A curious bit of timing

As I was driving my daughter to school today, the radio station I listen to in the morning was having a discussion about the decision by a school in New Jersey to ban any "religious" Christmas music in their "holiday" concert. Amusingly, this was said to be done in the name of "diversity." I haven't yet figured out how you create more diversity by banning an entire cultural expression.

I get a little of that at my own school. I'm asked to keep away from too much religious Christmas music (but it's not completely banned), then told I need to find music for Kwanzaa, which as far as I know only one of my students celebrates. Now I'm inclined to be genuinely culturally diverse in my concert selections. I always include Hanukah songs, and my last concert was a "trip around the world" using music from many countries covering five continents. (Somehow I missed Australia, but I'll make up for it in the future, I promise.) I can work with the guidelines I'm given.

So the object of our holiday celebrations is to avoid anything that even remotely hints at religion, right? Not quite. Tomorrow we, like many other schools are having a big Halloween celebration. At least some students at schools throughout the state will dress up in costumes that reflects the paganism that has become the hallmark of Halloween, albeit most unintentionally. Some costumes will reflect even darker aspects of the day. And, of course, the very name of the holiday refers to a celebration from an entirely different religious perspective.

I'm no Halloween spoilsport. I don't mind if children enjoy the fun aspects of the day. But I do think it's hypocritical to allow certain holidays to utilize religious symbolism while others have their symbolism banned. Of course, I also have heard of school districts that are banning Halloween celebrations under protest from some parents. Maybe this will start to get people wondering about that whole "diversity" thing and how you implement it!

As a Christian, I'm not really enamored of Halloween. I'm more of a Reformation Day man myself. (For our school Halloween parade, I'm dressing as a monk.) At the same time, I'm open to others celebrating holidays they enjoy without their having to worry about my sensitivities. Maybe if our society were more open to real diversity, these kinds of issues wouldn't arise. But then, there would be a need to confront the claims of Jesus Christ, and the sinful heart never wants to do that.