LC's Coach Thompson responds

[BurroBall]

NO, the Constitution does not mention any specific religion. The Declaration does mention a CREATOR but it is very vague by design. The man who wrote the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson was not a Christian.

 

 

You are correct, the Constitution of the United States, nor the Declaration of Independence mention Christianity directly. However, the very first governing document in American history (Mayflower Compact) does specifically mention Christianity:

 

"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

 

The 'dread sovereign' referred to in the document used the archaic definition of dread; meaning awe and reverence (for the King), not fear.

 

Note: John Quincy Adams reportedly referred to the Mayflower Compact as the foundation of the U.S. Constitution in a speech he gave in 1802.

 

Now then, Jefferson, who later became a deist, was against the governmental persecution of religion in the public arena as well. His comments about a "wall of separation between church and state" have been so misconstrued and abused over the years it's not even funny.

[dontbL8]

Wait a minute let's not lose track of the original issue here. This is not about a coach LEADING his team in prayer and certainly not about a coach forcing anybody to pray to anyone else's God. Here is the quote from the original article:

 

"But a case making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court could specifically prevent Thompson and other coaches of public schools from praying with their teams, even if the players initiate the prayer on their own."

 

So dont' try to turn this into something about a coach forcing kids to pray based on a specific religion. The Lord's Prayer, which is what Thompson's team says, doesn't mention Jesus or Mohammad or anything else. It's just God.

 

AMEN. If the prayer is lead by a player what is the problem with the coach participating? The Supreme Court can't take away what is in Coach Thompsons heart or any other Christain coaches heart. That is what is so cool about my God, he hears my prayers if their shouted from the mountain tops or said silently. No one can stop that. The Christain life and example that this man shows to the kids around him as well as the parents is a witness that no one can take away.

[FBCOACH]

Now then, Jefferson, who later became a deist, was against the governmental persecution of religion in the public arena as well. His comments about a "wall of separation between church and state" have been so misconstrued and abused over the years it's not even funny.

 

A "deist" is just an older name for someone who is an agnostic. They may accept the concept of a "higher power" but they reject the concept that man has any contact with a "supreme being." By the standards of the day, Jefferson would have been considered an unbeliever.

 

Ironically, you mention the Mayflower Compact. The people in Mass were not practicing religious tolerance at any time. They ran off anyone who did not subscribe to their brand of protestantism. It would be in large part because of their extreme views that the moderates concluded that the new nation should not adopt one religious view as the official state religion. Jefferson and Franklin wanted religious freedom and pushed the concept into reality.

[Red81KPsmash]

Dang, who said reading coacht was not educational /roflol.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":roflol:" border="0" alt="roflol.gif" /> I feel like a more informed American after Burro and FB coach have caught me up on my American History.

[BurroBall]

A "deist" is just an older name for someone who is an agnostic. They may accept the concept of a "higher power" but they reject the concept that man has any contact with a "supreme being." By the standards of the day, Jefferson would have been considered an unbeliever.

 

Ironically, you mention the Mayflower Compact. The people in Mass were not practicing religious tolerance at any time. They ran off anyone who did not subscribe to their brand of protestantism. It would be in large part because of their extreme views that the moderates concluded that the new nation should not adopt one religious view as the official state religion. Jefferson and Franklin wanted religious freedom and pushed the concept into reality.

 

 

I was aware of what deist is/was. By the standards of today, Jefferson would not have been a Christian. However, he was avid student of the Bible and although he was raised in church, he never joined a specific church or organization. In retrospect, many historians consider him to be a "Christian deist" rather than an "Orthodox Christian". Basically, he was the same thing a religious person raised in a church is today.

 

I mentioned the Mayflower Compact because it is the first governing document in American history, it specifically talks about the advancement of the Christian faith, and it reportedly provided the foundation for the U.S. Constitution, the current governing document.

 

Yes, it is true the people of the time were not practicing religious tolerance. Why do you think Jefferson and the rest of the framers of the Constitution wanted to include freedom of religion in the FIRST amendment to the Constitution? Jefferson was against the governmental persecution of Christianity in the public arena as well. I certainly don't think the religious censorship and compartmentalization that today's government is endorsing is what he had in mind when he referred to "building a wall of separation between church and state."

 

By the way, why do people today continually mistake this Jeffersonian quote for being "constitutional"? Those words are no where in the Constitution, but rather Jefferson's personal interpretation of the meaning of the first amendment to the Constitution.