Another public school is under attack for the dread crime of putting shoe-boxes with gifts under the Christmas tree for poor people with the assistance of Christian evangelicals.
Schools around the country are running in a horror from Operation Christmas Child because humanists are now objecting to the insertion of Christ into Christmas. In Operation Christmas Child people who don't "believe" in Christ see a fiendish plot by Christians to fill shoe boxes “with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child.”
The horror!
Who do they think they are? Putting shoe-boxes with gifts under the Christmas tree for poor people without first building a website for a half-a-billion dollars that still doesn’t work?
To add insult to injury this so-called “public school” used a Christian organization with a website that DOES work to facilitate the crime.
“Following the threat of litigation, a public elementary school in South Carolina has cut ties with Operation Christmas Child,” reported the Blaze last week “an annual outreach to kids in need that is operated by Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical Christian organization.”
But now, another school-- this time in Colorado-- has been sued by the same humanist group for their cooperation with Operation Christmas Child (OCC).
OCC runs a shoe-box drive for kids.
Shoe boxes are filled “with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child,” as I said.
Darned Christians.
Always showing off: loaves and fishes, rising from the dead, shoeing the shoe-boxless, operating websites on a shoestring.
Don’t they know anything about the proper role of charity? Charity only exists within the liberal context of the “government-as-church” model.
“This week, [Sky View Academy] received a letter threatening legal action against our school due to our participation in the Operation Christmas Child (OCC) through Samaritan’s Purse charity,” the SVA administration and governing board wrote parents in an email dated November 15th.“The claim was issued by the national organization American Humanists Association (AHA), and accuses SVA of violating the 1st Amendment.”
Sky View Academy is located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
You mean the 1st Amendment that guarantees freedom OF religion, but not freedom FROM religion?
This comes on the heels of a Fox News report about another school that was forced to apologize for a Christian message that accompanied the boxes.
The humanists really have it out for Operation Christmas Child it seems. But parents from Sky View are determined to make this Operation Christmas Child the largest drive ever.
“It is tragic our school was bullied down, by one parent and a lawsuit from the National organization of American Humanists,” said parent Kendal Unruh in an email to other parents. “Understandably, our school doesn't want to engage in a costly legal fight. However, I still want this egregious violation of our legal liberties being violated to be known publicly.”
The school at least is encouraging the collection to go on.
“Please DO NOT bring shoeboxes to SkyView for Operation Christmas Child next week,” explains the email. “Instead, please look up alternate drop-off locations on the OCC organization’s website, and take your shoe boxes to those locations.”
The humanist view of Christmas has evolved over the last few decades.
In the past they just wanted to make sure that displays of religious icons like crosses, Jesus, the Wise Men and shepherds were removed from public property. Instead they have sought to have them replaced with suitable non-religious icons free of transfats like…well… nothing.
In this they have partially succeeded with merchants switching from “Merry Christ-mas,” to the more bland and low in sodium, “Happy Holidays.”
Although, since "holidays" itself is Christian, I see a short-lived cycle of “Happy Holidays” before we proceed to “Happy Man and Women Day, or Transgendered Day, or Happy Non-Sexual Preference Day if that’s what swells you.”
The greeting will be accompanied by small plastic eggs—in a hat tip to PETA—and inside the egg you’ll get a pharmaceutical-like, government-approved insert that will explain all the ways in which the human-day greeting did NOT attempted offend or demean you…unless you are Christian in which case your diminution was intentional, gratuitous and premeditated.
“Parents and teachers can take this opportunity to reward students for giving of themselves and sharing with others,” says Sky View. “This situation offers is an opportunity to discuss giving, citizenship and the need for healthy debate and discussion about our country’s laws and government.This is what we mean when we say we are creating ‘life-long learners and honorable leaders.’”
One parent has already taken the message of charity to heart.
“Help me with this fight,” pleaded Unruh. “I want to start the largest shoe box drive in the history of Operation Christmas Child.”
I think she should. My boxes will be packed tonight.
And I need your help.