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Holiday decorations in public schools

Your thoughts on holiday decorations at public schools...

  • No religious holiday decorations should be allowed.

    Votes: 3 11.1%

  • All religious holiday decorations should be equally displayed.

    Votes: 4 14.8%

  • It depends on the religion of the majority of the student population.

    Votes: 8 29.6%

  • Other

    Votes: 12 44.4%
  • Total voters
    27
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Feel free to answer the poll and elaborate on your opinions and/or experiences in public schools around the holidays.
 
It depends on the religion of the majority of the student population.

.........

I am guessing the facts are... this is a public school, like an elementary school, and the students want to have fun and color pictures..

I think school is about learning respect and about the world, and children should be allowed to have fun. If there are other students who celebrate something else or don't celebrate anything at all, they should all take this as an opportunity to learn from each other. I think their cultures and religions should be discussed and explored. Teachers can even learn from the kids..

I know some parents don't even teach their kids Santa Claus is real.. and some do. I personally don't have kids, so I am not sure how parents would feel about this stuff.

My boyfriend lights a menorah where he works, and nobody cares or gets offended.. There is also a Christmas tree there.. :2razz:
 
Christmas stuff is pretty. Just don't go overboard. Embracing the secular aspects of the holiday, such as trees, wreaths, and Santa, really shouldn't ever cause a religious problem, except among those who are looking to find problems. Genuine fun and celebration is hard to argue against.
 
Woops, I meant to vote "No religious holiday decorations should be allowed". It's not that I have a problem with any holiday decorations in schools... it's more that I know people would bitch and moan about how their religion or personal beliefs aren't being represented equally, or people would complain that other people's beliefs are being pushed on their kids. It would likely end in removing all of the decorations.
 
Religious stuff like Baby Jesus or anything no. Pictures of Santa, Christmas trees, etc yes.
 
I had to vote other. Technically, religious stuff should not be displayed(ie manger scene and such), but to be honest it's also something I personally would never make a fuss about. If I was a school administrator, I would not let it be done, but if I was a parent at a school where it was done, I would not say anything about it.
 
Only Jesus should be displayed, ALL OTHER religious items burned in a pile in the school yard. It's time Christianity gets reparations for what it has suffered. I'm tired of this PC bull****. Kindergarteners (that's right little innocent kids) should be taught to paint pictures of Mohammed, then burned outside in the play ground. DO YOU HEAR ME!!! Let the bastards over in Iran **** a brick if they want.

It's Reverse-PC time!

angry20muslim20man202.jpg
 
When I was in school it was all about Santa, Reindeer, Elves, ect. Though I do remember making a Star of David Christmas tree decoration,(kind of ironic thinking about it now)

Anyways, I think the focus should probably be on the secular side of the holiday, just so everyone can be included, but I wouldn't mind teaching the kids what Christmas, Hanukah is about, not as a religious teaching, but just for the educational value of it.
 
Redress said:
I had to vote other. Technically, religious stuff should not be displayed(ie manger scene and such), but to be honest it's also something I personally would never make a fuss about. If I was a school administrator, I would not let it be done, but if I was a parent at a school where it was done, I would not say anything about it.
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That is funny. When I thought about the question I didn't think of nativity scenes.. I thought of Santa Claus and trees, maybe some cookies or snowmen, but not Jesus. lol

Putting a nativity scene on school property definitely changes the circumstance..
 
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I don't mind (and only these are listed because they occur during hte school year)

St Patrick's Day
Valentine's Day
Secular Christmas
Thanksgiving

I do mind Easter

Growing up all those holidays WERE secular - if not to my family then at least to my friends in some way.

But Easter was always religious. I never heard of a secular Easter - and never did I 'celebrate' it in school - it was purely religious for us, up at Dawn to have outside early morning service.
But my kid's school system has an egg hunt and egg games at school - ticks me off. I don't get how it was purely religious in one area of the country and some bizarre non-religious thing in another.
 
I'm fine with decorations that go along with religious holidays as long as those decorations themselves aren't religious iconography.

For example, Christmas trees, santa claus, elves, and reindeer are cool. Nativity scenes, not so much.

I'd give examples for other holidays, but I'm not familiar enough with them to really do so.
 
I couldn't care less, religious or not, if it offends someone they can close their eyes as they walk past it, of course, it's a moot point in Australia, as we have school holidays over most of summer.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
I don't mind (and only these are listed because they occur during hte school year)

St Patrick's Day
Valentine's Day
Secular Christmas
Thanksgiving

I do mind Easter

Growing up all those holidays WERE secular - if not to my family then at least to my friends in some way.

