School Pulls Reigious Song

In response to a threatened lawsuit from atheist Rob Sherman, a school in Illinois has agreed to pull an explicitly religious song from the program of it's choir where Sherman's daughter sings. Sherman had originally objected to two songs, but agreed to a compromise where one remained.

Pioneer Press reports:

Both songs, which were originally scheduled to be performed during a concert Monday night, contain references to God. One song, "Hashivenu," was chosen for its melody. The other, "I'm Goin' Up a Yonder," is described as an African-American spiritual song. Mical said the district agreed to remove "Hashivenu" from the program since the lyrics, which are in Hebrew, are taken directly from Lamentations 5:21 of the Old Testament -- a passage used in Jewish liturgy. Mical said after discussing the content of "Hashivenu" with attorneys and local rabbis, district officials determined the song is not appropriate for a public school choral program.

The decision here seems fair. The Hebrew song is most definitely a prayer to God, on used in Jewish worship services and, hence, inappropriate for a public school's choral program (regardless of the intent). The second song, a spiritual, is probably inappropriate as well but because its historical and cultural context is very different it must be accepted that reasonable people may disagree on that.

Read More:

• Secularism 101
• Separation of Church and State 101
• Religion in Public Schools