Walk down any cellblock in any penitentiary in America and ask the convicts why they’re there. They all say the same thing: They were forced to sing songs in elementary school that included the words God or pray, or made any reference to rowing a boat ashore or holding the whole world in someone’s hands. It’s a miracle any of us ever overcome that kind of childhood trauma at all.
At least that’s the impression the Freedom From Religion Foundation is giving with their insistence that such songs be removed from Okte Elementary School’s curriculum. The Shenendehowa school in Clifton Park, N.Y. teaches kids music with hell-raising lyrics like "Thank you God for everything," "I pray the Lord my soul to keep," "Michael row your boat ashore" and "He's got the whole world in his hands."
Annie Laurie Gaylor, the co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation told Fox News, "This is not minor. It's predatory to conduct this toward a young, captive audience who would be truant if they didn't attend public school.”
I think someone needs to look up “predatory” and “truancy” in the dictionary. They’re kids. They’re learning music. Are they going to wipe out Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star too, because it smacks of sky-worshipping? Besides, science tells us we don’t have to wonder what those stars are – they are big balls of flaming gas. What are we teaching our children by telling them big flaming gas balls in the sky are like diamonds?
Seriously, it is not “predatory” to teach six-year-olds songs about God. Where was the Freedom From Religion Foundation when school children were being taught to chant “Barack Hussein Obama mmm mmm mmm”? Talk about cultist worship …
This religious-hate group swooped in on Okte Elementary School because one parent complained. One! No one is ever going to make everyone happy, and I think only offending one person in an entire school is pretty good. No one is holding that student captive, despite what Ms. Gaylor claims. Millions of children across the country never step foot in a public school, and they’re not considered truant. It’s called school choice, and some parents opt for private or home schooling.
Maybe the debate over education should be focused on how to raise academic standards, rather than eradicating music curriculum of songs that have been sung for generations and never did anyone any harm.
How would you react if your child was asked to sing one of these songs in public school? Would you run to your lawyer?
Image via Horla Varlan/Flickr
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Comments 206
Absolutely not but so often Athiests are so militant and angry that it is not surprising that they are causing a stir over a few simple children's songs.
Oh please ThinkingK.
ATHEISTS are militant and angry? ATHEISTS?
Atheists are constantly told they are going to hell. Constantly forced to say the pledge with God in it as children. They get disowned by relgious family members. Everytime they stand up for not only their rights, but the rights of every non christian in america, they are met with backlash from those who wish to push christianity on everyone.
When they try to enforce separation of church and state and stand up for those being isolated in schools, then you want to bitch that they are militant and angry? No. They are the bullied kids that finally lash back out.
What's funny is that many of those songs are more historical then religious. Well, maybe they are religious, but they aren't sung for those reasons. "Michael, row your boat ashore" is an old Negro Spiritual (at least that is what it used to be called - I'm sorry if I used the wrong term). It's part of our musical heritage. Often when those type of songs are sung it is because that is exactly what they are - part of our country's heritage! God is referenced in MANY MANY songs from our nations past. If you want to expose children to songs from different time periods you are guaranteed that some will contain a reference to God.
I can understand why a parent would be upset. I wouldn't care myself, even as an athesist, but it is understable. We do have a little something called seperation of church and state. The last time I checked our public schools are ran by the state.
There are clear guidelines on when it's appropriate to sing religious songs in schools. The supreme court has ruled that it's not only legal to teach sacred music but it's innapropriate not to when you get into high school. A high school choir needs to be singing much of that old sacred stuff written by the masters (masses written by Mozart for example) just as a high school literature class will read works like cantebery tales and Dante's Inferno.
However, the songs need to be taught because of their musical/historical value and "praise" songs aren't appropriate. There also needs to be a ballance and it sounds like there may not have been here. Having a choir sing an arrangement of Morning is Broken along with the rest of the songs in their concert or having kids learn traditional christmas carols is different than the Sunday school songs they're talking about here. It's all about what else is being used and how much these songs are a part of the curriculum. Are they singing them every day? Were they beautiful arrangements done with a chorus while the rest of the songs were secular?