Dodgeville is a small farming community 50 minutes west of Madison, WI...but is growing in the number of people from Chicago looking to move away from crime and into the country...

Naturally they bring their pods with them and then try to take over the municipal governments and schools in order to infect others..and grow clones of themselves and the environment they came from.

Their sickness continues to spread.

[j_k_l]

"Anybody watch SNL on Sat night?"

That was funny...then there was the rest of the show...

Could their writers possible suck more?

[goldstategop]

They hate Christianity. We must strip Christ out of history. Lest we offend those who don't care for him.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[bulldozer]

Ridgeway Elementary must have far left wing teachers who want to advance their secular progressive cause.

[Monterrosa-24]

Some of the hip translations of the Bible are almost this bad. The beauty of the King James' English and the great scholarship of Shakespeare's contemporaries are tossed aside in favor of political correctness and trendy slang.

[conservativecorner]

The march to Babylon continues unabated.

[UB355]

http://www.dsd.k12.wi.us/res/

[Redbob]

If I may point out, that is NOT the original version.

The original version begins like this:

Stille Nacht! Heil'ge Nacht!
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute heilige Paar.
Holder Knab' im lockigten Haar,
|: Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh!

And may there be a special place in Hell for the person who tampered with the lyrics of that song!

[Congressman Billybob]

"Dumb in the school,
And obvious fool ...."

Just thought I'd begin a rewrite of "Silent Night" for the Principal of this school. Why not repaint the "Mona Lisa" as a giggling school girl? Why not recarve Michelangelo's "David" as a street thug with a gun? Why not redo Beethoven's Ninth as a rap song? Why not rewrite Tom Paine's immortal words this way, "These are the times that bother people a whole lot..."?

What a pack of maroons.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "What Side is the New York Times On?"

[Monterrosa-24]

"The left is so dumb they do not realize that the quickest way to spread something is to try to suppress it. That's how Christianity spread originally. Could this be the start of the final revival?"

Perhaps you are right. I sometimes wonder if Christianity was not stronger in Russia during the Soviet era than it is today under the influence of Western junk culture: soap operas, rap music, hedonistic themes everywhere...

Alexander Solzhenitsyn said that America suffers from the "spiritual impotence" that comes from living a life of ease. As the economy slowly improves in Russia their children, often with "only child syndrome" will be also be exposed to such a life of ease.

In the Soviet Union, even Party members often had their children secretly baptised. Christianity survived quite well outside the official line.

[JEppy]

The law is clear – Christmas is constitutional. When a public school intentionally mocks Christian Christmas songs by secularizing their content, they cross the line from a neutral position, which the Constitution requires, to a hostile position, which the Constitution forbids.

This person is right.
This is a slam on Christians! I would like to see these people change lyrics to some Islamic songs.