Prayer before Soddy games

[5-Sport Dad]

Rhonda Thurman is my new hero!...

 

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2010/oct/20/national-group-demands-end-prayers-soddy-daisy-hig/

Edited October 20, 2010 by 5-Sport Dad

[muffin]

I see nothing wrong with a prayer before and after the game.

[NotYourAverageMama]

Rhonda Thurman is my new hero!...

 

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2010/oct/20/national-group-demands-end-prayers-soddy-daisy-hig/

]

 

As a SDHS parent, she's my hero too! She doesn't mince words and isn't afraid to tell it like it is. More often than not, she stands alone on the school board asking hard questions and usually not getting straight answers. She doesn't quit, doesn't give up! She is well liked by her constituents and pretty much hated by the upper echelons of the Hamilton County Department of Education.

[jabbo]

If the majority of attendees are Christian then by all means public Christian prayers should be allowed. If the majority are Muslims, then a public Muslim prayer should be allowed. Minority opinions don't matter when it comes to religion.

[5-Sport Dad]

If the majority of attendees are Christian then by all means public Christian prayers should be allowed. If the majority are Muslims, then a public Muslim prayer should be allowed. Minority opinions don't matter when it comes to religion.

So, majority rules? Well, heck, this ought to be easy then. Have you seen the latest religious 'poll' in America today? If so, I guess it's OK then...to also pray in the public square, the Supreme Court, the Oval Office, etc., etc. because America, today, is overwhelmingly Christian, thank God.

 

Anybody that does even shallow research on this country's origins will be highly disappointed if they try to say our government was founded on any religious freedom other than Christian. Sorry! And a token drive around small-town...heck, or even big-town...America reveals that there are certainly many 'denominations' of Christianity. But, Hindu, Muslim and the proverbial 'other' on a large scale? No. Sorry, again. Regarding the bolded statement: Uh, yeah, reality says they obviously do. See Murfreesboro, TN and NY, NY.

 

A few more thoughts...

Why do we try to get publicly elected Christians to 'check their faith at the door' or deny their Savior (sin of omission and commission)? Not being able to pray over the loud speaker at an American high school sporting event just because you happen to also be the principal...or a teacher or a student or the mayor...is ridiculous! You can't separate and compartmentalize your life. Bill Clinton tried it and see what happened (I remember a few naïve people saying that what he did in the Oval Office 'was in his private life,' not his 'political' one; that's an absurd statement!). I don't know about you, but my faith is supposed to come first. Now, that's not to say he couldn't have confessed, privately, and been forgiven, but, to say politicians have two lives is hogwash, in my opinion. They're human beings...some of 'em, at least, LOL!...and most of 'em ( ) have one soul, one heart and one brain.

 

It galls me sometimes when I'm at a game and there's a 'moment of silence.' Wonder what Jesus thinks of being politically correct over skipping a chance to promote Him? I usually get funny looks when I don't participate. Oh, I pray, but it ain't on the speakers' schedule. Sometimes I'm still praying when he begins to speak again and sometimes I'm lookin' around, no matter what 'others' think. JOY (Jesus, Others and then Yourself)! That's how it's supposed to be, in my opinion, even though I'll confess to messing the order up sometimes.

 

Anyway, we'll either stand for something or fall for anything. As for me and my house, we're gonna stand!

 

God bless!

[NotYourAverageMama]

The prayer over the loudspeaker at the SDHS games is ALWAYS by a STUDENT. It is never by a a principal or other school administrator.

 

Prayers can be led by STUDENTS at any public school in the country. Prayers can also be said at public school graduations as long as the senior student body votes in the majority for this to happen.

 

Our school superintendent doesn't want any controversy over this, he has enough controversy in his administration already. The Soddy Daisy community has really rallied around this and we're ready to fight for this.

 

There will be a community prayer meeting/vigil at the Veterans Park (sometimes called the helicopter park) in Soddy Daisy on Wednesday, October 27 at 5:00. If you live in the area, please come and show your support. If you don't, then please remember us in your prayers (publicly or privately.)

[5-Sport Dad]

Do corporate prayers mean more than personal ones? Certainly not. Just like I can't save you, I can't say your prayers for you. My God is personal, but I believe He embraces public prayers, too.

