Reply #15: Thank you [View All]

[Mikey929]

Thank you for the abundant amount of time you spent in responding. Obviously you have put a lot of time into this. I'm not sure why you express such anger toward me, but that is another issue. I'm just trying to discuss an interesting point of law and religion.

I guess where we primarily disagree is what constitutes discrimination. Obviously, if there is preferential treatment attached to one religion over another, that is wrong. And if there is some penalty for failure to participate in an event, that is wrong. We are in agreement there. A lot of your examples fall into that category, e.g., requiring a belief in evolution to get a recommendation.

But I really don't see discrimination in the act of hosting a cultural event that describes an Hispanic holiday custom, and that includes the singing of traditional Christmas songs. If no one is compelled to do so, and there is no penalty attached for not participating, then it strikes me as OK. No one is being required to profess a belief in Christ, and no one is being compelled to attend a revival or bible camp. This is just a Christmas pageant. The fact that a non-Christian may listen to some songs and may learn about another culture -- in and of itself -- is not discimination.

And your casual reference to the Civil Rights movement and blacks sitting in the back of the bus is completely unwarranted. Separate but equal is not at play here. Obviously, if we tried to put Christians or Jews or Muslims in the back of the bus, that would be absolutely wrong. That is not the same thing as putting on a cultural event, and you know it.