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Orange Punch ~ Opinion blog maintained by editorial writers Alan Bock, Mark Landsbaum and Steven Greenhut
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A Christmas music initiative

November 2nd, 2009, 2:00 pm · 5 Comments · posted by by Alan Bock, Register editorial writer

Here’s a possible initiative that’s a little off the beaten path but possibly close to the hearts of many. I suspect it will either disappear or catch attention to the surprise of most everybdy, including the proponents.

The initiative would require government schools to offer students the opportunity to perform or listen to traditional Christmas music during the Christmas season. I’ve seen a few stories here and there about schools that ban traditional Christmas music on the grounds that it is an implicit government endorsement of a particular religion, but I don’t know how widespread the phenomenon is. If it is widespread, there just might be a groundswell of support for this initiative, though the proponents must collect 430,000+ signatures, which is a pretty tall order since it doesn’t look as if they have real money.

I know few people who love Christmas music more than I do, but I must say that most traditional Christmas music, aside from seasonal stuff like “Silver Bells” or “White Christmas” are pretty explicit about the importance of the birthday. It’s hard for me to see what real harm is done by having school glee clubs sing a few Christmas carols, but I can also see a theoretical argument that it is close to an endorsement of Christianity. If we had Separation of School and State it wouldn’t be a problem, but alas, that condition is unlikely to be realized in any of our lifetimes.

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 5 Comments

  • rlh says:
    November 2, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    I don’t know of any school at forbids the use of any type of Christmas music (or other religiously themed works) in its music curriculum. My own younger daughter’s choir (at San Clemente High) sings a variety of sacred, secular, and popular stuff - at Christmas and throughout the year. They also include some pieces on Hanukkah, of course, in their holiday concerts. Now, there will always be schools with idiots in charge, who ban things at the drop of a hat, but i really don;t think this is a major problem.

    You don’t provide a link except to the Secretary of State’s release about this one. I must suspect, sadly, that this initiative is another outgrowth of the so-called “war on Christmas” that blowhards on Fox News and its ilk have been trumpeting for the past few years. That nonsenbse is just that, of course - we’re going to be fairly bathed in Christian doctrine and sentiment between now abd New Year’s - but there are always those who see greater inclusiveness as some sort of threat to their way of thinking (that is to say, to their desired position of predominance). Their complaints are tinny, and really quite un-Christian.

    Post Reply
  • Chris says:
    November 2, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    The tribulations and cries of despair from the right wing in the mythical War on Christmas come early this year. Oh joy. If Jasmine doesn’t get to sing Silent Night, the terrorists win.

    Post Reply
  • Loufca says:
    November 3, 2009 at 7:41 am

    Chris, you have no sense of history or tradition. All you have is the ability to demean others. This is not “despair of the right wing in the mythical war on Christmas”. It is an issue of freedom of speech.

    Speaking of the mythical war on Christmas, did you see that South Coast Plaza just received their holiday tree? Hmmm, no attack on Christmas here I guess.

    You should address the issues not attack others for their point of view.

    Post Reply
    • Chris says:
      November 3, 2009 at 11:53 am

      Lou, I might agree with you about my lacking a sense of tradition but that is fairly common in this modern world. But I have to disagree about lacking a sense of history. Be that as it may.

      Actually, I don’t mind seeing Christmas displays although the gargantuan excess of some you’d have to admit are a bit much. My complaint, to be clear, is the Right Wing Bill O’Reilly War on Christmas meme which has been showing up every year recently. It’s only early November and definitely well before Thanksgiving and already Alan trots it out.

      A bit early don’t you think?

      As for your citation of the Freedom of Speech you have to remember that all of the Freedoms are enumerated by the Constitution and interpreted by the Supreme Court. So the Freedom of Speech has to be balanced against the Establishment clause. You can still go sing Silent Night at school but schools can’t organize city workers and pay them to sing Silent Night. This is a good thing although the Bill O’Reillys and Alan Bocks may disagree with me.

      Post Reply
  • rlh says:
    November 3, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    What, exactly, is so wrong with calling it a holiday tree anyway? Aren’t there other significant holidays that non-Christians also celebrate at the same time of year, and hwich commerical interests (like shopping malls) flog mercilessly in search of sales????

    If you want to call it a Christmas tree, go for it. And let Jewish people call it a Hanukkah bush, and athieists a cool tree, and radical environmentalists arboreal genocide, and so on and on.

    Whine, whine, whine.

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