A first grade student at Helen Hunt-Jackson Elementary School in Temecula, California was told by her teacher that she can’t say the name of Jesus in her classroom.
Brynn Williams’ teacher interrupted her during a one-minute speech on her family’s Christmas traditions, telling the 6-year-old that she can’t “talk about the Bible in school.”
Brynn had brought the Star of Bethlehem that her family places at the top of their Christmas tree for her report. Her family told Fox News that she had written and practiced her one-minute presentation to say her family’s tradition was to remember the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
“Our Christmas tradition is to put a star on top of our tree,” Brynn said in her report. “The star is named the Star of Bethlehem. The three kings followed the star to find baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.”
The teacher then stopped her saying “Stop right there! Go take your seat!” Brynn was the only student not allowed to complete her assigned report.
Brynn’s parents say the little girl was upset because she believed she had done something wrong and was in trouble. The school’s principle told the parents that she could not do the report because she might offend another student by saying the name of Jesus.
The school district gave Fox News the following statement:
“The Temecula Valley Unified School District respects all students’ rights under the Constitution and takes very seriously any allegation of discrimination. Due to the fact that District officials are currently investigating the allegations, it would be inappropriate to provide further comment at this time.”
Pope Francis used his first Christmas address to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square to call for a better world.
The Pope spoke to an estimated 70,000 people calling for peace in parts of the world ravaged by conflict including Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Iraq and the Central African Republic. The Pope prayed that Jesus, the Prince of Peace, would “bless the land where You chose to come into the world and grant a favorable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.”
The Pope said that true peace only comes through daily commitment to caring for those around you and for showing Jesus in life, word and deed.
The Pope reminded everyone that the choice is before you to follow darkness or follow light.
“In our personal history too, there are both bright and dark moments, lights and shadows. If we love God and our brothers and sisters, we walk in the light; but if our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride, deceit, self-seeking, then darkness falls within us and around us,” the Pope said.
However, the Pope added if you had previously chosen darkness, it was never too late to turn to the light.
“Do not be afraid! Our Father is patient, he loves us, he gives us Jesus to guide us on the way which leads to the promised land. Jesus is the light who brightens the darkness. He is our peace,” the Pope declared.
A Newton, Massachusetts family whose Christmas display included a nativity scene received a scathing, anonymous letter from a neighbor demanding the display be taken down.
The letter, signed “your neighbors”, said that the family should keep their decorations inside because “not everybody in the neighborhood is Christian.” The letter went on to call the display “cheap, tacky and kitschy.”
The letter took issue with the Baby Jesus and other Christian symbols being shown in public.
The Hunter family has set up a Christmas display outside their home for 37 years.
“It’s Christmas,” Kristen Hunter told Fox News. “You can’t take the Christ out of Christmas!”
While the letter was allegedly from the Hunter’s “neighbors”, hundreds of neighbors came to their home to rally by singing Christmas carols on the front lawn.
The Nativity
In those days the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world. So Joseph had to take Mary to his town, Bethlehem to register.
It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem. They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there. This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.
When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay. Finally, someone felt bad for them, and offered them a place to stay.
The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept. In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital? Continue reading →
The Wise Men
During the time when Jesus was born there was a very mean king who ruled the land, his name was King Herod. Remember his name, because we will talk about him later.
Soon after Jesus was born, wise men were traveling on their camels; one night they noticed a very strange star in the sky. They knew that this star meant that the King of the Jews, the One who would save the world had been born.
When the mean King… (what was his name again?) Herod heard this he got very worried.
He called a meeting with all the other important people in the area and asked them where this special baby had been born. The people replied, “In Bethlehem, because they heard that one day a special person would come from there and take care of all the people.” Continue reading →
The anti-Christian group Military Religious Freedom Foundation has forced the Air Force to remove a nativity scene from Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina.
The plastic nativity scene included traditional Christmas elements like Mary, Joseph, assorted animals and Baby Jesus. According to the MRFF, the site emotionally troubled some Airmen from the base.
The Air Force removed the display within hours of the anti-Christian group contacting the Pentagon.
Shaw Air Force Base’s public affairs office did not return calls to Fox News’ Todd Starnes for comment about why they removed the display. However, Fox News’ commentator Sarah Palin said the action was not surprising.
“We see stories like this every day and yet leftwing pundits still claim that the so-called ‘War on Christmas’ is a figment of the imagination,” Palin told Starnes. “The War on Christmas is just the top of the spear in a larger battle to marginalize expressions of faith and make true religious freedom a thing of the past.”
The Angels Visit the Shepherds
In those days the government decided that they should count everyone that lived in that area of the world. So Joseph had to take Mary to his town, Bethlehem to register.
It took Mary and Joseph a long time to get to Bethlehem. They didn’t have cars back then, so it probably took them a lot longer to get there. This was very tiring for Mary because she was soon going to have a baby.
When they reached the town, all the hotels were full and there was nowhere that they could stay. Finally, someone felt bad for them, and offered them a place to stay.
The Bible doesn’t say for sure where they stayed but most people think that they stayed in a small barn where animals were kept. In any case, doesn’t it seem strange that Jesus, the King of the Jews wasn’t born in a fancy palace or even a hospital?
Mary and Joseph were thankful that they at least had a place to lay down. It was warm, and there was plenty of straw to lay on. Continue reading →
Two young foster children in Tennessee were granted a “Christmas miracle” when a prayer sent into the sky this summer was answered.
Eva, 6, and Jasmine, 8, were taking part in Vacation Bible School at the church they attended in east Tennessee. The children were told to put a prayer request inside a balloon that would be inflated with helium and released into the air.
So the girls wrote a note asking God to allow them to be adopted by the foster parents who had been caring for them during the last two months. The balloon was released with 30 others.
None of the balloons were ever heard from again…except for Eva and Jasmine’s.
The balloon made its way to a trailer park in McHenry, Maryland. The people who found the balloon mailed it back to the girl’s foster parents, Lynn and Dennis.
Lynn told WBIR-TV and the Christian Post the balloon being found was a message from God that she and her husband should adopt the girls. They had been praying for God’s direction and felt the balloon was confirmation they were to follow their hearts.
On Tuesday, a judge legally made the girls the daughters of Lynn and Dennis.