Don't Believe in Jesus? No Christmas Party for You!
Douglas Stewart was forced to stay at home while his friends received presents from Santa and tucked into ice cream and jelly. His parents were told he was not welcome at the celebration because they had pulled him out of religious eduction classes earlier in the year. ...
Furious mother Dawn Riddell, 38, said yesterday: "I've helped out at the Christmas party before and it's got absolutely nothing to do with Jesus. Douglas was heartbroken he couldn't go. It was cruel."
Soruce: Daily Mail
Dawn Riddell had been told when she pulled her sons from Religious Education that there would be consequences, but she couldn't have expected that this would be one of them — especially since she knew that the Christmas party was secular in nature. She even called to check and was told that the school parties were all non-religious. As others have learned, though, the secular status of Christmas and Christmas celebrations doesn't stop some Christians from trying to impose their stamp of Christianity on the day wherever they can.
It's fine, of course, for Christians to celebrate Christmas in a religious manner if they wish. Who's going to stop them and who would even want to? What's not fine is for Christians to hold completely secular celebrations of Christmas and then pretend that there is some sort of religious entry requirement. To put it another way, Christians can't have it both ways: they can either have religious or secular celebrations, but they can't have secular celebrations with religious standards or expectations. This time the headmaster backed off and admitting the boys to a party, but next time might not go so well.
I think the Headmaster was right. Christmas SHOULD only be for Christians. Therefore, Christians need to stop trying to shove it down everybody else’s throats. Ms. Riddell SHOULD NOT be helping out at Christmas parties and SHOULD be working to rid this school (I am assuming it is a public school) of religious influences entirely.
“I think the Headmaster was right. Christmas SHOULD only be for Christians. ”
Yes, because only christians can spend time with their families and decorate their houses, non christains aren’t moral enough to paritcipate in any of that.
In case anyone misenterprets this, I am being sarcastic.
I loved this quote in the comments section:
>If they felt strongly enough to ban him from learning Bible stories the school would have taken it for granted that any marking of Christ’s mass was out of the question.
The article is short. But it’s as if this poster simply missed this quote from the boys’ mother:
>”I’ve helped out at the Christmas party before…
The school thought perhaps the parents would object to the boys attending a party where the mother helps out? Oh, that’s reasonable.
Jesus was real, he just wasn’t the son of God. December 25 is not his birthday. The party was about Santa and treats. The boys should be allowed to go.
All cults act that way. David Koresh would have kept him from joining a hand grenade party. Jim Jones would have withheld the Kool aid.
In some ways you Americans are your own worst enemies. This sort of nonsense should be stamped out. The parents should be able to sue the school. You don’t say if it is a government run school or private school. In any case it is a poor reflection on Christians taking their spite out on children.
er..it was in the UK-at a council-run school-click on the link.Reading between the lines,it seems the school authorities were told to back down by the council-who confirmed to the mother that parties were secular.
Must admit though ,Bob,it does sound more like a US story.