School Bans Even Secular Easter Images; Doesn’t Want To Offend Anyone

[Smart3]

Easter is as annoying and pointless as Valentine's Day.

 

[otherone]

What does an "egg hunt" have to do with school?

 

[PaulConventionWV]

MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) Teachers at Heritage Elementary School in Madison, AL were informed Monday their plans to have an “academic egg hunt” with their kindergarten and second grade students would need to be scrapped.

The school’s principal, Lydia Davenport, informed staff no activities related to or centered around any religious holiday would be allowed in the interest, she says, of religious diversity among students.

There is nothing biblical about Easter bunnies or colorful plastic eggs or synthetic iridescent grass clippings, but the perceived need to modify the student egg hunt has many parents upset; less upset, they say about the need to preserve religious freedom and more about their students’ freedom to simply be a kid.

One Heritage parent wrote in an email response:

“I don’t get upset about too many things, but this upsets me. What is this world coming to? I am a Christian and proud to announce it. But even non-believers enjoy a good egg hunt. Kids need to enjoy being kids.”

“We had in the past,” explains principal Lydia Davenport, “a parent to question us about some of the things we do here at school, so we’re just trying to make sure we respect and honor everybody’s differences.”

Teachers had originally planned to participate in a ‘quiz bowl’ egg hunt where students would chime in to answer with egg buzzers and search for answers to quiz questions in “Easter eggs”.

It sounds simply like fun and games, no rugged crosses cloaked in purple silk, no images of hands clasped in prayer; just eggs, plastic ones.

But Heritage School administrators came up with a compromise to allow the student activity to continue.

“We compromised by allowing teachers to use other different kinds of shapes besides eggs in the classroom to put those questions in the students will be answering,” said Davenport.

She says Madison City Schools have no policy in place regarding observance of religious holidays.

Elementary school teachers in Madison are allowed to choose the two parties they wish their respective classes to participate in each year.

The egg hunt and quiz bowl will go on, just without any mention of the word “Easter”.

“Kids love the bunny,” smiles Davenport, “and we just make sure we don’t say ‘the Easter bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion; a bunny is a bunny and a rabbit is a rabbit,” Davenport concluded.

Principal Davenport says one of her kindergarten teachers has students that represent six different religious denominations.

It is the need to make sure religiously diverse students do not feel uncomfortable, she says, that prompted the decision to change the semantics on the school egg hunt.


http://wreg.com/2013/03/26/school-bans-even-secular-easter-images-doesnt-want-to-offend-anyone/

The very idea of "religious diversity" precludes the belief in any religion. If you believe in religious "diversity", then it follows that you don't hold any of them as being any more important than the other. Thusly, those who promote religious diversity are placing themselves in a position of superiority by pretending they can decide how much of one religion is too much. By taking this stance, they expose their hubris and air of superiority.

What bothers me isn't the fact that easter eggs shouldn't be offensive, which they may very well be. It's placing yourself in a position of superiority simply because you are an atheist who doesn't value any religion. That doesn't mean atheists can't hold positions of authority, it simply means that using that authority as a way of squelching religious individuality is just another way of promoting atheism by reducing each religion to an interchangeable set of beliefs, of which one has no more importance than any other.

By promoting atheism, the principal is actually doing a disservice to religious sensitivity.

 

[Dr.3D]

What does an "egg hunt" have to do with school?

LOL, I suppose it teaches kids how to look for things that are hidden.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

“Kids love the bunny,” smiles Davenport, “and we just make sure we don’t say ‘the Easter bunny’ so that we don’t infringe on the rights of others because people relate the Easter bunny to religion; a bunny is a bunny and a rabbit is a rabbit,” Davenport concluded.

A bunny is a bunny, a rabbit is a rabbit, and this is so dumb.

Another bleat from a brain-dead sheep. Where does she get the idea that saying "Easter bunny" infringes on anyone's rights? Since when do subtle references to religious holidays infringe on anyone's rights? You have the right to your life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You do NOT have the right to be free from subtle religious references.

 

[PaulConventionWV]

What makes this even funnier is Easter, as a holiday, is 100% pagan, just like Christmas. Sure, what it celebrates is fine, but everything from the Easter Bunny to the name itself is a direct reference to earlier festivals emanating from Babylon and Damascus.

Yep. Just like Halloween and Valentine's Day.

