A Long Island school removed all the references to Jesus Christ from one of the most popular Christmas carols of all time, “Silent Night” – a song that is actually about the birth of Jesus.
During a recent holiday concert at Ralph J. Osgood Intermediate School in Long Island, school officials thought it would be best to remove all religious references from “Silent Night” including, ‘Christ the Savior is born,’ ‘holy infant,’ and ’round yon virgin, mother and child.’ Their intent was to avoid offending non-Christians, but the change made many parents upset, causing some to walk out of the performance.
The Kings Park Central School district has released a statement apologizing for the school’s performance.
The Board of Education sincerely apologizes to our community members who were offended by the change of lyrics to the song Silent Night and we share in your sentiment. This action was not approved by the Board of Education or district administration, nor is it their role to approve the songs chosen for our concerts. We are aware that no disrespect was intended on the part of any staff member. We will be taking steps to be certain this never happens again. As a Board of Education, we have taken offense to this action and again offer our sincerest apologies.
Officials at the Long Island school have apologized for their mistake and promised it would not happen again.
