Also, public schools are required to operate under the principle of religious neutrality while acknowledging and respecting the diverse beliefs of their students. Avoiding the Doxology solely due to its religious association might be perceived as excluding certain groups and hindering their freedom of expression.
Studying the Doxology in this context allows students to explore its cultural significance and historical context without imposing specific religious beliefs. Banning the Doxology solely because of its potential religious interpretation could also be seen as restricting artistic freedom and infringing on students' ability to engage with diverse cultural expressions.
It seems perfectly acceptable to have the doxology chorale practiced at a school as an educational supplement to everything else we do. Check these places out for more info, but basically, there's no good reason why a nice melody and good harmony shouldn't be practiced.
First Amendment Center. (2023). Religious neutrality in public schools.
https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/
American Civil Liberties Union. (2023). Freedom of religion in public schools.
https://www.aclu.org/issues/religious-liberty/religion-and-public-schools
National Endowment for the Arts. (2023). Arts education and freedom of expression.
https://www.arts.gov/impact/arts-education
Public Religion Research Institute. (2023). Religion in public schools: Findings and recommendations.
https://www.prri.org/
The Choristers' Association. (2023). The history of the Doxology.
https://www.dinningtonoperatics.org/about-us/history-of-dos
Kellison, K. A. (2003). The social meanings of music. Routledge.
Religious Literacy Project. (2023). Teaching the Doxology: A resource for educators.
https://fletcherrld.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/religious-literacy.pdf
Responses « Back to index | View thread »