Teacher assigned project that has some mexican religious/voodoo type stuff?

An "alter" to the dead with points for "offerings" and things like "personal possessions" and crap like that.
Should my kid have to do it? I feel I need to put my foot down on this one but I really don't want the kid's grade getting trashed.
I sent the teacher a message asking for an alternative assignment, which is due on Monday, but of course I don't expect to hear anything back. I'm sure the teacher is all in to that kind of crap and is probably going to get personal about it saying something like, "What's the big problem?". At which point it's going to get real nasty.
pearl- the teacher sent out emails with the project description. I read right from the guidelines.

I suggest you speak to the teacher about the project and find out what it's about rather than relying on what a child has told you.

You are probably talking about the Day of the Dead which is a well known Mexican holiday. It does have some weird roots, but so does Halloween. It is the Mexican equivalent of Halloween.

Oh no! Are you afraid of your child converting to voodoo? What is so bad about being exposed to a different culture?

I loved those types of projects when I was in school. You learn how different humans live and interpret the world. It expands your mind! That's what school is all about.

"Mexican/religious voodoo type stuff" you sound like an ignorant bigot. Voodoo is practiced in Haiti, Louisiana and in some parts of West Africa while most Mexicans practice some form of Christianity. Look up "Day of the Dead" in Kipper's probably what the project is about.

You should read and travel more. Not just for your sake, but for everyone Else's because your ignorance does affect other people.

I'm sure that the assignment goes along with learning about cultural differences and the Day of the Dead celebrations in southern Mexico. I am a deeply religious and Christian man but I don't see a problem. Let me tell you why.

The "altar" that they are talking about is not an altar of "worship." It's really about remembering those who passed on before us. No one is worshiped. This is a tradition that has its roots in the Prue-colombian beliefs of the people that lived in Mexico. Today there are few people who really believe that the dead revisit on that night although this belief is still upheld in a few rural and Indian communities. But the tradition is still practiced as a way to honor or remember our loved ones and to celebrate a holiday that has important and deeper meanings not unlike those you find in Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and etc.

One of the valuable educational purposes of this type of activity is to understand about culture and cultural differences. We learn to look at things in a new way that is different from how we have always looked at them before. For Example: one of the common decorative elements in the "offerings" for the day of the dead is the use of skulls and skeletons. They are not used in a traditional Halloween fashion where they represent gruesome and frightful elements. In the Mexican culture the skeletons just represent the departed loved ones and symbolize the joy of this day of celebration when we gather together with family and share a special meal and remember old times. There are plenty of things that American Christians tolerate that have their roots in pagan worship but we don't blink when they happen at Christmas and Easter.

It is difficult to understand this holiday when we hear words that are so highly charged for us as DEATH, ALTAR, SKELETON, TOMB and etc. But I assure you that your child is not being led astray into demonic worship. A responsible teacher uses this kind of event to try and challenge their students to be a little more open-minded to cultural differences and to appreciate them a little more.