Colorado student quits high school choir over Islamic song

Gee, I though "God", "Allah", "Yahweh", etc., were all names for the same invisible being? And how did a song suddenly become a "prayer"...?

Exaggerate much? Much ado about nothing...

Bailey Bud said it best:

Bailey Bud wrote: I think it's silly and disingenuous to make a faith-based choice --- and then shout it from a mountain-top
(that's not faith - it's self-righteousness).

I brought this situation up to my HS choir teacher when I sang in the HS choir. I told him that I felt uncomfortable singing all of the christian songs that we did. He told me that he understood and as far as he was concerned I didn't have to sing, but maybe I should look at it as expanding my horizons and that no one was looking at me and basing their opinions on me from singing a choir song. He compared it to acting. I agreed and stayed with it and sang many songs that didn't coincide with my beliefs. I'm glad I did and didn't let intolerance ruin the experience for me and I didn't burst into flames when I did sing those songs.

This is the most telling line in the story: ""I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but..."

You just have to wonder who submitted this story to the news. If this kid objects to anything that isn't christian, why isn't he in religious school or home schooled where he won't run the risk of being exposed to anything that doesn't fit the narrow view of life that someone has instilled in him.

LadyJazzer wrote: Gee, I though "God", "Allah", "Yahweh", etc., were all names for the same invisible being? And how did a song suddenly become a "prayer"...?

Exaggerate much? Much ado about nothing...

Bailey Bud said it best:

Bailey Bud wrote: I think it's silly and disingenuous to make a faith-based choice --- and then shout it from a mountain-top
(that's not faith - it's self-righteousness).

This actually goes back to Tebow. One version of Christianity extols quiet worship, (let your right hand not know what your left hand is doing) and the other Tebow type view says you should do as much as you can publicly to promote Christianity and this could include attacking other faiths.

I am more inclined to quiet Christianity. The choir dissident could even choose to simply stand in the choir and not sing. Instead of making it a national story.

Soulshiner wrote: This is the most telling line in the story: ""I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but..."

...BUT, isn't it interesting that it went from a classroom situation to FauxNews and the right-wing blogosphere.... ?

And what were the rest of the songs that the choir was singing? I'll bet that there is a piece or two that are christian themed. Almost every choir sings christian songs. I've sang in quite a few choirs, none of them church based, and EVERYONE of them had christian songs in their programs.

Soulshiner wrote: I brought this situation up to my HS choir teacher when I sang in the HS choir. I told him that I felt uncomfortable singing all of the christian songs that we did. He told me that he understood and as far as he was concerned I didn't have to sing, but maybe I should look at it as expanding my horizons and that no one was looking at me and basing their opinions on me from singing a choir song. He compared it to acting. I agreed and stayed with it and sang many songs that didn't coincide with my beliefs. I'm glad I did and didn't let intolerance ruin the experience for me and I didn't burst into flames when I did sing those songs.

This is the most telling line in the story: ""I don’t want to come across as a bigot or a racist, but..."

You just have to wonder who submitted this story to the news. If this kid objects to anything that isn't christian, why isn't he in religious school or home schooled where he won't run the risk of being exposed to anything that doesn't fit the narrow view of life that someone has instilled in him.

Right. Of course liberals are all for home schooling. They let us know how responsive they are to home schooling all the time. You know, the hypocrisy is so thick on this thread, that I wouldn't be surprised to see it dripping onto some other threads that are thick with liberals. For a matter of fact, all the hypocrisy on this thread melding with all the liberal hypocrisy on other threads... we are going to reach critical mass before midnight tonight. Boom... makes a liberals head explode.

Soulshiner wrote: And what were the rest of the songs that the choir was singing? I'll bet that there is a piece or two that are christian themed. Almost every choir sings christian songs. I've sang in quite a few choirs, none of them church based, and EVERYONE of them had christian songs in their programs.

True, but do you support a kid's right not to sing a song that goes against his beliefs? Is this not worse than having a nativity scene or the ten commandments in a public place?

Harper likely isn't aware that Mr. Rahman also wrote the musical score for the theatric version of Lord of the Rings

CritiKalbILL wrote:

Soulshiner wrote: And what were the rest of the songs that the choir was singing? I'll bet that there is a piece or two that are christian themed. Almost every choir sings christian songs. I've sang in quite a few choirs, none of them church based, and EVERYONE of them had christian songs in their programs.

True, but do you support a kid's right not to sing a song that goes against his beliefs? Is this not worse than having a nativity scene or the ten commandments in a public place?

No, I don't. Singing a song is not the same as "government sponsored religion", no matter how hysterical you would like to get about it. Installing the 10 Commandments, and nativity scenes is. The kid obviously wasn't being "forced". He elected not to do it. Bye... Don't let the door hit ya.

LadyJazzer wrote:

CritiKalbILL wrote:

Soulshiner wrote: And what were the rest of the songs that the choir was singing? I'll bet that there is a piece or two that are christian themed. Almost every choir sings christian songs. I've sang in quite a few choirs, none of them church based, and EVERYONE of them had christian songs in their programs.

True, but do you support a kid's right not to sing a song that goes against his beliefs? Is this not worse than having a nativity scene or the ten commandments in a public place?

No, I don't. Singing a song is not the same as "government sponsored religion", no matter how hysterical you would like to get about it. Installing the 10 Commandments, and nativity scenes is. The kid obviously wasn't being "forced". He elected not to do it. Bye... Don't let the door hit ya.

Let's see "Grand Junction High School in Grand Junction", school system = government, songs = religious (did you see the partial translation I posted up thread?) = government sponsored religion.