Nontheistic group urges LHSD to stop band’s ‘Revival’ show
PEARCY — The Wisconsin-based freethought organization, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is calling on the Lake Hamilton School District to stop its halftime band show called “Revival,” which centers around the “Dust Bowl” era of the 1930s, in which a tent revival comes through town.
The group issued a news release Thursday noting the “controversial” halftime show “condemns non-Christian viewers to damnation.”
“Several concerned members of the district community have informed FFRF that the Lake Hamilton Power Band’s halftime and competition show for the 2023 season, titled “Revival,” incorporated inappropriate and unconstitutional religious themes and messaging,” the release said.
The Lake Hamilton High School Power Band won the Class 6A State Marching Championship last month, securing the highest overall score out of any classification, before going on to become the first Arkansas band to medal, with a third-place
Class AA finish, in the national competition at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
In April, the band was invited to play in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Last year, FFRF called on the board to remove prayer as an item on its standard monthly meeting agenda, arguing that praying at school board meetings violates the constitutional requirement of religious neutrality in public schools. The board removed it from the agenda at the time, while continuing to pray.
“The show was themed after the Christian practice of ‘tent revivals,’” the release said.
“It contained several religious hymns, all of which are exclusively Christian in nature. Props carried by band and color guard members had messages such as ‘sinners beware’ and ‘repent now.’ Other visuals from the show included references to fire-and-brimstone preaching typically found in a Christian revival, and during the show’s closer, the props were moved to create a Latin cross, an explicit symbol of Christianity,” it said.
The district issued a state
ment Friday in which it praised the band’s performance and achievements, while never directly acknowledging FFRF’s release.
“Their captivating show, ‘Revival,’ drew acclaim from judges and fans alike, drawing inspiration from the Great Depression era highlighted in the motion picture ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ and other prolific concert band works,” it said.
“Undoubtedly, the Lake Hamilton High School Power Band’s dedication and talent were shown through each performance. Looking ahead, the band is already hard at work designing and preparing for their 2024 marching show and gearing up to represent the state of Arkansas in the prestigious 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Their continued commitment to excellence is a testament to the enduring spirit of musical artistry at Lake Hamilton.”
FFRF Equal Justice Fellow Kat Grant said the district has a responsibility to ensure the “school-sponsored groups do not impermissibly favor religion over nonreligion.”
The release said such a performance alienates non-Christian students, teachers and members of the public whose religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the school.
The group further noted student musicians are especially susceptible to coercion and it is “unrealistic and unconstitutional to put before student musicians the choice of allowing their constitutional rights to be violated in order to maintain good standing in the eyes of their coach and peers or openly dissenting at the risk of retaliation from their directors or bandmates.”