The other three hundred and sixty-four
Dec. 23rd, 2004 01:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cyranoSo there seems to be a great fuss about there not being enough Jesus this time of year--certain Christians are upset because Their Holiday isn't getting enough attention.
First things first, I'm going to set aside the fact that 'the Reason for the Season' actually takes place closer to April than December and Their Holiday got bumped up a few months so as to take over a pagan revel celebrating the beginning of the lengthening of days. Completely setting it aside, as irrelevant to the conversation, even though it might not be.
Here's my opinion: I'm a believer in the government staying out of religion. (See my opinion about gay marriage.) I don't want my State Senate spending thousands of dollars on a giant Menorah for the roof of the Sacramento chambers. I don't want the Post Office to put a Nativity scene in an already overcrowded lobby. I consider Santa Claus to be a Saint and thus a religious icon. On the other side of the issue, if a merchant finds that saying the 'C' word makes him some extra cash then Go You. Or if a merchant actually believes that the birth of the Christ is an important spiritual event (and given the number of businesses that are closed on Sunday, I bet that percentage is pretty damn low) then, again, Go You. In fact, I'd love to see something like this display at a local business.
The principle seems simple to me. Which means I'm probably doing it wrong. The kid who brought candy canes to school with the little note about how the red stripe is the blood of the Christ (ew. blood-flavored holiday treats) is distasteful to me, but Go You. Christmas parties for MicroSoft employees? Go you. Want to put up a tree on the Town Hall lawn and decorate it as a symbol of the birth-death-rebirth cycle? I'd prefer you didn't.
(Of course, I don't know how I feel about Bach being performed by school choirs. I'm seriously torn there.)
First things first, I'm going to set aside the fact that 'the Reason for the Season' actually takes place closer to April than December and Their Holiday got bumped up a few months so as to take over a pagan revel celebrating the beginning of the lengthening of days. Completely setting it aside, as irrelevant to the conversation, even though it might not be.
Here's my opinion: I'm a believer in the government staying out of religion. (See my opinion about gay marriage.) I don't want my State Senate spending thousands of dollars on a giant Menorah for the roof of the Sacramento chambers. I don't want the Post Office to put a Nativity scene in an already overcrowded lobby. I consider Santa Claus to be a Saint and thus a religious icon. On the other side of the issue, if a merchant finds that saying the 'C' word makes him some extra cash then Go You. Or if a merchant actually believes that the birth of the Christ is an important spiritual event (and given the number of businesses that are closed on Sunday, I bet that percentage is pretty damn low) then, again, Go You. In fact, I'd love to see something like this display at a local business.
The principle seems simple to me. Which means I'm probably doing it wrong. The kid who brought candy canes to school with the little note about how the red stripe is the blood of the Christ (ew. blood-flavored holiday treats) is distasteful to me, but Go You. Christmas parties for MicroSoft employees? Go you. Want to put up a tree on the Town Hall lawn and decorate it as a symbol of the birth-death-rebirth cycle? I'd prefer you didn't.
(Of course, I don't know how I feel about Bach being performed by school choirs. I'm seriously torn there.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-12-23 04:19 pm (UTC);-)
no subject
Date: 2004-12-23 04:42 pm (UTC)God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen
Date: 2004-12-23 08:19 pm (UTC)Ah, a subject which has come up lately 'round these parts. The crux of the problem being that the raison d'etre of the vast majority of Western Music prior to 1850 was the glorification of Christ.
If you are at all serious about teaching music, you have to teach Bach, Handel, Hayden, Mozart, and all their commrades. Warts, stereotypes, religious proclivities, and general nastiness included. Yes, this can get you into trouble with the ACLU.
You have to be able to justify what you do in musical terms. You can be sneaky and sing in the original language (and conveniently forget to put a translation in the program). You can pray that no one notices. But Western Music falls apart without Bach, Beethoven and the boys. They are required no matter what belief system you subscribe to.
Therein end the hastily scribbled sermon.
Ahhhh.. Bach...
Date: 2004-12-24 11:39 pm (UTC)In the end, I think that the value of experiencing the sublimity of performing the music outweighed.. or perhaps superceded the Christian influence. Music is spiritual, regardless of who's being mentioned.