 

[otherone]

it simply means that using that authority as a way of squelching religious individuality is just another way of promoting atheism by reducing each religion to an interchangeable set of beliefs, of which one has no more importance than any other.

a-religionist and a-theist are two different ideas. Having an "egg hunt" is as stupid as having a "falafel hunt" or somesuch. It's no wonder our kids are so poorly educated, if schools believe themselves to be the arbiter of cultural traditions. Have your egg hunts at your homes and churches.

 

[NCGOPer_for_Paul]

So when is the inevitable champion lawsuit over Christmas being a Federal Holiday? Gotta separate that church and state.

I would not be at all surprised if "Christmas" is changed to the fourth Friday of December and called "National Gift Giving Day".

The Christmas "holiday" season is supposed to last from Dec. 24 through January 6th, and New Year's is supposed to be part of it. Seems like now, Christmas celebrations end on the 26th, and then we focus on getting hammered on New Year's Eve. People start taking down Christmas decorations around here on the 26th.

 

[Dr.3D]

My son shot a rabbit the other day and happened to mention it on his 'Facebook' page. People got all upset, telling him he was an awful person to be shooting rabbits this time of the year. He finally had to take down any mention of him shooting his dinner.

 

[oyarde]

They should tell the kids that they've hidden eggs around the classrooms with "free government money" hidden in them and not then not hide anything so there are no eggs to find. Then when the kids get upset about not finding anything, explain why in American society, the government doesn't "owe" you anything. That is why there are no "entitlement" eggs to find. While you are explaining this, have somebody go around and quietly hide new eggs around the classrooms. When you are done, send them out and tell them them to search again, because this time, you have a feeling their hard work will pay off and you thought you saw somebody come by and hide eggs a few minutes ago, but you're not sure..... When they find lots of eggs this time, tell them it was clearly a reward for searching real hard and not giving up, which obviously pays off.

I give my Grandkids an egg , inside a pc of paper the has by the Thurs prior how much share they owe of the National debt.

 

[oyarde]

I would not be at all surprised if "Christmas" is changed to the fourth Friday of December and called "National Gift Giving Day".

The Christmas "holiday" season is supposed to last from Dec. 24 through January 6th, and New Year's is supposed to be part of it. Seems like now, Christmas celebrations end on the 26th, and then we focus on getting hammered on New Year's Eve. People start taking down Christmas decorations around here on the 26th.

I put up some orange lights for Halloween 2011 and just left them up and on , they just burned out a few weeks ago , now I need a new strand , lol,for real.

 

[bolil]

Easter is almost as annoying and pointless as Valentine's Day.

Which holidays do you celebrate?

 

[oyarde]

My grand kids sometimes mention other children get candy in eggs.I say bah humbug , back to work you little slackers

 

[Dr.3D]

Which holidays do you celebrate?

Myself, I tend to avoid pagan holidays.

 

[bolil]

Myself, I tend to avoid pagan holidays.

I was unaware the outlaw bikers recognized the fluffy bunny of Easter.

You might choose not to celebrate pagan holidays, but your forced to live in pagan days. HA!

 

[shane77m]

I give my Grandkids an egg , inside a pc of paper the has by the Thurs prior how much share they owe of the Nationl debt.

Poor kids. The last I looked we all owe about $53,000 each.

Sometimes I think about it wonder why anyone even worries about paying off their debts anymore. Our dear leaders will never pay off their debt. We should just follow their example.

 

[Dr.3D]

I was unaware the outlaw bikers recognized the fluffy bunny of Easter.

You might choose not to celebrate pagan holidays, but your forced to live in pagan days. HA!

I can ignore those.

 

[bolil]

I can ignore those.

Got pagan months, and pagan years, yup, and your compliance is forced by majorities' fears.

 

[bolil]

My son shot a rabbit the other day and happened to mention it on his 'Facebook' page. People got all upset, telling him he was an awful person to be shooting rabbits this time of the year. He finally had to take down any mention of him shooting his dinner.

he should have put up a picture of the skinned critter. Maybe while wearing its bloody fur for a mask. This, while brandishing a bloody machete and crazy eyes.

 

[Dr.3D]

Got pagan months, and pagan years, yup, and your compliance is forced by majorities' fears.

And one must wonder why the person (a Pope) who made up the 'Gregorian' calendar just happened to use so many names of pagan gods for the days of the week and the names of the months.