Swedish Christian School Banned From Practicing Christianity

                A Swedish Christian preschool has banned children from saying grace at mealtime. Nor can they say “Amen.” Or talk about the Bible.

                It’s not much of a Christian school, is it?

                However, the decision to forbid children at the Christian school from engaging in Christian practices was, for all intents and purposes, forced on the school. The municipality of Umea’s education supervisors inspected the school and determined that the Christian activities violate Sweden’s national educational policies, according to a report by Swedish national broadcaster STV. The Swedish Education Act says children must be allowed to opt-out of any religious practices, even, apparently, those in a “Christian” school. The intrepid government inspectors were of the opinion that the school, managed by the Salvation Army, didn’t clearly offer kids a choice as to whether they wanted to participate in activities such as saying grace before eating a meal. (If the meals this school provides are anything like the ones I attempted to consume in my lengthy public-school career, its kids have a clear and present need to pray).

                The kindergarten’s manager, Britt Mårtensson, told STV that, “We knew we could no longer have prayer time while children are at their desks where they learn, so we thought we would add grace as a nice feature during mealtimes. We interpreted the law differently than the municipality.” She added that the Scandinavian country’s Education Act “can be interpreted in different ways” and that she didn’t believe giving thanks at mealtimes constituted “education.”

                Mårtensson said that, since the municipality’s decision, the kids now sing a rhyme giving thanks to the sun, the rain, and the food at mealtimes. Perhaps it goes a little something like this:

                Thank you sun

                Thank you rain

                For the food

                We can’t explain

                And thank you sky

                And thank you Earth

                For we can’t talk

                Of a special birth

                Everything is

                So it seems odd

                That we can’t say

                It comes from God

                Supervisors

                Know what’s best

                “Education”

                Passes that test

                It’s government

                That rules the day

                That is the truth

                The light and the way

                From its teachings

                We must not stray

               

                Innate Christian tolerance has emboldened leftists, hyper-secularists, terrorists, and anarchists, and has, ironically,  directly led to the increased attacks on Christians and Christianity of late. It is time for Christians to push back against this Crusade of chaos, craziness, corruption and criminality. The tyranny of political correctness and “one-way multiculturalism” (credit to Mark Steyn) must be ended.

                As Thomas Jefferson said, “I have sworn on the altar of God, eternal hostility to all forms of tyranny over the minds of man.”

                “Amen” to that.