Earlier Roy wrote an opinion piece about conservatives vs liberals when it comes to which side believes in a God and religion more so than the other.
It isn't that liberals believe less. Liberals just don't weaponize, exploit and use religion or God as an entitlement to do their biddings the way some conservatives have over the decades.
The defining truth about those lynch mobs of a bygone era wasn't as much about which political side any identified with as much as it was about their religious beliefs. The reality many actually believed a God had their backs and were cheering them on. Even running alongside and carry a torch, pitchfork and guns with them. They'd have strung up Jesus Christ on a poplar tree if he'd gotten in their way in an attempt to stop them. Who knows? Perhaps they did already, come to think about it.
That very same mentality exist much within the conservative extremist circles today.
"With or without religion, good people will behave well and bad people will commit evil. But for good people to commit evil--that takes religion."~~Weinberg
"History is the witness of time, the torch of truth, the life of memory, the teacher of life, the messengery of antiquity."~~Cicero
"History repeats itself because no one ever listens."~~author unknown
Brenda Washington
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Thanks Roy for the update. An addendum to it would be real appropriate. One that makes clear that when some other coach or student wants to pray publicly on school grounds, they will also be free and safe to do so. For example, if a young Muslim student or a Buddhist coach wants to pray to their respective deity that they will be offered the same respect and dignity. I have a feeling that conservative Christians will be near apoplectic one these Friday nights if this happened following a local football game.
Todd Rudolph
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In his commentary, Mr. Exum describes the ruling a victory for religion in America. So, I would like to know how he would have responded if the coach was Muslim, Jewish, or was of any faith except Christian.
I seriously doubt if there would have been a commentary. Or the commentary would have been about the Justices erred in their ruling, since the appellant was not Christian. Or if the court ruled in favor of the school system, the commentary would have railed against the Justices for not citing the very reason in the next paragraph.
The justices in the majority emphasized that the coach’s prayers came AFTER the games were over and at a time when he wasn’t responsible for students and was free to do other things.
Really? How many coaches merely leave their players immediately after the end of a game? Don't those players have to return to their dressing rooms after the game? I also suspect that there is some pep talk or brief review, all for the purpose of good coaching, team building, etc.
No, the coach's prayers did NOT come at a time when he wasn't responsible for students and free to do other things. He remained a paid teacher and coach until the players left the dressing room after the game.
The coach is quoted as saying "I hope it means that our public school teachers and coaches don’t have to hide their faith from view." If Christian teachers, to whom the coach was likely referring, Jesus said in his parable in Matthew 7:15-20 you will know them by their fruits. Won't those teachers be known by their fruits as described in Galatians 5:23 at any point in a classroom or in a game?
Of course, the real irony is that as long as there is a Second Amendment as understood by Marjorie Taylor Greene, there will always be prayer in schools.
Joe Warren