School district bans ALL religious holidays

[R. Johnson]

The First Amendment only says "Congress shall make no law"--it doesn't say anything about schools observing religious holidays. It's really not even binding on the states, as written, let alone local schools, it has just been extended by the courts, and relatively recently, at that.

This.

And if you wanted to interpret the 1A VERY BROADLY (and incorrectly) to define congress as any governmental law making body (e.g. a school), it still wouldn't apply, because the school's observance of a particular religious holiday is still not a rule that establishes a religion or prevents the free exercise there of.

And if we take it further, and interpret it to mean what the FFRF and like organizations would like it to mean, we would still have a problem. Forcing removal of all reference to religion in government by default forces the government to become atheist. The way I see it, atheism is a religion itself, so atheism becomes the government favored religion and thus violates this fictional separation of church and state.

But all of that is moot, because the 1A says "CONGRESS shall make no law..."

 

[DeeJay]

Law or no law, it is still wrong to allow one religion on the calendar but not another religion.

 

[Sanford]

Better quit calling them "holidays" too ... the word holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg (hālig "holy" + dæg "day"). Just sayin'.

Or just cancel 'em all and give all the little darlings a total of 15 days a year off so they'll be ready when it comes time for them to join the work force.

 

[Rod Snell]

All Altus schools would have to do is change Xmas break to "Winter Break." It's already "Fall" and "Spring" breaks. Who cares?

And the First Amendment is a red herring: "Congress shall make no laws concerning..etc" does not mean "Government shall actively act to protect everyone from the agony of hearing a religious word by favoring atheists."
As some states had banned certain churches in favor of others, the clear reading is to protect churches from Congress, not the new concept introduced in the Warren court of the Federal Government CONTROLLING and LIMITING churches, and interfering with personal practice of religion.

Reminds me of the book Fahrenheit 451, and the changed function of "Firemen": burning books the Government considered unsuitable.

 

[caojyn]

I

This.

And if you wanted to interpret the 1A VERY BROADLY (and incorrectly) to define congress as any governmental law making body (e.g. a school), it still wouldn't apply, because the school's observance of a particular religious holiday is still not a rule that establishes a religion or prevents the free exercise there of.

And if we take it further, and interpret it to mean what the FFRF and like organizations would like it to mean, we would still have a problem. Forcing removal of all reference to religion in government by default forces the government to become atheist. The way I see it, atheism is a religion itself, so atheism becomes the government favored religion and thus violates this fictional separation of church and state.

But all of that is moot, because the 1A says "CONGRESS shall make no law..."

Secularity isn't atheism

 

[SoonerP226]

Reminds me of the book Fahrenheit 451, and the changed function of "Firemen": burning books the Government considered unsuitable.

Same here, particularly when you consider how the practice of burning books got started in the novel--by banning books and speech offensive to various groups.

 

[henschman]

Another issue that is made so much easier by privatization.

 

[toehanus]

Another issue that is made so much easier by privatization.

Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[henschman]

Is this a new thing for Maryland? They have been calling Christmas break "winter break" since at least circa 2000 at the schools I went to, including Stillwater High School, OSU, and OU. I always got the impression it was an "in name only" kind of thing, done just to appease certain folks... most everybody still called it Christmas break.

It seems like if you were truly opposed to the government schools favoring the majority religion/culture, you wouldn't be satisfied with such thinly-veiled pretense by just re-labeling Christmas break. It ought to offend y'all really... how dumb do they think you are? Seems to me you should object to the whole notion of breaks being scheduled around a particular religion's main holiday.

 

[twoguns?]

Is this a new thing for Maryland? They have been calling Christmas break "winter break" since at least circa 2000 at the schools I went to, including Stillwater High School, OSU, and OU. I always got the impression it was an "in name only" kind of thing, done just to appease certain folks... most everybody still called it Christmas break.

It seems like if you were truly opposed to the government schools favoring the majority religion/culture, you wouldn't be satisfied with such thinly-veiled pretense by just re-labeling Christmas break. It ought to offend y'all really... how dumb do they think you are? Seems to me you should object to the whole notion of breaks being scheduled around a particular religion's main holiday.

I object to the whole notion of "breaks" Period......workers work all year , school should be all year...yanow?