ORLANDO, FL -- Liberty Counsel has launched its sixteenth annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign. The campaign is designed to educate, and, if necessary, to litigate to make sure that religious viewpoints are not censored from Christmas and holiday themes.

Liberty Counsel has been actively monitoring cases across the country where there is intimidation by officials and groups to remove the celebration of Christmas in public and private sectors. These threats include atheist groups seeking to ban Nativity scenes from public property, senior living centers that prohibit residents from singing Christmas carols, public schools that ban students from wearing the Christmas colors of red and green, school officials who censor religious words from Christmas carols, and retailers which profit from Christmas while pretending it does not exist. Liberty Counsel has successfully educated and reversed these anti-Christmas actions in all of these situations.

Recently, students at Robious Middle School in Chesterfield County, Virginia, were told that a song had to be removed from the Christmas program because it contained the name of Jesus. In response to a concerned parent, a teacher said, “We had a few students who weren't comfortable singing a piece I have done many times in the past, but it is of a sacred nature and does mention Jesus.”

Liberty Counsel sent a letter to the superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools, urging school administrators to overrule the directive and offering legal assistance, if needed, when the censored Christmas song is restored to the music program.

Public school music teachers have the freedom to include religious Christmas songs in their Christmas music programs. Public schools are in full compliance with the law, so long as there is a mixture of religious and secular songs. Liberty Counsel provides a memorandum to offer guidance to public officials and schools regarding the public celebration of religious holidays.

Classroom discussion of the religious aspects of the holidays is also permissible in public schools. A holiday display in a classroom may include a Nativity scene or other religious imagery so long as the context also includes secular symbols. A choral performance also may include religious and secular holiday songs. If the students select their own songs independent of the direction of school officials, there is no requirement that the songs include secular selections. Students may distribute religious Christmas cards to their classmates during noninstructional time, before or after school, or between classes. If the students are not required to dress in uniform, then they may wear clothing with religious words or symbols or religious jewelry.

“Censoring religious viewpoints from Christmas is wrong every time and unconstitutional in some instances,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Censoring a religious song from the school’s Christmas program is not only insensitive but unconstitutional. We urge Chesterfield County Public School administrators to overrule this directive and include a song containing the name of Jesus in the program. Celebrating or acknowledging Christmas is legal in public schools and references to God or Jesus should not be censored,” said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.