Two New Jersey schools continue the tradition of hyper-separationism

Dawn Eden, the Petite Powerhouse and ever-gracious and kind host of the Dawn Patrol blog, has had an excellent op-ed piece published in the New York Post about two New Jersey schools eliminating religious music from their holiday concerts:

THE people of South Orange and Maplewood, N.J., where I went to high school, are going to find some thing missing from their towns next month — the sound of schoolchildren performing holiday music. The district has banned students from performing music related to any religious holiday — defeating the purpose of the schools' traditional "holiday concerts."

Two things should be noted about this article. First, Dawn is Jewish and says this:

Performing in front of the townspeople, I also learned something about the power of inspirational music to bring people together. I knew that the lyrics about the Messiah weren't about my religion's Messiah. Yet I couldn't help but be moved at how Handel's intensely beautiful music, sung by teenagers in intricate four-part harmony, had such an uplifting effect on the listerners, many also not Christian.

Second, even an atheist attorney is denouncing this decision:

Even First Amendment lawyer Ron Kuby, an avowed atheist, is on the side of the angels. "Unfortunately, it's always easier to stifle the speech than to risk a lawsuit," he says. "But this serves no one's interest. It infuriates the religious community without any corresponding benefit to maintaining the separation between church and state."

[Infuriating the religious community for no other purpose than to infuriate the religious community is a primary goal of many people, unfortunately.]

I, of course, completely agree with them both. While "the Messiah" is primarily religious, it is also one of the greatest pieces of musical art ever written. The "Hallelujah Chorus" in particular belongs on the same level as "the Last Supper," the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Michaelangelo's "David," and other great works of art that are primarily religious in nature. If we take "the Messiah" out of the schools because of its religious content, do we then also end the teaching of those things from school art and history classes? Schools that do things like this are only robbing our children of valuable experience and knowledge.

Dawn's blog also has more on the topic, including links to defenses of religious-themed holiday music by the American School Board Journal, the National Association for Music Education, the First Amendment Center, and the Anti-Defamation League. She also links to this wonderful post by an atheist who actually is a voice of true reason and tolerance.