(From TeenTribune)
Should schools be made safe for Christmas?
Just in time for the holidays, Texas is making sure everyone remembers that wishing someone "Merry Christmas" is now protected by law in its public schools. Conservatives are hoping similar measures will gain momentum across America. Bill French, dressed as Santa, helped raise awareness for Texas' new Merry Christmas law. More
(From NY Times, forwarded by John C.)
Judge Rules Against Cross on U.S. Land
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge ruled Thursday that a cross on federal land in San Diego violated the First Amendment ban on a government endorsement of religion and ordered it removed within 90 days.
But the quarter-century fight over the 29-foot cross atop Mount Soledad may not be over. The judge said he would stay the order if there was an appeal. The case has wound through the courts since the 1980s, while the cross has become emblematic of the national debate over the place of religion in public life. More
(From Mint Press News, forwarded by Kayla A.)
Wedding Photog Asks Supremes For Cert
A New Mexico wedding photographer who was found to have violated an anti-discrimination law by refusing to photograph the “commitment ceremony” of a lesbian couple is attempting to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the government cannot compel her to create expressive images that conflict with her religious beliefs.
The court in August rejected Huguenin’s argument that serving same-sex couples would unconstitutionally compel her “to engage in unwanted expression” because she has a deeply-held religious belief that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. The case began in September 2006 after she turned down the request of Vanessa Willock to photograph her commitment ceremony, saying she only photographed “traditional weddings.” More
7 comments:
Chris Wolak @ChrisWolak1 24m
“@HuffingtonPost: Jon Stewart reacts to Megyn Kelly's racist Santa comment http://huff.to/1cGnhxw ” Sociology students, what do you think?🎅
I agree with the "Merry Christmas" law from Texas because it also includes protection of religious symbols such as a menorah or Christmas tree as long as a multiple religions are represented as well as a secular symbol such as a snowman. That seems like a fair agreement. Sometimes it seems like schools push too hard to remain secular, when religious holidays are culturally very relevant and important. I do not think the photographer from New Mexico will be granted cert because she was clearly discriminating against the couple. If it was an African American couple and she would not photograph them because of their race, she would be in a lot of trouble. Discrimination is discrimination no matter what the circumstances are.
in apush and ap euro, we talked about separate spheres when it was concerning genders, and how each gender had it's own private and public roles. i think what is needed for religion and daily life is separate spheres. your whole circle is society, within you have 2 same sized circles not touching each other. one is religion, the other is your daily life. feel free to practice religion, but do not let it bleed into your public and private work. avoidance of this excessive entanglement would be beneficial because one could make decisions based on the facts, and what is the right thing for their constituents and not their ideologies. in ap euro, we talked about the difference between freedom and liberty, and how we all have the freedom to practice what we wish, we have to mind our liberties and the liberties of others. liberty is using common sense to shelter your private life from your public life. there is a clear necessity to differentiate between the two. i'm not sure what good wishing someone a "merry christmas" would do or why it is necessary to be protected by law, but it is texas.
Totally agree with the ruling about the cross on federal land, wondering how that was ever permitted to begin with. That is a direct federal endorsement of a specific religion. As for the photographer: She should be permitted to refuse her service to same-sex couples ONLY if she doesnt run around saying she wants to serve the public. If she established herself as a private, Christian (I think) photographer it would have been okay, in my opinion.
I agree with Caitlin. I also agree with the Merry Christmas law because I think it's a pretty fair deal. Our school system's try to stay very secular but religious holidays are an important part in society so I feel like a representation of multiple religions is okay. The photographer shouldn't be granted cert in my opinion because she hasn't established herself as a private photographer or a certain religious photographer. By her saying that she serves the public, she should serve everyone and anyone no matter what if they are a same-sex couple or not.
I agree with Caitlin, the law from Texas is so great because it protects those from many different thought processes. As a person who doesn't celebrate any religious holiday during the Winter season, I honestly feel like with equal representation there shouldn't really be a reason why anyone would have a problem with the "Merry Christmas" law. Even though schools try to be extremely neutral during the season, when it comes down to it, students will make a deal out of the holiday season, so there is no way to truly prevent it.
As much as schools attempt to remain neutral, religion will always find its way in somehow, especially when it comes to holidays. This does not mean that schools should promote one religion and discriminate against others, all holidays, religious or secular, should be represented. It just means that religion is a very large part of many peoples' lives, and therefore it is bound to leak into the school system.
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