From the St. Petersburg Times:
"TAMPA - There may be no day off next school year for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. Also on the chopping block are vacation days for the Christian faith's Good Friday and the Monday after Easter.
After considering a request to recognize a Muslim school holiday, the Hillsborough County School Board next week will discuss ending student days off on all religious holidays, whether they be Christian, Jewish or Muslim.
The only religious holiday not affected will be Christmas, which occurs during the school district's winter break."
Now.
I hope that all of you who are laboring tirelessly for the cause of complete seperation of Church and State are happy.
This is the logical conclusion of a policy of complete seperation of Church and State within a culture of such diversity as the United States, when the public Schools are controlled and administered by the Government.
And if you think that Christmas will not be affected, just wait a few years. They'll get around to that.
Think about the Holidays that are important to you and your family.
Christmas?
Thanksgiving?
Easter?
Yom Kippur?
Ramadan?
These are Religious holidays. If we completely seperate Religion from Government, then we cannot recognize ANY of these Holidays in the Government Schools.
Is this what we really want?
Is this what the framers of our Constitution really wanted?
I still contend that the First Ammendment to the Constitution was inserted in order to prevent the Government from requiring all citizens to observe one specific form of religion, not to prevent religious people from affecting public policy, nor to restrict the practice of religion from public view.
This Country was founded upon Christian principals, and the Founding Fathers (with a few exceptions) had a very strong belief in God, and wanted to follow the teachings of the Bible, and the leadership of God in their decisions and policies.
Aproximately 77% of the American People believe in God, in one form or another. To ignore this fact would be a colossal mistake.
The phrase "Seperation of Church and State" never appears in our Constitution.
Please, People, let's think about the road we are starting to go down here...
Let's not destroy all traces of American culture in the name of diversity and fairness...
Let's not lose all of our National Holidays for the sake of this argument...
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24 comments:
Doesn't make me happy. Doesn't make me terribly upset, either. One, for most people these holidays ceased being "holy days" a long time ago. Two, for those who do consider them actually special, there is nothing keeping them from observing them by staying home anyway. Tres, a local school board can do what it wants, as far as its own patrons will let it. Rural school districts in eastern Oklahoma close down for the beginning of deer season.
--ER
It's not just the Government that are minimizing the importance of Holy days. It's the culture, or rather, lack of culture.
I noticed a few years ago, that people are saying Thanksgiving is a day set aside to give thanks, but they seem to be a bit confused as to whom to give thanks, and why.
Yet another reason to implement a voucher system, so everyone can afford private school if that is where they would like to send their children. I myself am a fan of home schooling. I do not want our government teaching my children religion or evolution it is not their job. Their job is to protect me and my family so that we can have the freedom to instruct and raise our children the way that is best for them. The people in our country need to stop looking to Uncle Sam to be a pastor, a teacher, a father, and a provider. Let the government focus on protecting us, get rid of all of these extra tax wasting, money eating, programs, and take responsibility for ourselves. “Responsibility for myself? Why would I want to do that?”
-chad
Brandon, you say, "I don't see why Thanksgiving would be included under the category "religious holidays." I never thought of Thanksgiving as a "religious" holiday, and if it is religious then it is all-inclusive seeing that most religious from Christianity to Wicca to Buddhism stress humility and gratitude."
Let me answer that. Abraham Lincoln, who established Thanksgiving day, said this in his proclamation:
"I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."
That is why Tug included it as a religious holiday. I think.
Tug, I wrote my post today on the ID debate. Check it out.
One of the high schools in my town do almost just what you suggested, MBR. The kids have so many personal days and can use those to observe religious holidays if they choose. They haven't had Good Friday or the Monday after Easter off in years.
It's the frog in the water pot scenario, AJ.
If you throw the frog into the hot water suddenly, he will jump right back out.
However, if you put him into the pot and then slowly turn the heat up, he will still jump out unless you put a lid on the pot.
As long as the frog has any freedom, you can't boil him.
I just wonder how much hotter it has to get before we begin to jump out of the pot...
Or is the lid already on?
Mmmm...
Frog legs...
How's your female hair loss issue, Tug? :-)
--ER
ER, I think that it is about time that someone started a female hair loss website...
The last thing we need is a bunch of hairy females running around...
Yeah, Tug, one Janet Reno is enough!
well since im in a public school setting i can kind of relate. but since were only alowd to miss 10 and a half days before we fail the year it would be kinda hard to take off for a religious holiday.and it does seem that the goverment is slowly pulling us away from the foundation this country was built on. now the constitution was written by christian men so i cant understand how were going to seperate the goverement and religion when its the very legs this country stands on.
