War on Christmas Continues as Angry Atheists Take Down Children's Nativity Scene at Okla. School
School officials in the reliably red state of Oklahoma have scrapped plans for a live nativity scene previously included in its annual holiday celebration.
According to KOCO-TV, third-graders at Chisholm Elementary in Edmond have a long-standing tradition of putting on a voluntary Christmas play that incorporates a portrayal of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
That tradition came to a screeching halt this year when the Freedom From Religion Foundation mailed a threatening letter to Edmond Public Schools.
The letter claimed that the scene was a form of “religious promotion.”
“Such a performance would be appropriate in a church setting, but not in a public school,” staff attorney Christopher Line argued.
Kudos to Edmond Public Schools for taking steps to ensure that school events are welcoming to all students, regardless of their religious beliefs. https://t.co/PTNcPUztDH
— FFRF (@FFRF) November 13, 2019
“A live nativity performance celebrating the story of Jesus’s birth is precisely the sort of religious endorsement prohibited by the Establishment Clause,” Line wrote.
“Teaching students the biblical story of the birth of Jesus and having them regularly rehearse a performance of that story entangles the school with the Bible’s devotional message.”
The school board caved to the group’s demands, perhaps because the letter informed them that the FFRF successfully sued a school district in Indiana over a live nativity scene in 2015.
“Changes were made to ensure the program’s content celebrates and respects the religious practices, customs, and traditions of the season while meeting the current legal standards,” school district officials told KOCO.
KWTV reported that parents of the children were distraught about the decision.
“We cannot let one or two individuals deny these opportunities for our precious kiddos,” one parent said on social media, according to KWTV.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has only 30,000 members, has been one of the leading voices in the war on Christmas for several decades.
This year marks the 11th straight year the organization was able to put a sign mocking belief in God in the Illinois State Capitol rotunda.
“There Are No Gods” Sign Goes Up in IL Capitol Building for 11th Straight Year https://t.co/umOUs6fC3s pic.twitter.com/LbW8XLe7TD
— Hemant Mehta (@hemantmehta) December 3, 2019
The FFRF has also been successful at getting its disparaging signs placed at other state capitol buildings.
FFRF’s annual Winter Solstice exhibit is up at the Wisconsin Capitol for an astonishing 24th year in a row. The exhibit was created as an equal-time challenge to combat religious dogmatism at the heart of state government. https://t.co/w99mUHWWdy pic.twitter.com/68jlEAyFP6
— FFRF (@FFRF) December 2, 2019
As the Christmas season rolls along, Christians can expect more of these sorts of attacks on communities and people of faith.
The only question now is: Will they let the secular humanist agenda of radical groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation succeed? Or will they take a stand and fight back? Time will tell.
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