Posted on 12/26/2005 8:11:14 AM PST by Conservatrix
To the Editor:
"Last week I substituted at a local elementary school in Lebanon County. The lesson plan required me to read the 1882 poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore to two classes of students. While I can appreciate the poem for its literary value, the subject matter is offensive to me, and the reading of this poem to the children imposed values upon me which are against my deeply held religious beliefs. I could not in good conscience present the notion of Santa Claus as a truth to the children, and stated so.
No public school teacher should be required to teach a belief, or custom, or religion that he or she believes to be false, or be required to pass those purported falsehoods onto impressionable children, without the right to state a disclaimer. Furthermore, freedom of speech and religion, no matter how unpopular the speech or against cultural norms the religion, are protected rights under the Constitution of the United States. A secular public school should not be propagating any kind of religion. The belief in Santa Claus as a divine, magical, omniscient, powerful, giving, loving father-figure, to which children are taught to make supplications and requests, is a religion indeed-- a distorted substitute for the Judeo-Christian God; a false form of Christianity; a zealously-protected American idol.
In presenting the poem, I gave the children quick historical background about the Santa Claus myth-- its evolution from the historic Nickolaus, Bishop of Myrna in Asia Minor, who died in 343 A.D., to its amalgamation with ancient Western pagan traditions of German, Scandinavian and Dutch origins, to the current manifestation in the secular Christmas culture of today. (Dutch children, for example, would put their wooden shoes out at night for “Sante Klaus” to fill with candies.)
The current Santa Claus figure was popularized in the late 19th Century by artist Thomas Nast of Harper’s Weekly Magazine, who depicted “Saint Nick,” not as an elf, but a rotund, pipe-smoking man in a red and white suit. This is the deity to which countless public school children today are taught to make supplications, and about whom they sing their many songs at annual public school Christmas programs.
If people are upset about the revelation to children that Santa Claus is a myth-- which all children who are taught this lie find or figure out eventually-- perhaps it is because Santa is that zealously-guarded idol of their own modern religion. Therefore, as a religion, let Santa be kept out of the public school classroom (no more “Dear Santa” letters to line those school hallways)--or perhaps, in the interest of “diversity,” make his mythical, oversized personage share equal representation in literature, and song, and Christmas programs, with the other Person of the season: the Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh, God with us."
I wonder what a good decent Jewish person would do in the same situation. Since they obviously don't celebrate Christmas, how would they handle it. I think most would handle the situation differently. I think most would probably opt out of reading the whole thing, and skip the whole situation.
We got lots of “swinger clubs” and spouse swapping goin' on out there, high divorce rates and television shows like Desperate Housewives. If you think children are blind, you are dumber than I thought.
If the fact that I just won't lie to mine bothers you, too bad.
If they are mature enough to question, they are mature enough to hear the truth from their father, because I am the only one who will tell it to them (because men like you are too gutless to stand up for the truth).
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I though atheists were above that old fashioned thing about "sex"....
You thought? What a momentous event that must have been... I'm certainly not an orthodox atheist, nor am I an ecumenical atheist, there are no such things.
I have a lot of children, not all from one woman. I am definately pro-life and my kids know all know they are here on this earth because I love them and their mothers.
I tell my children abortion is ritual murder and homosexuals are carriers of a disease they spread to bring them death. I also tell them other unvarnished truth about the filthy dope perverts and the porno pimps who will molest their minds and bodies.
Now, if all that is enough to send me to Hell or Gehenna in your false interpretation of Christianity or Judaism, I sure don't want eternity in your version of Heaven with the angel you must serve...
Semper Somewhat Upset
Agree. But the key words in your post are not "Jewish." They are "good" and "decent."
Since many Jewish holidays involve military victories or a great shedding of blood, most I know just tell the truth. Ask yourself why there is such a disproportionate culture of individual success within the Jewish community in many endeavors not similarly represented among the Christian Gentiles or the pagans.
My My My, aren't we just the unmitigated ray of sunshine. And when your demented little bastards rebel against you because of your "enlighted" parenting, I certainly hope you remember your little missive. You tout your religious beliefs as a basis for your actions. I find you and your opinions repulsive. I think you have damaged your children beyond repair. And I think that I will eventually have to arrest one of them as a serial killer.
Semper Disgusted
That was typically arrogant and unnecessary. Are you a Foxman fan, as well?
I'm an atheist...
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I find you and your opinions repulsive.
Someone telling the truth is repulsive to a liberal.
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And I think that I will eventually have to arrest one of them as a serial killer.
You are stuck on stupid bootcamp...
Semper Comclusion
Why don't you make your point nicely to one of our military members. You need to wash your filthy mouth out with soap.
I was eight when a cruel older sibling, whom to this day delights in spoiling Santa for his young nieces and nephews, told me there was no such person as Santa Claus.
I was devastated, and it really destroyed Christmas happiness for me until I was old enough to appreciate the true meaning of Christmas: Christ.
ANYONE that takes it upon themselves to shatter the hopes and dreams of little children should be horsewhipped. Kids grow up quick enough.
The brother that spoiled childhood Christmas for me? He has been threatened with a beating within a 1/4 inch of his life if he opens his mouth to my kid(s) about Santa Claus. And I damned well mean it!
I was allowed to believe in Santa. I NEVER thought that my parents "lied" to me. I asked my children. None of them ever had such a stupid thought, either. They understood that Santa was the spirit of giving, and that Jesus was the important part of Christmas. I have never seen such a bunch of hysterical, uptight, over-reacting weirdos in my life...except on the Harry Potter threads.
Santa is not a myth. Santa is real. There is no person named Santa, but there is a reality called Santa, a wonderful reality that was handed down from my grandparents to my parents to me, that I'm handing down to my children and that I hope they'll hand down to their children. I don't look at kids "no longer believing in Santa" as finding out that their parents were lying to them, I see it as having something wonderful, and real, entrusted to them.
I have two non-believers and two believers. My ten year old daughter was just thrilled to make "reindeer food" (which she decided to do by herself), put out the cookies, and buy her first Christmas presents with her own money.
Both of them have been very good about being Santa's helpers and not destroying their sisters' illusions. I hope your daughter feels the same way. :)
Awesome. My daughter still believes because of a hardship where the generosity of others gave us a Christmas when I couldn't afford to do anything!
I hope so.
Then, apparently, it is not. This is an adult web site, and no thread title changes that.
I'll ask a few of my friends that are Jewish how they would handle it, but I am almost positive they would handle it differently.
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