Being the mother of 3 non-religious teenage boys, it's been my experience that kids don't share the blatant and naked hatred of religion that adults do. Look at the posts in this thread and you'll see what I mean.
they don't. for all the tolerance that some of these people whine about they sure don't show it when it comes to things that they don't agree with.
as stated they have no clue what the word tolerance means.
when I was in high school we always have a before game prayer and no one said a word about it. mostly for the safety of the players etc...
of course that was a different time.
In Wednesday's letter, the district said it has offered Kennedy a private location to use for personal prayer after games, such as areas in the school building or in the stadium press box. But Kennedy declined, the letter says.
According to the article:
This guy is being an asshole. The school could get in trouble for appearing to endorse one particular religion because of his actions and he apparently doesn't give a hoot. If all he truly wants is to pray, then he should do it in the private location the school was accommodating enough to provide.
then you would know that prayer is protected under the constitution. you would also know that the government cannot tell people that they can't pray.
however you seem to be arguing just that. so I am not sure what your teacher taught you.
which is unconstitutional. he can do it on school property as school property is public property which is protected by the constitution. he isn't coaching kids it is after the game is over.
and the game is over so it isn't a school event anymore. please see the constitution. the board is in 100% violation of the constitution on this.
as I have to question what your teacher said in class at this point.
the school cannot dictate his private religious beliefs or pratices please see the constitution. teaching kids that they have rights in certain area's is not thumbing their nose at anything.
here I will show you what the first amendment says.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances
this also applies to state and city and school boards. I bolded the part that the school is violating just so that you understand better.
not really.
all schools have rules about checking phone and chewing gum in class. it is prohibited because it disrupts the classroom and other students.
that is 100% different than a coach praying after a game in which his team doesn't have to join.
as I said this is a equivalency fallacy and you seem to ignore it.
again it doesn't matter what the offer him they simply cannot do that.
court after court in college after college have struck down so called free speech zones as unconstitutional on a college campus.
there is no reason that it wouldn't apply here.
no he is not being an asshole he is doing what the constitution allows him to do.
no the school can't get in trouble as it is on his own time not during a school event. once the game is over the event is done.
he doesn't have to do it in a private location because the constitution says he doesn't.
what the school can get in trouble for is denying him a constitutional right.
No, what you completely ignored (again) was the part where I said the school board asked him to stop praying like this. I said he was more than free to exercise his right to pray, just to not make a spectacle of it. He could quietly pray just about anywhere, and nobody would even know what he was doing. What is the point of praying anyway? To speak with a deity, or to make a spectacle of the act? He was, and still is, free to pray.
What I saw was him being asked to not pray in the manner he was. Not that he couldn't pray. It was his behavior that was at issue. Not the praying which could have been done in private at ANY time.
Oh yeah, thanks for highlighting the important part of the First Amendment.
what you completely ignore is that the school board is not allowed to do that. What you completely ignore is the fact that what is he doing is 100% protected by the constitution of the US which the school board is bound to abide by. he isn't making a spectacle of it. also there is nothing in the constitution that says you can only do this if you aren't making a spectacle.
he doesn't have to pray quietly anywhere. he can pray wherever he wants to it is a constitutional right.
you don't get to dictate that the constitution does and the constitution says he can do it. that is all that matters.
which the school board can't do because the constitution says they can't do it. freedom of religion and practice thereof including freedom of speech.
no they have issue with his religions beliefs. his behavior is religions in nature therefore is protected. he doesn't have to pray in private the constitution disagrees with you.
again what government class did you take because whoever taught it was a moron.
well you seem to not understand the topic or what is being discussed or why what the school board did was wrong.
I am simply pointing it out to you.
The article states that he's doing it while still on duty as coach. If he's not on duty when he does it then I have no issue with it. When do his coaching duties actually end?
Okay, you don't have to get so upset, or say such mean things. I do understand what is going on here. I strongly disagree, and that is the point of this website, right? Just because you see this going one way, doesn't mean others may see it another way. In the end, something will come down on this particular case. Maybe not. Until then, we will have our own angles. I won't insult you. You can do or say whatever you want.
he is doing it after the game ends. his players are free to leave or go after the game is over.
he is not forcing his players to attend nor is he forcing his players to pray with him.
after the game he simply walks out onto the field says a private prayer and then goes about his business.
he can suspend his coaching duties at anytime.
as long as he is not forcing his players or making it a requirement then there is nothing the school board can do.
nor can the dictate to him when he does it or how he does it.
this is protected speech among other things by the constitution.
Like I said, if he's off duty I have no issue and he should easily win if that's the case. I still think he's being an ass by adding unnecessary disruption to the school. Very immature behavior. :shrug:
what is he disrupting after a football game?
If he was doing it on his own I wouldn't have a problem with it. But from those pictures it sure looks like he is leading those kids in prayer as well, and sorry, that is not appropriate at a public school. Time and place people, time and place.
That's not the immature behavior I was referring to. I'm talking about his stubborn refusal to compromise with his employer and bringing unnecessary controversy and national attention on the school.
Prayer is allowed in school, as are religious clubs.
I think the problem is that the coach is leading the prayer. Sad that there are objections.
IMO as long as no one is compelled to do so, it should be allowed. As should any other religious group.
The Satanist crap is just that...for show. Let them all pray and they'd lose interest pretty fast IMO.
Evidently, the coach prayed alone and silently for many seasons. A certain number of students then voluntarily started to join him. The coach neither extended invitations, nor did he turn people away. I hope he wins.
Well, I tend to think the coach praying in public is for show as well or else he would pray in private as the Bible advises.
That's not the immature behavior I was referring to. I'm talking about his stubborn refusal to compromise with his employer and bringing unnecessary controversy and national attention on the school.
I don't have a problem with him praying alone. If students have started to join him he should have to good sense to do it elsewhere. The outcome is what matters, not his intent.
Well, I tend to think the coach praying in public is for show as well or else he would pray in private as the Bible advises.
While the prayer is not mandatory the problem with a school official, particularly a coach, leading a prayer there on school grounds with everyone in uniform is it most definitely puts pressure on others to participate, even if unintended. We are talking about kids here. They are particularly susceptible to pressure. Like I said, time and place.
there is nothing wrong with students joining him. they can do so of their own free will. he never forced them.
Was the coach compelling others to pray with him? Or was it just the coach praying himself for his team? It says it was just a private prayer on the field, so it doesn't seem like he compelled others, why suspend him?
I don't have a problem with him praying alone. If students have started to join him he should have to good sense to do it elsewhere. The outcome is what matters, not his intent.
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