But Easter was always religious. I never heard of a secular Easter - and never did I 'celebrate' it in school - it was purely religious for us, up at Dawn to have outside early morning service.
But my kid's school system has an egg hunt and egg games at school - ticks me off. I don't get how it was purely religious in one area of the country and some bizarre non-religious thing in another.
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:lol: You're opposed to Easter, but not a day celebrating a Catholic saint?
 
SheWolf said:
That is funny. When I thought about the question I didn't think of nativity scenes.. I thought of Santa Claus and trees, maybe some cookies or snowmen, but not Jesus. lol

Putting a nativity scene on school property definitely changes the circumstance..
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Well, it's only the celebration of his bloody birthday isn't it? Can't have the bloody guest of honor at his own birthday party, now can we? :roll:
 
Goshin said:
Well, it's only the celebration of his bloody birthday isn't it? Can't have the bloody guest of honor at his own birthday party, now can we? :roll:
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But it wasn't even the day he was born :2razz:
 
Your Star said:
But it wasn't even the day he was born :2razz:
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Well I didn't say it was, did I? Said it was his bloody birthday party. You don't have to have the party on your actual birthday do you now? Never get to have mine on my actual birthday, too bloody close to Christmas innit?
 
Sorry, I was just watching the Eddie Izzard clip on another thread, speech pattern rubbed off for a minute... :mrgreen:

Come to think of it today is my birthday, I'd forgotten until just now... think they'll be a party for old Goshin this close to Christmas? Presents and wotnot? No, Goshin has to wait a bit, everybody's doing Christmas right now you know. :(
 
Goshin said:
Well I didn't say it was, did I? Said it was his bloody birthday party. You don't have to have the party on your actual birthday do you now? Never get to have mine on my actual birthday, too bloody close to Christmas innit?
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But his birthday was in summer, I think celebrating his birthday a possible 6 months after the actual date is a little disrespectful to our Lord, and Savior :2razz:

Seriously though, all joking aside, my point was that people make too big of a deal about this, and that, and people really should just enjoy the season. Because this time, in our culture, the Christmas holiday, has evolved into something far bigger than the religious holiday.
 
Goshin said:
Sorry, I was just watching the Eddie Izzard clip on another thread, speech pattern rubbed off for a minute... :mrgreen:

Come to think of it today is my birthday, I'd forgotten until just now... think they'll be a party for old Goshin this close to Christmas? Presents and wotnot? No, Goshin has to wait a bit, everybody's doing Christmas right now you know. :(
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Happy Birthday to you! I hope you enjoy today, and Christmas :)

And I agree that must suck having it so close to Christmas.
 
I would be either ok with nothing at all or a community group providing their own decorations, funds, labor, etc for a limited amount of time while the government allows for use of the exterior of the building or its grounds on a basis of anyone who requests can have access (provided that nobody else has requested that time slot first)

I think either arrangement would uphold the separation of church and state.
 
MissLToe said:
Feel free to answer the poll and elaborate on your opinions and/or experiences in public schools around the holidays.
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I think all holiday decorations should be allowed at the discretion of the student population...what they're willing to put into it. Even Festivus. Same amount of space allowed...whoever wants to display displays. Why not? It's who we are as a country.
 
MaggieD said:
I think all holiday decorations should be allowed at the discretion of the student population...what they're willing to put into it. Even Festivus. Same amount of space allowed...whoever wants to display displays. Why not? It's who we are as a country.
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Very good. If some private group or if a group of kids wants to put up a christmas tree or something then I'd have no problem with it but if the school has to go out and buy the decorations in any way I'm against it. The last thing any school or government agency should be spending money on is decorations.
 
MaggieD said:
I think all holiday decorations should be allowed at the discretion of the student population...what they're willing to put into it. Even Festivus. Same amount of space allowed...whoever wants to display displays. Why not? It's who we are as a country.
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LOL! Yes!
 
roughdraft274 said:
Very good. If some private group or if a group of kids wants to put up a christmas tree or something then I'd have no problem with it but if the school has to go out and buy the decorations in any way I'm against it. The last thing any school or government agency should be spending money on is decorations.
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Really? Schools buy decorations all the time for all holidays and special events throughout the year and then reuse them every year. You're really against them buying any decorations?
 
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