Festive Note - Nativity Plays

[melclaros]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Shaun Hately" 
<drednort at a...> wrote:
> On 23 Nov 2003 at 17:37, melclaros wrote:
>  
> > Let's put it this way: You won't see a LEGAL one. 
> 
> I find this topic moderately fascinating.
> 
> I'm Australian, and like Americans, Australians are guaranteed 
freedom of religion 

<snip>


> 
> Sometimes I wonder if the US is shooting itself in the foot on this 
issue.


Indeed we are. The thing is you see is that we have "watchdog 
groups", as I'm sure do you. These groups take it upon themselves to 
make the life everyone who has any belief system whatsoever miserable.
If, on public land, you have one holiday display that ANYONE, from 
ANY ANGLE can see as being remotely related to ANY sort of religion, 
you can rest assured SOMEONE will jump on you unless you counter it 
with a corresponding ambiguous display related to every other 
possible spiritual bent. There's a town near me where when you drive 
by the city park there is a display consisting of oversized greetings 
cards offering salutations for
Christmas
Solstice
Hannukkah
Ramadan (which is long over by December 19, 21, 24/5, but hey!)
New Year
and one or two others I can't think of off hand and it's not up yet 
so I can't check.

School boards are so afraid of litigation that the very idea of 
December's approach sends shivers of fear through the legal dept. 
Classroom teachers are constantly asking each other and staff if we 
think art projects or decorations are "okay" and parties before the 
beginning of winter holidays are strongly discouraged. End of year 
school concerts are so painfully boring that they're becoming a chore 
to organize as well as attend. The teachers dread them and the kids 
hate them.

I live in Florida. Approved icons such as snowmen, snowflakes and the 
like are not very evocative of ANY Holiday here. "Let it Snow" is an 
inappropriate song for a school concert. They might as well not 
bother at all, really.

End of rant.

Mel, who is happy to simply respect the beliefs--or non-beliefs of 
others and wish they'd do the same for her.