Would you have complained about this?

Question

I used to work as a teacher's aide at a rural elementary school. About a week before Christmas, one of the parents came in and did a puppet show for the kids. It was all about how Jesus came to Earth on the first Christmas because he loves humankind and wanted to save them. If you were one of the parents, would you have said something about that?

To those who asked, yes, it was a public school.

Answer 1

I take it that it was a public school? If so, I don't think that was appropriate

Answer 2

No, I would not. Primary reason: it was Christmastime--and that story's what Christmas is all about. However much the libs might like to eradicate the concept altogether.
I look upon it as kind of an equal time thing--since most public schools pour all kinds of politically correct crap down our kids' throats without anyone making a single protest. This is, let me remind you, still a religiously free country.
As to the 'separation of church and state'--Henry VIII began that, and it wasn't aimed at eliminating Christianity from our society, but at banning the holding of political office by Church Prelates--like Bishops or Cardinals who already held offices in the Roman Catholic Church. Who had always had a tendency to meddle in a country's internal affairs and didn't need any more help doing so. It was NOT aimed at keeping religious people from public service, which is where it's aimed in America. Land of the free and home of religious freedom.
For everybody but the Christians, apparently. If the story had been about Mohammed or Martin Luther King, nobody would have turned a hair?
Little skewed, don't you think?

Answer 3

About a week before Ramadan begins a parent comes into a public school and does a puppet show for the kids. Its about how Muhammad received his revelations from God and that . Would you have said something about that?

It is not wrong to teach children about different religions. Nor is it wrong to embrace and be sensitive to religious differences in a public school; however, if one religion gets preferential treatment over another (especially in a school which has religious diversity among its population) then there is a problem.

Personally I think both the puppet play about Jesus and about Muhammad should be allowed, but parents should be sent home a letter in advance telling about the play and giving consent for their children to watch it and the school should make other activities available for the children who's parents do not agree to seeing the presentation.

Answer 4

Without doubt, it is right and good to complain about using a public school to pronounce private religious dogma. Christian mythology has a place in churches or homes, but certainly not in public schools. America was established under the principle of separation of church and state. The state cannot condone a particular religion. Condoning one religion as being worthy to teach in a school setting is completely against the constitution of this country.

It's ironic, isn't it? This nation is among the most religiously conservative countries in the world, like the Christian version of Iran, yet our Constitution and Bill of Rights is among the most liberal documents ever created. This battle will go on for the foreseeable future, until we have our own revolution which will either safeguard people's individual religious choices or else fundamentally destroy them.

Answer 5

I certainly would have said something if, as a parent, I had not been warned and heard about the show from my child. I understand the majority of the country is Christian and schools cannot ignore Christmas, but I would have taken my child out of school for lunch or something during the show.

Answer 6

First of all there is no separation of church and state. That is not constitutional!!
We are a nation founded on Christian principals. The first settlers came here fleeing persecution for their faith and beliefs. Separation of church and state means that the government will not impose a state church. Simply you will not be told how to believe.

With everything that happens in public schools, I would serious start putting my thoughts on those problems instead of crying because someone mentioned jesus.

Answer 7

No, I would not have said anything because it is true. Christmas is about Jesus being born. The 3 wise men came bearing gifts. That is why we celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. Without Christ...it wouldnt be CHRISTmas.

Answer 8

No, it was at Christmas time.

Would you be wondering this if a Jewish parent had come and shared about Chanukah or a Muslim parent had shared about Ramadan (and the subsequent holy days)? Probably not.

I'm am Christian and none of these would have distressed me. I'd figure you were celebrating cultural diversity.

Answer 9

Well yeah. BUt at a public school my daughter's grade one teacher told all the kids in the class (even the Muslims) that when we die we go to Heaven with a man named Jesus and we all get cute fluffy wings and fly around with harps, watching over the people on Earth that we love. When I brought it to the school board they laughed at my complaint and said they happen to agree with her religious views, and I'm a hipocrit because I let my daughter believe in Santa Claus. The news channel never did get back to me, nor the newspaper.

Answer 10

Agree with Blahblahblah. If you want to present *some* religiously-based material as part of a general enrichment curriculum, and it's being tied to a seasonal event or a social studies unit....sounds fine by me (FWIW, I'm an ex-Lutheran who's now a happy Pagan, and who firmly supports the separation of church and state issues). The "...wants to SAVE them..." part gives me a little bit of the nervous nellies, though....
I'd probably be wanting to send letters home to parents beforehand, letting them know that we were going to be covering some religiously-inclined aspects of American life, as part of diversity education. ("The material will be co-presented by Suchandsuch group; there will be a question and answer section; and it WILL be made clear that not everyone in America believes as the Soandsos do. Please feel free to contact us, or to help expand our programs!")

(Ducking brickbats from religious zealots, politically correct zealots, strict separationists, and a whole bunch of others.....slinking into corner, muttering, "can't please everyone....so you gotta please yourself"

Answer 11

If you handled it like a story I don’t see why not. If you tried to tell them that this was real and they should believe in it then you are crossing a boundary.

I am not Christian but since I was a kid I always enjoyed the stories that went with the holidays.