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Questions
Post your answers by clicking on the "Comments" link at the bottom.
1. Why do you think the coaches changed practice time?
2. If you could change one thing in your life so you better
live out you faith, what would it be?
3. Why is it important for schools to take the religions of
their students into account?
Going Deeper
Tired of the violent messages often used to cheer on teams, the cheerleaders at the Kountze High School in Texas decided to try a different approach. When making the giant paper banners football players run through at the beginning of a game, the cheerleaders decided to use Bible verses instead. They started with a quote from Philippians: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." On September 18, school officials announced that such messages would no longer be allowed. The superintendent himself a Christian, believes that having the school's cheerleaders use religious messages is in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Tired of the violent messages often used to cheer on teams, the cheerleaders at the Kountze High School in Texas decided to try a different approach. When making the giant paper banners football players run through at the beginning of a game, the cheerleaders decided to use Bible verses instead. They started with a quote from Philippians: "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." On September 18, school officials announced that such messages would no longer be allowed. The superintendent himself a Christian, believes that having the school's cheerleaders use religious messages is in violation of the U.S. Constitution.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." At its simplest, it means that the U.S. government cannot promote or obstruct any religion. The Supreme Court has come to interpret it to mean that no government or public institution, such as public schools, can promote any religion. The Kountze cheerleaders have a large number of supporters who say that their First Amendment right to free speech allows them to use whatever messages they want on their banners.
One of the lawyers supporting the cheerleaders says the Supreme Court has ruled in the past that teachers and students keep their right to free speech even when they are in a public school. For example, students cannot be prohibited from private prayer during school. But opponents say that when students are acting as cheerleaders, they represent the school and are not allowed to use religious messages.
The case went to court, and on September 20, the judge granted a restraining order against the school's ban. This gave the cheerleaders permission to use Bible verses on their banners for two weeks. Another hearing on October 4 extended the restraining order for another two weeks.
Question
Question
Post your answers by clicking on the "Comments" link at the bottom.
Do you think using Bible verses to cheer on football players promotes Christianity over other religions? Why or why not?
What do you think is the purpose of the First Amendment's rule about religion: avoiding offense, promoting freedom, or something else?
What do you think is the purpose of the First Amendment's rule about religion: avoiding offense, promoting freedom, or something else?
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ReplyDelete1. so kids wouldn't dehydrate and potentially hurt.
ReplyDelete2. IDK
3.so they don't get sued, complaints, or kids leaving
depends on the bible verse, because we got our Old Testament from the Jewish Torah
Avoiding offense, because you could sue, or start a group of people with the same views and start a riot
1. Why do you think the coaches changed practice time?
ReplyDeleteBecause the coaches were worried that some of the kids who were Muslim would dehydrate because it was the time of Ramadan for them.
2. If you could change one thing in your life so you better live out you faith, what would it be?
It would be to follow religious days more closely.
3. Why is it important for schools to take the religions of their students into account?
Because I think everyone should respect each other's religions.
1.So Muslim football players wouldn't dehydrate themselves while they were fasting.
ReplyDelete2.IDK
3.So if the school decides to follow the religion of one student, it doesn't offend another student's religion.