 

I'll pray for ya, but I ain't into vigils and marches. I like to confront the problem when it happens or at least when something can actually be done about it and a decision can be made...like at a ballgame (where the majority repeats the Lord's Prayer, maybe) or to a school board member (where you can look 'em in the eye and give 'em your opinion as a legal citizen, a taxpayer AND a voter).

 

I have to say, too, though, that our PA guy for Greenbrier HS football games - Mr. Savage - in addition to being a great announcer, prays in Jesus' name. Go ahead, brotha!

[Sequatchie]

Rhonda Thurman is my new hero!...

 

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2010/oct/20/national-group-demands-end-prayers-soddy-daisy-hig/

I'm not a Hamilton Co. resident but seeing her on TV for years in interviews on school & school board related issues it seems that her talents are being wasted as a school board member. She should run for office over there in some capacity or better yet she should be the school superintendent but it seems you have to be from Dallas, Atlanta or New York or some place like that to be qualified for that position in Hamilton Co.

[jabbo]

The prayer over the loudspeaker at the SDHS games is ALWAYS by a STUDENT. It is never by a a principal or other school administrator.

 

Prayers can be led by STUDENTS at any public school in the country. Prayers can also be said at public school graduations as long as the senior student body votes in the majority for this to happen.

 

....

 

 

No. See this Supreme Court case.

Edited October 22, 2010 by jabbo

[5-Sport Dad]

No. See this Supreme Court case.

Really? So, some south Texas Mormon and Catholic students, alumni and their mothers - so-called Christians - filed a lawsuit because at the 1994 Santa Fe graduation ceremony the senior class president delivered this invocation:

 

“Please bow your heads.

“Dear heavenly Father, thank you for allowing us to gather here safely

tonight. We thank you for the wonderful year you have allowed us to

spend together as students of Santa Fe. We thank you for our teachers

who have devoted many hours to each of us. Thank you, Lord, for our

parents and may each one receive the special blessing. We pray also for

a blessing and guidance as each student moves forward in the future.

Lord, bless this ceremony and give us all a safe journey home. In Jesus’

name we pray.â€

 

How petty and silly! The Court should've thrown out the lawsuit as frivolous. But, alas, it's yet another documented example of our government wasting OUR tax dollars (and people wonder why there's a credible Tea Party movement...).

 

May students pray? ...Students have the right to engage in voluntary individual prayer that is not coercive and does not substantially disrupt the school's educational mission and activities...Students may engage with other students in religious activity during non-curricular periods as long as the activity is not coercive or disruptive...It is also critical to ensure that the religious activity is actually student-initiated, and that no school employee supervises or participates in the activity...Any school promotion or endorsement of a student's private religious activity is unconstitutional.

 

Can there be prayer before or after athletic events or activities? A school district's policy of permitting student-led, student-initiated prayer before football games is unconstitutional. It is also unconstitutional for a school official, including a coach, to initiate or lead a team in prayer. Nor may a school official ask a team member or any other student to initiate or lead a prayer before, during or after a public or school-sponsored athletic activity or event. It is also unconstitutional for a member of the clergy to offer prayers before or after public school athletic activities or events. Voluntary prayer presented and led by students without official permission or sanction may be constitutional, provided that it is not coercive in any way.

 

© 2010 Anti-Defamation League. All rights reserved. The Anti-Defamation League is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501©(3).

 

 

Confused? I am. What's 'coercive' or 'substantially disruptive' about a Christian prayer? If the announcer gives the score, is that forcing me to agree with it or can I approach him about my disagreement...if I don't like it? And can I sue him? These two paragraphs confirm that these so-called ADL constitutional experts/lawyers are also nutcases...along with the ACLU and apparently our Supreme Court. WHEW!

 

I still say...and I LOVE THIS!...'put their fingers in their ears' if they're offended. You go!, girl (Ms. Thurman). Ephesians 6:14 (I can attest!).

[NotYourAverageMama]

No. See this Supreme Court case

.

 

 

 

No. See this.

 

http://www.aclj.org/Issues/Resources/Document.aspx?ID=717

Edited October 22, 2010 by NotYourAverageMama

[jabbo]

.

 

 

 

No. See this.

 

http://www.aclj.org/Issues/Resources/Document.aspx?ID=717

 

There's a difference as noted from your website referencing the Santa Fe case, which ruled student led prayer at a football game unconstitutional.