Swedish school edits out Christian references in Christmas carol, prepares children for 'inclusion'
A school in Sweden has edited a Christmas carol to exclude references to Christianity in order to prepare children for "a changing world" and inclusion.
According to Breitbart, the Southern School in Åmål municipality in Västra Götaland County removed lines such as "born of the Lord Jesus Crist" and "a ray of God's love's light" from the Christmas carol "Now Light 1,000 Christmas Lights." The line "star of Bethlehem" was also modified into "star over all of us."
In a statement on the municipality's website, Åmål's education administration defended the move, explaining that the changes encourage the participation of "all students regardless of nationality and religion." The notice also reads, "Protecting Swedish traditions is important, but raising their sights so that they have the courage to meet a changing world is another important task for the school and community to relate to."
Not everyone accepted the school's decision to edit the Christmas carol. One grandfather wrote in a letter published in the local press, "Our old Swedish Christmas traditions and carols contribute to bringing Christmas spirit. This is a tradition we should uphold." He also argued that schools should not be partial to migrant students, who should be integrated into Swedish society and not the other way around.
Immigration into Sweden has surged in recent years, primarily due to its open-door policy, which has since been reversed. According to Reuters, Sweden in 2015 accommodated 163,000 asylum seekers, of which 35,000 were unaccompanied children. The sheer number of child migrants has overwhelmed the school system, and it put a strain on the country's asylum budget.
The migrant situation in Sweden has also started to show its cultural impact, as Swedish institutions and younger generations attempt to be more inclusive of the migrants and forward-looking. This is seen not only the Åmål school's editing of "Now Light 1,000 Christmas Lights," but also in the waning interest in observing centuries-old traditions such as the Lucia processions.
