I have no problem with inclusiveness- and would never deny anyone his own celebration. I object to the exclusion on purely musical and educational grounds. The problem is that the music the pagans have written is on the whole far inferior to that of the Christian repertoire, and if a child's family does not actively participate in a church, he is denied access to the greatest music ever written. I might be wrong in this, but I believe that unless one is exposed to good music in the developmental years, it is harder to appreciate it as an adult. When I go to school concerts, I am always disappointed at the lack of emphasis on quality.
I think you are correct when you say Christian music has taken the hit as society tries to be fair to all. Unfortunately, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to return it to the schools and to do so would take more trust in the teachers and the system than most non-Christians have at this time. And you may be right about the confusion for an eight year old (I'm really not sure-my boys never seemed very confused), but certainly by the time a child reaches his teen years, he can understand that to appreciate a Bach Mass does not necessitate religious conviction. I am not advocating the exclusion of any one else in any way-sing of Frosty and Santa, trees and joy; I only regret that exposure to the most exquisite musical achievements of man are being denied some of our young people because of our fear of the hidden agenda. Why would a child be more confused by Jesus than Santa, if it is not presented as religious truth?
So the children pay the price, as usual, for the extremism of adults on both sides.
By the way, I am equally irritated that the schools can't put up pictures of witches, ghosts or Jack-o-lanterns at Halloween because it's "Satanic". But I guess what's sauce for the goose....
It seems that in our pursuit of all-encompassing tolerance, we grow ever more intolerant.
(Cocoa?! Where's the eggnog and bourbon?) |
