Hmmm...Well, I hope my education and experiences will not be derided as FBCOACH does most of these people...if you only knew...I will keep that to myself, however.
You see, gentlemen, the question is not a question of law. The question is one of loyalty. If one is loyal to the state, then follow what that state dictates whether or not it contradicts your faith. Just as during the Roman Empire before the conversion of Contantine, loyal Romans followed the dictates of the IMPERIUM and offered insence to the Emperor's image. The Christians did not, they followed the dictates of their faith, and died willingly because of it. The problem comes when one sacrifices their faith to the abstraction that is government. In that situation, the individual willingly waters down their own faith in order to not offend the state or anyone who does not agree with them. What creeps in is the relativism of post-modern thought..."that's not what i think but I cannot push my realities on them." For those individuals who wish to live their faith who also happen to work in government positions to have their freedom of religion suppressed is unconstitutional. BTW seperation of church and state is a hollow arguement completley absent from the Constitution of this land...CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW ESTABLISHING RELIGION...it would take a lyar, lunatic, or illiterate to contrive seperation of church and state from that clause.
In one of my experiences coaching in ________ we had two players who were Muslims. We prayed before each competition as a team. They prayed an Islamic prayer as the Our Father...was prayed by the Christian players. I asked them how they felt about that and they were glad of it because it gave them a chance to pray as well. In the young man's words "we have more in common than different"
As for me, If I am to be fired for this sort of behavior...I will be glad to suffer for my faith