'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Gets Censored By School District
- Maria Myka
- Dec 17, 2015 06:26 AM EST
- Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE
-
Earlier this year, people complained about Starbucks cups not being Christian enough with their plain red design. Now, it seems that people are complaining of a show that has been around for fifty years -- for being too Christian.
In a report by Fox News, Johnson County, Kentucky has its school district censor their elementary school's presentation of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Not only that, but the district ordered the schools to remove religious references from their upcoming Christmas productions as well.
The order resulted in one school replacing "Silent Night" with a Christmas version of the "Whip/Nae Nae" song, which disappointed families. A distraught grandmother said, "How do you go from 'Silent Night' to the 'Whip/Nae Nae... We're not at all happy about it."
All religion was lost from the production, especially when teachers from WR Castle Elementary School were directed to remove the particularly moving scene of Linus sharing the true meaning of Christmas by reading from the Gospel of Luke.
Superintendent Tom Slayer said that the entire passage was deleted from the program when the school district received a single complaint, adding that he was simply following the advice of the school district attorneys.
The Washington Times reported that the Alliance Defending Freedom weighed in on the issue, saying that "There is no violation of the so-called 'separation of church and state' by allowing children to learn about theater and the origins of Christmas through participating in a stage version of this beloved program that contains the same religious elements as the television version."
The letter, which was signed by two ADF attorneys added, "Given that courts have consistently held that schools may organize and sponsor Christmas programs and performances that include religious songs and study the historical origins of Christmas, there is no basis for the District's decision to censor the religious aspects of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.'"
ADF legal counsel Matt Sharp said in a statement that schools should not have to think twice about whether or not they can perform classic Christmas productions simply because they contain biblical references. He said, "'A Charlie Brown Christmas' has become an iconic Christmas story and tradition. Are school officials going to start demanding that other classic productions, such as Shakespearean plays, be censored just because they contain religious references?"
It seems that no matter which way people go in treating the holidays, there will always be someone who will complain about religion or the lack there of. Do you think the decision of the school to censor "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is appropriate?
- Sign up to receive the lastest news from LATINONE
-