Is changing a national anthem to a Christian version wrong?

[slockmn]

Kids taught to sing alternative national anthem

Recently in Australia, many Christian schools are being taught a different national anthem with more references to Jesus.

What do people think of changing a national anthem to a more 'Christ Friendly' version?

Personaly, even as a staunch Anglican I disagree with the movement. Anthems were written hundreds of years ago and are heritage songs. How would members of the USA feel if the lyrics of their anthem were changed to, 'Oh say can you see, by Jesus's holy light?'

I reakon athems should be untouched.

What do you think?

 

[Incariol]

Kids taught to sing alternative national anthem

Recently in Australia, many Christian schools are being taught a different national anthem with more references to Jesus.

What do people think of changing a national anthem to a more 'Christ Friendly' version?

Personaly, even as a staunch Anglican I disagree with the movement. Anthems were written hundreds of years ago and are heritage songs. How would members of the USA feel if the lyrics of their anthem were changed to, 'Oh say can you see, by Jesus's holy light?'

I reakon athems should be untouched.

What do you think?

Well, in the USA, that would be blatantly unconstitutional, so we don't have to worry. Do you not have the equivalent of an Establishment Clause in Australia?

Establishment Clause - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dodari]

Check out the underlined line in the last verse.


Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Don't see no cotton pickin' specific religion established here. Big deal.

 

[Yarddog]

Kids taught to sing alternative national anthem

Recently in Australia, many Christian schools are being taught a different national anthem with more references to Jesus.

What do people think of changing a national anthem to a more 'Christ Friendly' version?

Personaly, even as a staunch Anglican I disagree with the movement. Anthems were written hundreds of years ago and are heritage songs. How would members of the USA feel if the lyrics of their anthem were changed to, 'Oh say can you see, by Jesus's holy light?'

I reakon athems should be untouched.

What do you think?

I see nothing wrong with doing this where it is allowed. We could do the same in the US. although some people don't believe it. Christian schools are free to worship as they please and if they want to change the words, they are free to do so.

 

[Yarddog]

Well, in the USA, that would be blatantly unconstitutional, so we don't have to worry. Do you not have the equivalent of an Establishment Clause in Australia?

That is entirely incorrect. The OP is about Christian schools and they can change the words to meet whatever standard they wish and they are protected by the Constitution.

In the same way, Muslim schools are free to change the lyrics to reflect the beliefs of Islam.

 

[Incariol]

Check out the underlined line in the last verse.


Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!


Don't see no cotton pickin' specific religion established here. Big deal.

Are you talking to someone in this thread? I think you might be in the wrong thread.

 

[Incariol]

That is entirely incorrect. The OP is about Christian schools and they can change the words to meet whatever standard they wish and they are protected by the Constitution.

In the same way, Muslim schools are free to change the lyrics to reflect the beliefs of Islam.

Oh, I guess I missed that it was private schools in my skim through. I thought it was some government movement to officially amend the anthem. My bad.

 

[lux et lex]

Well, in the USA, that would be blatantly unconstitutional, so we don't have to worry. Do you not have the equivalent of an Establishment Clause in Australia?

Establishment Clause - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Or not. Have you checked out how what they did to the Pledge in the 50s?

 

[Incariol]

Or not. Have you checked out how what they did to the Pledge in the 50s?

Wasn't that when they added "under God"? I assumed they only got away with that because "God" is nonspecific and could be Yahweh, Allah, Shiva, or Amaterasu.

 

[randon]

That is entirely incorrect. The OP is about Christian schools and they can change the words to meet whatever standard they wish and they are protected by the Constitution.

In the same way, Muslim schools are free to change the lyrics to reflect the beliefs of Islam.

That could hardly be called a "national" anthem, however. Any school, or other such institution, can adopt any anthem they wish.

 

[lux et lex]

Wasn't that when they added "under God"? I assumed they only got away with that because "God" is nonspecific and could be Yahweh, Allah, Shiva, or Amaterasu.

I haven't said the pledge in years...but maybe I should start saying something insane like "under Godess" to make people uncomfortable.

 

[Yarddog]

That could hardly be called a "national" anthem, however. Any school, or other such institution, can adopt any anthem they wish.

Who said that it would be the national anthem? The OP speaks of Christian schools changing the words of the Australian national anthem and asks how we would feel if they did it here. I think that it would be cool to hear how children in our Christian schools could change our National Anthem to include Christian lyrics.

They may have some wonderful ideas.

 

[Archivist]

Who said that it would be the national anthem? The OP speaks of Christian schools changing the words of the Australian national anthem and asks how we would feel if they did it here. I think that it would be cool to hear how children in our Christian schools could change our National Anthem to include Christian lyrics.

I think that out of respect for the country, the words of the national anthem should not be changed by a Christian school (or any other school for that matter). The music for the US national Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, is an old English drinking song, To Anacreon in Heaven. It is the words written by Francis Scott Key that are the true anthem.

Having said that, I would love to see the US change its national anthem to either Columbia the Gem of the Ocean or America the Beautiful or My Country 'Tis of Thee.

I do wish that Waltzing Matilda would had been made the official national anthem of Australia. My father served in India during World War II and I remember him saying that the Australian soldiers were always singing Waltzing Matilda.

 

[TSA Customs]

What about God Bless America?

 

[Incariol]

What about God Bless America?

What about it?...

 

[Archivist]

What about God Bless America?

Good song, but it wouldn't me my personal choice for a national anthem. I am happy that since 9/11 we often sing it at baseball games during the 7th inning stretch.

 

[Ave Maria]

It would probably be a violation of the separation of Church and state but I really don't care much about the separation of Church and state to be quite honest with you.

 

[james9900]

Ave maria- do you believe this should be a Christian governed nation? Freedom of all kinds is what makes this nation the greatest nation today.