The United States Supreme Court yesterday decided not to review a case challenging the constitutionality of a New York City public school policy that expressly permits the display of the Jewish menorah and Islamic star and crescent during their respective religious holidays, but completely bans the display of Nativity scenes during Christmas.
The constitutional challenge was brought by the Thomas More Law Center, a national, public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on behalf of Andrea Skoros and her two minor children, devout Roman Catholics, who attend the New York City’s schools. The lawsuit was filed only after William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, made several unsuccessful attempts to convince school officials to allow Nativity displays alongside the other religious symbols.
[...]
In the petition, the Law Center asked the Supreme Court to review a February 2006 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in which a sharply divided panel upheld the constitutionally of the City’s Nativity ban. The Circuit Court held that this policy of permitting Jewish and Islamic religious symbols but banning Christian religious symbols was permissible in part because it achieved a valid “pedagogical endeavor” by “us[ing] children’s natural excitement about various year-end holidays to teach the lesson of pluralism by showing children the rich cultural diversity of the city in which they live and by encouraging them to show tolerance and respect for traditions other than their own.”
I don’t understand this on so many levels.
1: How is banning a nativity and not banning menorahs, kwanzaa whatevers and Islamic crescents even remotely close to being fair to all religions?
2: If the logic behind this is that the lesson is that of diversity and pluralism, how much diversity and pluralism can exist when a symbol of a religion (Christianity) that 85% of the country follows is not only not represented, but actively banned from the premises?
It just seems like a silly arbitrary ruling by some feel-good judge. Either all or nothing, folks. I have no problem with a menorah, crescent, and nativity together, but to ban the nativity and allow the others in the name of diversity and pluralism smacks of hollow phoniness.
via PC Watch
[tags]religion, nativity, christmas, eid, chanukah[/tags]