Well, I guess I need to explain myself. I have no problem with religion being taught in a historical and fact based context in schools. For example, in Global studies in high school I was required to learn about Christianity, Judaism, Daoism, Islam, Buddhism, etc..... But it was in a historical context, and obviously religion has had a huge impact on the historical development of our world.
However, I still don't agree with teaching it as a moral guide to life. I do not think a student should go into school and have to sing "Silent Night" for religious purposes. No, I don't think they should change the words either. The song should just be left out of school if it's functioning in a religious way. This is something I have to grapple with every day as a music teacher. As many of you might know, all of the standard classical music that is taught Bach, Beethoven, etc...) all has its roots in Roman Catholic church music. Therefore, it's hard to teach music history or represent music from various historical periods without using sacred music. I do think it's okay to use medieval church music to illustrate various musicial principles. However, it is never okay to use it to teach morals, personal beliefs, etc... This is a touchy subject with many people, and you can bet if I use a Christianity based song in my classroom, that I make sure to use traditional music from other faiths, locations, and religions of the world as well. However, it is all done in a secular light. The lyrics are ignored as the musical techniques are what is being taught, not the meaning of the words. If I can find a secular alternative to teach what I want to teach, I always do so.
Yes, it's complicated. But I just don't think that students should be taught religion in a non-fact based context in public schools. If you would like that to be taught, you can choose to either homeschool or send your child to private schools. But I do agree that banning Christmas but allowing Hanukkah is pointless, it defeats the entire purpose.
holy cow long post. I guess this is just something I think about a lot due to the nature of what I teach. Holiday concerts anyone? Yeah, it can get REALLY messy, but I try my best, and know a lot of others do too.
