Florida school at in again – Second Preaching Song for Children
27 April 2009 by Stardust
Florida at it again — Second Preaching Song for Children:
From American Atheists
Attorneys are seeking to halt teaching of a song they call a “blatantly sectarian and proselytizing religious song” to third-graders at The Webster School until the case can go to court.
This is the second time in less than a month that attorneys asked the United States District Court in Jacksonville for a preliminary injunction to stop a song at Webster.
School district officials said they knew nothing about the amended complaint until contacted by The St. Augustine Record Tuesday evening.
Read more
What a waste of taxpayer money to have to keep on fighting this baloney over and over again. Huge fines should be imposed upon those responsible and maybe they will get back to teaching things that will actually help these kids succeed in their academic career.
Many, many secular songs for children are available that contain very cute and fun lyrics that are appropriate for kids from all backgrounds and walks of life no matter what their family beliefs are. The choice of “Chatter with the Angels” is a blatant attempt of some adult at Webster school to proselytize to youngsters about the Christian heaven and believed afterlife.
The lyrics to the song are:
Chatter with the Angels
Soon in the morning
Chatter with the Angels
In that land!
Chatter with the Angels
Soon in the Morning
Chatter with the Angels
Join that Band!
I hope to join that band and
Chatter with the Angels
All day long!
I hope to join that band and
Chatter with the Angels
All day long!
(And the lyrics keep repeated over and over, ritualistically in a brainwashing sort of way.)
Love the comment by bigbangbeliever: “What a scary song-sounds a little suicidal (”Soon…in that land…”). I’d rather the kids sing “Gonna cure Cancer someday soon-study my science instead of singing dopey tunes”!
Ramen, bigbangbeliever!
28 April 2009, on 1:18 pm
Had they used this song initially, I would have had no problem with it (it is, after all, in one of the state approved text books). However, since it was inserted after a blatantly dominionist song was removed, it is, to me at least, highly suspect. Almost as if the teacher and administration decided, “Well, they won’t let us use that song, but this one’s in the book, it’s Christian, and there’s no way they can object again.” However, context matters and, given the context of this decision, I object. Vigorously.
28 April 2009, on 9:36 pm
I think I would still have a problem with the song if I had a kid in that classroom. It’s a Sunday School song, and know what they are trying to do with it. “Join the band”? Singing with angels all day long? That crap belongs in Sunday School and not in public school. Yes, I agree that it is as if the teacher and administration used this song to get back at everyone with a “So there” attitude. But looks like they won’t have much success with this one, either.
28 April 2009, on 10:11 pm
I also think that officials in Florida need to actually start reading the stuff they are approving.
28 April 2009, on 11:48 pm
“Dick, I give it a 6–it was obnoxiously obsequious in the middle, but it has a funky beat, and I can dance to it…”
1 May 2009, on 7:25 am
What about “When the Saints Go Marching In?”
I never really looked at that one as though it were a particularly religious song until I parsed the lyrics much later in life.