• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

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
MissLToe said:
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?
Click to expand...

Stuff like snowflakes and other generic things are fine in my opinion (I am not roughdraft though), but I would draw the line at stuff like a menorah, a cross, or anything religious. That stuff should come from private funds.
 
megaprogman said:
Stuff like snowflakes and other generic things are fine in my opinion (I am not roughdraft though), but I would draw the line at stuff like a menorah, a cross, or anything religious. That stuff should come from private funds.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I don't get the people (not necessarily on this board) that think Santa and Christmas trees are religious. I have talked to teachers and parents who are completely against anything that has to do with Christmas (like Santa, Rudolph, etc.) because they see it as displaying something religious. I guess there are schools out there that don't allow anything Christmasy at all in classrooms. That's so odd to me.
 
MissLToe said:
I agree with you. I don't get the people (not necessarily on this board) that think Santa and Christmas trees are religious. I have talked to teachers and parents who are completely against anything that has to do with Christmas (like Santa, Rudolph, etc.) because they see it as displaying something religious. I guess there are schools out there that don't allow anything Christmasy at all in classrooms. That's so odd to me.
Click to expand...

I wonder of those people know someone who prays to santa or something. "Oh Rudolph, please shine your nose of enlightenment on me!"

That's just weird.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
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.
Click to expand...

Why do you hate paganism? :)
 
MissLToe said:
I agree with you. I don't get the people (not necessarily on this board) that think Santa and Christmas trees are religious. I have talked to teachers and parents who are completely against anything that has to do with Christmas (like Santa, Rudolph, etc.) because they see it as displaying something religious. I guess there are schools out there that don't allow anything Christmasy at all in classrooms. That's so odd to me.
Click to expand...

Jehovah's Witnesses are offended by the trees and Santa because they believe that these are dishonoring the true meaning of the season, and are evil.

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.c...sses-Christmas-celebrations-don-t-honor-Jesus
 
Last edited:
Catz Part Deux said:
Jehovah's Witnesses are offended by the trees and Santa because they believe that these are dishonoring the true meaning of the season, and are evil.
Click to expand...

So if I keep a Santa on my front porch all year will they not bother me at my house?
 
spud_meister said:
:lol: You're opposed to Easter, but not a day celebrating a Catholic saint?
Click to expand...

Yeah - St Patrick's Day is purely an excuse to party. . . much how Christmas celebrations USE to be for many.
No one's falling to their knees and hailing him with his divine grace. Most people have no clue who he was or why he was sainted.
 
Whovian said:
So, it's ok to celebrate a religious holiday as long as you keep religion out of it?
Click to expand...

Christmas falls near the solstice, and people celebrated that long before.

There is nothing Christian about how my family celebrates Christmas. The lights, tree, holly, yule log, feasting and gift-giving are truly ancient traditions.
 
I think all followers of Christ are saints and a church that thinks that only certain humans are given that recognition and THEY get to decide is not a church for me. Where do they get that from scripture anyway? Oh boo....this is a topic for another time... :)
 
Catz Part Deux said:
Christmas falls near the solstice, and people celebrated that long before.

There is nothing Christian about how my family celebrates Christmas. The lights, tree, holly, yule log, feasting and gift-giving are truly ancient traditions.
Click to expand...

So then, because 'your' family chooses to take the religious aspect of Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) out of the holiday festivites, everyone else should too?
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Yeah - St Patrick's Day is purely an excuse to party. . . much how Christmas celebrations USE to be for many.
No one's falling to their knees and hailing him with his divine grace. Most people have no clue who he was or why he was sainted.
Click to expand...

Didn't he kill a bunch of snakes or something?
 
Whovian said:
So then, because 'your' family chooses to take the religious aspect of Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) out of the holiday festivites, everyone else should too?
Click to expand...

It's not just her family, it's most of America.
 
Your Star said:
It's not just her family, it's most of America.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see a survey or something that shows 'most of America' has chosen to take the religious aspect of Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) out of the holiday festivites. Do you have a link to a credible source on that?
 
Whovian said:
So, it's ok to celebrate a religious holiday as long as you keep religion out of it?
Click to expand...

The first amendment is a bitch isn't it. However, what people want to do with their own funds is fine.
 
Catz Part Deux said:
Christmas falls near the solstice, and people celebrated that long before.

There is nothing Christian about how my family celebrates Christmas. The lights, tree, holly, yule log, feasting and gift-giving are truly ancient traditions.
Click to expand...

Correct. Christmas is a combination secular and religious holiday. Actually the Catholic Church hijacked a series of european holidays celebrating the winter solstice and decided that was the day we should celebrate the birth of Christ (and they did a similar thing in creating Easter). The fact is that his actual birth date is not known. Then American materialism (an anti-christ) further hijacked the date and turned it into 40% of US retail sales. Pagans and retail corporate king-pins have an equal to greater claim that we should get the Christ out of Christmas as others do advocating the opposite. But to call Christmas a high holy day is almost laughable now.

This really should not be a problem to real Christians either, as the idea that Christians should carve out one particular day to celebrate God's gift to mortal man is also absurd. Real Christians celebrate the birth, the death and the resurrection on a daily basis.
 
Whovian said:
So then, because 'your' family chooses to take the religious aspect of Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) out of the holiday festivites, everyone else should too?
Click to expand...

Strawman much? What did I say about how your family should celebrate? OF course, you people DID impose your silly traditions on OUR EXISTING HOLIDAY, but I'm not offended.
 
Whovian said:
I'd like to see a survey or something that shows 'most of America' has chosen to take the religious aspect of Christmas (the celebration of the birth of Christ) out of the holiday festivites. Do you have a link to a credible source on that?
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that they take it completely out, but the majority of the focus is on the secular parts of the holiday.
 
I see the separation between church and state in terms of whether or not the state is actually establishing a specific religion, and so any discussion as to school celebrations would have to do with at least two considerations -- is the public school establishing one religion while excluding others, and is the religious expression initiated by the school or the personal expression of the students? If kids want to bring stuff to school to share by way of their religion, I think that's fine as long as the school is not preventing some while encouraging others. If the school wants the kids to sing, say, "Oh Holy Night" in their pageant, for instance, I see no problem with this (heck, it's one of the most beautiful song ever written) as long as they don't force kids to sing it, don't exclude other songs that might represent the religions of other students and offer kids the opportunity to voice their concerns one way or another.

I see the situation as too often involving those who do want to cram their religion down everybody's throat on one side and people who want to eradicate religion from the public sphere entirely on the other side battling out their extreme positions, while the sensible middle ground gets ignored.
 
Last edited:
Gardener said:
I see the separation between church and state in terms of whether or not the state is actually establishing a specific religion, and so any discussion as to school celebrations would have to do with at least two considerations -- is the public school establishing one religion while excluding others, and is the religious expression initiated by the school or the personal expression of the students? If kids want to bring stuff to school to share by way of their religion, I think that's fine as long as the school is not preventing some while encouraging others. If the school wants the kids to sing, say, "Oh Holy Night" in their pageant, for instance, I see no problem with this (heck, it's one of the most beautiful song ever written) as long as they don't force kids to sing it, don't exclude other songs that might represent the religions of other students and offer kids the opportunity to voice their concerns one way or another.

I see the situation as too often involving those who do want to cram their religion down everybody's throat on one side and people who want to eradicate religion from the public sphere entirely on the other side battling out their extreme positions, while the sensible middle ground gets ignored.
Click to expand...

Best post in the thread. Thank you... it's exactly why I voted All religious holiday decorations should be equally displayed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom