For those who are not familiar, a "giving tree" is a tree with tags on it, and each tag contains a gift item that is needed. The idea is that you take a tag, buy that gift, and turn it in, and the gifts are given to families who might not otherwise be able to get those gifts. My parish does it every year, and I participate. While many people may be motivated by their faith, it is not necessarily a "religious" thing. It is simply people trying to help others. How ridiculous for anyone to object to that.Catholic League president Bill Donohue describes the latest war on Christmas:
Michelle Zundel, principal of Bellview Elementary, situated in Oregon’s Ashland School District, says that one family didn’t like the “Giving Tree” displayed in the school lobby, so she had it removed. “The decision to remove the tree was a very difficult one because the important constitutional issues for a school are to maintain neutrality.” According to one news report, Ashland Superintendent Juli Di Chiro says that school officials are working on developing district-wide rules to address such issues.
All of this is based on ignorance: (a) a Christmas tree—never mind a “Giving Tree”—is not a religious symbol (b) there are no constitutional issues involved in displaying secular symbols in the schools, and (c) they have had a policy governing such matters since 1989.
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