And as to mark i think that the goverment very much influences the culture or lack there of, and in turn steers us away, and as time gos by we forget the true meaning of things. just like christmas very few people celebrate is as christ's birthday instead theyve been lied into believing in santa claus and its all about getting gifts. easter has become about a rabbit and thanksgiving does everything short of idolizing a turkey. i think this is because if the true meanings behind these holidays were brought out more people would have to see that the country they live in was founded on christianity,and the fact is people dont wanna see or believe that.
sorry so long.
Must. Be. Kind. To. The Youngster. ....
Naaah.
Yes, we should emphasize the earliest religious significance of December 25: the religion of light and darkness surrounding Mithras, the Persian sun-god, which developed in Rome alongside Christianity in the 200s and 300s -- and was celebrated on December 25.
NOT.
--ER
Ramadan lasts an entire month; do you really think kids should get off for an entire month?
Christmas has become cultural, like Thanksgiving and the 4th; it isn't really a religious holiday any longer. My Dad and I both celebrate Christmas but neither of us believes that there is a God.
That is like saying you can't celebrate the 4th of July if you don't believe in Bush's war in Iraq.
So yes, I am happy now; kids these days are stupid anyway, they need more time in school.
Re, "In fact, the ideas of the Enlightenment had just as much of an influence on the concept of the Declaration of Independence as Christian values."
YES! Absolutely. And those earliest humanists were Christians also -- humanist as in man, as the top of God's creation, is the measure of all things (as opposed to man, NOT God, is the measure of all things). Once again, things not starkly black-and-white!
--ER
And-even if a representative amount of the Founders were Christian, we now live in a nation that is not entirely Christian.
M.-yep, there's private Muslim schools at least, in places like England where wealthy people like The Artist Fomerly Known As Cat Stevens live (he started one). I imagine in theocratic states like Iran, they're all religious schools, no matter what.
And yes, wouldn't it be great if we really honestly honored the original version of every one of our holidays? Blood would run in the streets for a fair amount of them, and public sexual intercourse for a lot of the rest.
I'm not sure that this thing you write of has anything at all to do with the Foundation Clause (which never exactly says the words 'seperation of church and state', but outlines it, just the same), Tug.
I'm imagining that as the charter school fans in this country make it more and more likely that I'm going to be paying taxes to support religious schools, the public schools districts are going to try ever more desperate attempts to make themselves seem efficient. Like this.
And to the anony at the top; yes, I have recently misplaced a female rabbit...
to:the press i should feel so priveliged to of been instructed on christmas by some one so much wiser and older in years. :)
oh and toad ...you slightly amuse me.
Hey, Dead. You got that older part dead-on right! :-) Come over to my place for even more wisdom and ... age ... !!
--ER
RE: Dead to self:
No I don't believe this was founded as a Christian nation. The 1st three European settlements were all founded on commerce and conquest, not religion. The US Constitution, our nations most important legal document, never once mentions God, Christ, Jesus, The Bible, or Christians.
If they were trying to build a Christian nation don't you think they would have mentioned one of those?
hey toad go farther back in your history book this nation was founded by christians fleeing religious persecution.and as for the constitution the religioun of that day was chrisitianity they didnt think forward and see the world falling apart and 3000 different religions pop up!
Dead, due. You need to do a lot more readin' of your own nation's history. And the history of religions. Seriously.
--ER
then explain the facts to me i have no problem learning, just a problem being bashed. plus my age should mean nothing if i posted as a 50 year old would i be treated any different!?
Dead,
It's not young age that riles me. It's arrogant ignorance. It's presumption. It's an attitude that says you're an expert and that is dismissive of anyone who doesn't agree with you.
Don't look to the Internet for your facts -- not unless you really know how to use it, and then only to fill in gaps. There is probably a library in your town. Use it.
Waiting for others to enlighten you will leave you at the intellectual mercy of others -- and get you nowhere in the end.
I think I did bash you, and I apologize. But it wasn't your age. It was everything above IN LIGHT of your age.
Take ol' M. Brandon here. He's a pup, too. But he doesn't come across the way you do.
--ER
To: thepress. arrogant iggnorance well first id like to apoligize for coming off as arrogant,and as far as being dismissive when someone disagrees i dont dismiss them i just look for them to back it up.unlike me i thought i was backing up my post but as you guys showed me my ingormation was wrong so again i apoligize. Now to mbr i wouldnt say religious the ones who persecuted jesus the pharisees were religious going by strict laws and code im a christian which is simply being a follower of christ and Gods word. Pride before the fall...i apoligize for coming off as a know it all or to proud. so that my humbling ill be back for more later:)
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