question about singing songs in choir that are praising god? (in a public high school)?

Question

im a junior at a public high school and it is mandatory to participate in choir. This year we have a new teacher who has been giving us rather religous pieces that we will be singing in an upcoming performance. I made an appointment to talk with the dean at my school becuase a lot of kids are unhappy about the religous lyrics he has given us.
here are some of them:
"god i would die for thee"
"Mary has came and i am resounding with praise"
"I walk in the light of god"
"god was there when the earth began and for that i sing with joy"

Is this really allowed? Am i fighting for a lost cause?
Also he takes points off for abscenses excused or unexcused. Can he do this if we had excused abscenses by our parents? Doesn't he have to provide an alternate way to make up points?

Answer 1

Good for you for standing up for your beliefs. Depending on where you are in the country, you might or might not find support in the administration, but if there are enough kids who are against it, I'd suggest just not singing the offending lines.

I'm not sure about the attendance points.

Answer 2

A certain amount of religious music can probably be justified on the grounds that you're learning to sing and, if the songs are at the appropriate level, these songs meet the necessary teaching requirements (in terms of complexity, etc.) The argument would be that "we're asking you to sing songs that are appropriate to your level of vocal training; we're not asking you to believe or live them" I could also see the argument being made, if you're learning about different styles and/or periods of music, that most of the songs in that "genre" are religious ones.

However, if these songs make up more than a few of the full song list you are learning, then you may have grounds for concern, especially if other religious traditions are being ignored.

Depending upon where you are and how active the parent group is, it may be a tough fight for little or no recognition, though... part of life is learning when a fight is a lost cause and when you should just deal with it because you only have 1-2 years left. That said, some lost causes are worth fighting for anyways... only you can decide that for yourself.

As to the absences, it depends upon the school or the board's policy... an excused absence just means that it's for a recognized reason and doesn't impact (or impacts to a lesser degree) the school's attendance records regarding funding. What it means to you as the student depends upon policy.

Answer 3

I would really not like it. Religious songs should not be the exclusive singing material in the public school, especially if only one belief is showcased. I actually found out after the fact that my secular public high school's varsity show choir had performed an entire show based around Christianity- their initial flashy black costumes signified their standing as sinners, and they changed into demure white costumes to show that they were "saved." I felt really offended and hurt by this. I also wondered about the kids in the choir who weren't christian. How must they have felt? By the way, my friends who are religious have backed me up on this, and also feel that religion has no place in the public school system.

Answer 4

You are absolutly not fighting a lost cause and if you really want to do something about it you can call the ACLU in your state. That stands for the American Civil Liberties Union. They will go to bat for you. You can probably get a representative from the ACLU to come to your school and explain to your dean that being forced to participate in any religious activty is a violation of your civil rights...because it is. They have serious clout so if i were you i would go online to www.aclu.org and see what their all about. You can call an office, someone there will be able to assist you.
As far as your attendance goes...dont sweat the small stuff, honestly i know its annoying but get used to it cause it gets worse in college. Just make sure ur excused and unexcused dont add up to change in ur final grade. and also, choir? really? no college on earth is going to care that you missed choir. just pass it and move on. (unless thats ur major of course)

Answer 5

The reason choral teachers choose so many religious pieces is based on the music, not the words. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of worthwhile choral literature out their that does not have a religious basis to it. Composers like Bach worked for the church so they really had no choice but to use religious text. I would talk to your teacher and find out his reason for choosing it. It is most likely because it has musical concepts in it that he wants you to learn, not that he is trying to convert you to a certain religion. Unfortunately if we took away all choral music with religious context, we'd be left with close to nothing of musical value.
As far as abscenses, are you missing them during school? I would think he could take off points for that, but I know most choral teachers give make lessons so you can catch up in case you missed a lesson because of sickness, a test, etc...

Answer 6

The singing of religious songs in public schools has become a community issue. Where I taught, it was okay. Where my grandson went to school, it wasn't. If it bothers you because of your beliefs, talk with your dean. There should be an alternative. As far as taking points away for excused absences, this needs to be brought to the dean's attention. You cannot punish a student if he/she was excused from school by the administration.

Answer 7

I think that what he is doing is wrong. If it is against your religious beliefs to sing songs about God, he has no right to force you to sing them! Also, he expects everyone to come no matter what? That's like giving a rule that you can never be sick. This isn't right.

The reason that he is giving so many Christian pieces is because about 50% of choral music is written for a church choir. I would think that he would at least do Latin pieces- Ave Maria, Adeste Fidelis, Benedictus- that worship God but in a subliminal way, since no one knows the old languages anymore.

I believe in God and love singing songs about him, but I swore not to ever try to convert someone. Tell him that your religion swears you against singing those songs, and if he doesn't accept that, tell the office. I believe that it is against the law to force anyone into sacreligion, including singing songs about someone they don't believe in that other people take as an amazing being, or at least not agreeing with the way that God is described. It's your religious beliefs, no one but you and your pastor (Priest? Rabbi? Your religious leader...) has the right to mess with that.

Tell him you are not going to sing any of those songs. When he writes you up or sends your grades home and your parents ask "Why?", tell them to see what pieces of music you refuse to sing and give them a reason why you don't want to sing it. (It goes against my beliefs... it doesn't fit with our religion... etc. and so on). They should contact the principal about it.

Answer 8

I hate to say this but put in a complaint (through your parents) if singing these songs are against your beliefs. I believe in God, but I don't want anybody forcing their ideal of religion down my throat. If the teacher get enough complaints against him, he will either be fired or forced to change his choice of songs.

Answer 9

I've never heard of choir participation being 'mandatory', but if it is than yes, it is a violation of law.

Contact your local school board. If there's no help there, go to the state board of education.

Answer 10

Ask the teacher for an alternate way to participate that does not violate your religious beliefs.