Does a high school football coach endorse religion when he takes a knee or bows his head during his team’s student-led prayer? Does it matter if the coach has a prior history of leading prayers himself or asking ministers to do so?
The bitter national debate over school prayer played out Wednesday in federal appeals court in a case brought by a New Jersey school district that fears a coach is crossing the line.
One of the three 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges hearing the case, Theodore A. McKee, voiced concern for non-believers or non-Christians on the East Brunswick High School football and cheerleading squads.
“Knowing the (coach’s) history, I’m not sure I’d want to say, ‘No, I don’t want to pray,’ ” McKee said.
As a former university administrator/faculty member, I am always amused that the courts and the non-believers alike seek to tell believers when and where they can pray and under what circumstances. What, pray tell, do they use for a definition of prayer, since they do not believe? Coukl they be using a Christian definition? How can those who believe in the so-called separation of church and state use church definitions to justify their arguments?
When you a high-school football player about to go out on the field, somebody says “Let us pray,” and the other ten players drop to one knee with the coach, that is pretty unambiguously prayer by anybody’s definition. If you were in Hawaii, and the other ten players and the coach responded to “Let’s pray to Buddha” by chanting a mantra in unison, you might feel a bit uncomfortable not joining in and your taxpayer parents might feel a bit uncomfortable about paying the coach’s salary to lead their child to the Lord Shakyamuni.
Fr. Ed see # 2. That’s how they justify it.
In the name of freedom of religion they will drive Christianity out of the public area. So be it.
#2, no, actually I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable not joining in. That’s really silly.
There can be no logical solution to the polarization that both sides are entitled to their “rights”: one to the freedom of expression and the other to the freedom to not pray. Each person’s rights when exercised come into conflict with the other’s rights. There has to be some reasonable compromise by one, the other or both parties. Then let us get on with the game.