Judge bans religious song from school

Judge bans religious song from school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 17 (UPI) -- A federal judge has banned a Florida elementary school from having children sing a country song, "In God We Still Trust," at a school assembly.

The lyrics attack the principal of separation of church and state, U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger said. He issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday against the Webster School in St. Augustine, The Jacksonville Times-Union reported.

While some religious songs can be sung in public schools, "In God We Still Trust" by Diamond Rio is "patently religious and proselytizing," the judge said.

He cited some of the lyrics: "There's no separation. ... We're one nation under Him ... Now there are those among us who want to push Him out and erase His name from everything this country is all about ... Now it's time for all believers to make our voices heard."

The parents of two Webster students filed the lawsuit in March, saying their children were being forced to endorse views they do not share.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/17/Judge-bans-religious-song-from-school/UPI-40081239944963/

Payback is a bitch.

Get religion the fuck out of our schools. I don't want to live in the fucking dark ages.

whines from the right will start in 3....2.....1

We live in a free society - and if they want religion in schools then start their own schools.

I also agree with the judge who probably would have allowed except for it was over the top (I think something like Amazing Grace should be allowed for example for not only it's beauty but historical value).

I would have no problem with religious songs being taught for their historical value. The same goes with "slave songs".

We use to sing those in school in the early sixties. I think those songs are part of the reason for my love of the blues.

Hymn like "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "He" and "Let My People Go" and the one you mentioned seem OK to me. And much as I would like to give it to this one as well, it's over the top and insulting. Good for that judge.

--imm

:shrug:

what dreck

:rofl:

At least it will give us an idea of how many pathetic losers are logged on.

Was poking fun at us.

and if parents are upset that religion is not in the public schools, they can either homeschool their children, or send them to a religious school.

Religion does not belong in our public schools.

K&R

I can't tell from the article if it was the Music Teacher's choice, but I'm going to pretend it was.

I worry if I choose songs that are too "Christian" at Christmastime, and then I worry if I'm going to get backlash from the fundies. I of course would never have chosen this song, but there is at least one parent that complains about a song that was chosen in every concert I program because the parents had some problem with it.

I'm at the point where I'm about to choose "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and "Star Light, Star Bright" for every performance. Oh wait, I'll bet a parent will complain because I'm teaching children to worship stars!


****DISCLAIMER*** I am not saying I disagree with the verdict, just that Music Teachers are in the position of having to please everyone and in the process please no one. :banghead:

I think many hymns and religious songs have artistic and historic merit, they're good to go. This one is too whiny.

Then there is the other kind of censorship. When I was in junior high our production of "The King and I" had "We Meet in a Shadow" and our "South Pacific" had "There Is Nothing Like a Girl" :rofl:

--imm

that had me literally howling. It was the one where HS kids were doing "Grease" and the teacher/director had to keep coming up with different words for the racy lyrics. It was hilarious! :rofl:

In all seriousness, we do try to connect with the artistic and histroric merits of a song. If we can't, we toss it out. Thanks for your reply!

:hi:

So I particularly identify with your problems. :)

--imm

it makes me think of a South Park episode where there are so many complaints about what is and isn't offensive that they end up doing interpretive dance in green leotards during a school pageant and a riot breaks out.

I can see if something religious is being shown in a historic context and other beliefs are allowed but other than that keep religion out of schools.

There was always a problem, from one side or the other. I'm not a music teacher; I taught primary grades for a decade. Some years, depending on the administrator, we were REQUIRED to use instructional time to prepare a holiday program. During the years we weren't, we took heat from parents if we DIDN'T have a holiday program.

A few times, I got together with another teacher and we teamed to present a multicultural holiday program. One that had a script and showed scenes from various holiday traditions. I got nailed for casting a black student to sing the Kwaanza song, which was somehow racist of me. Since this production took an hour a day for a whole month to put together, I quit.

A few times, we walked in the local holiday parade and sang "jingle bells." As long as I didn't mind giving up a Saturday to do so, that was fine. Except when parents didn't meet us at the end of the route and we had to spend a couple of hours trying to track them down after the parade was over.

Don't people whose lives are invested in holiday programs have churches to put on their celebration of choice?

For the record, when we HAD to sing, here are the songs that I felt were appropriate that didn't take any heat:

jingle bells
winter wonderland
just one candle

Now I teach middle school, and teach in a different state and district. This district does not do holiday programs.

I'm grateful.

LOL!

In my district it is expected that there be a Holiday Program (only 20 years ago it was still "Christmas Program"). I have become a master of sorts at finding all kinds of Winter songs that are pretty generic.

There are districts around me that forbid any relious song in any program.

I find that I like the December programs because the students LOVE them. For K-6 students there's nothing that gets them more excited than the Holidays!

:hi:

If you want to take on a musical play for the holidays, the one I mentioned is "Once On A Housetop," by John Higgins and John Jacobsen. My students LOVED that one, even the girl who "had" to sing the Kwaanza song.

It could be sung to Carmina Burana yet those lyrics would disqualify it from a public school performance :)

if they were translated in the program. :blush:

the Christmas Pageant was coming up. I was asked to do a vocal solo of my choice, accompanied by a very accomplished pianist in my class.

I thought about it for a while, and decided to sing "Ave Maria." That was nixed by the school's choral director for being "too Catholic." I found that amusing, so I decided to do "O Holy Night," which was okey dokey with the choral director.

That was back in the days of it being no problem to perform religion-oriented music at Christmas time.

It also illustrates the problem with including religious music in public schools. When a song is rejected for being "too Catholic," it gives a hint about why religion is not appropriate in our public schools. At 17, I didn't think about it that much.

But when you have these stupid Brown Shirt-esque political songs, and have kids sing them, there's a certain creep-out factor to it.