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The Rutherford Institute Says 'Bah Humbug' to Censorship of Christmas

Institute Publication Clarifies First Amendment Right to Religious Expression During Holiday Season

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
--In response to a growing trend among public schools and local governments to ban references to Christmas or Christianity during the Christmas season, The Rutherford Institute has published "The Twelve Rules of Christmas," a simple, step-by-step guide to understanding what you can and cannot do to celebrate the holidays in public.

"Whether through ignorance or fear, Americans are painfully misguided about the recognition of religious holidays," said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. "Numerous incidents in public schools where students and teachers have been prohibited from making any reference to Christmas or to Christianity indicate that school boards and administrators often overreact to fears of church/state entanglement and err on the side of limiting the freedom of religious expression."

Whitehead referenced several recent incidents involving misguided attempts to censor expressions of Christmas. For example, acting on a citizen complaint, city officials in Tillamook, Ore., recently ordered the removal of a Nativity display at a drive-thru espresso stand because the owner leased the property from the city. The city manager justified the order by saying, "It appeared to be a conflict between church and state." According to one Michigan parent, an elementary school music teacher, acting on instructions from the school principal, eliminated the word "God" from all songs in her school's holiday concert. Children were instructed to be silent rather than say "God" whenever the word appeared in the music. In Texas, school officials are reported to have encouraged some Jewish parents to assist in instruction when second graders were taught the religious significance of the Menorah. However, when a Christian parent offered to assist in a similar fashion regarding Christmas, he was turned away.

"Every year we hear many complaints from parents about school officials banning any reference to the word 'Christmas,'" said Whitehead. "There is an irrational bias against anything remotely religious--unless it's sanitized and secularized--and unfortunately far too many parents, students and teachers erroneously believe they cannot do anything to celebrate Christmas in the public schools."

"The Twelve Rules of Christmas" is available on The Rutherford Institute's website at www.rutherford.org.

The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.


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Nisha N. Mohammed
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Email: Nisha N. Mohammed

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