Why can't the coach pray on the field?

"Joseph A. Kennedy, a former high school football coach, was fired after he made a habit of going to the 50-yard line after his team’s games to thank God and to lead his players in prayer. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard his suit." ~ The Daily

Isn't feeling excluded from such moments simply character building?

Thoughts?

@fmf said
"Joseph A. Kennedy, a former high school football coach, was fired after he made a habit of going to the 50-yard line after his team’s games to thank God and to lead his players in prayer. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard his suit." ~ The Daily

Isn't feeling excluded from such moments simply character building?

Thoughts?

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." -- Matthew 6:5-6, KJV

@Suzianne
I am not so interested in Matthew 6:5-6 because it butts up against people in real [Christian] life praying in church, prayer groups, vigils etc. Matthew 6:5-6 is ripe for cherry-picking.

No. Instead, I am more interested in why there is this movement in American culture that seeks to drive religion and faith out of the public domain and away from the public square, so to speak?

@fmf said
"Joseph A. Kennedy, a former high school football coach, was fired after he made a habit of going to the 50-yard line after his team’s games to thank God and to lead his players in prayer. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard his suit." ~ The Daily

Isn't feeling excluded from such moments simply character building?

Thoughts?

Thread 193017

edit: cheers, Ponderable

@fmf said
Thread 4520096

...the link leads to an error message...

@fmf said
@Suzianne
I am not so interested in Matthew 6:5-6 because it butts up against people in real [Christian] life praying in church, prayer groups, vigils etc. Matthew 6:5-6 is ripe for cherry-picking.

No. Instead, I am more interested in why there is this movement in American culture that seeks to drive religion and faith out of the public domain and away from the public square, so to speak?

The issue, since this is in America, is that a school official is including his religious life in a school setting. Our 1st Amendment to the US Constitution says that there shall be no establishment of a state religion. And so this has come to be known as the "separation of church and state", which I agree with. The church and the state cannot co-exist in the same space. This is seen as the state supporting the church, which it should not do in America, because of the 1st Amendment.

I also think this man is grandstanding. He should abide by Matthew 6:5-6. Especially since he is an official of the school, and therefore of the state.

Also, praying for God to bless your team, or to thank God for your team's win is vanity in the extreme to think that God gives one whit about a sporting event, or that you deserve his help for your team simply because it is your team. If there's any praying to be done, it should be for everyone to do their best, or that God watch over the participants to prevent injuries.

@fmf said

I am more interested in why there is this movement in American culture that seeks to drive religion and faith out of the public domain and away from the public square, so to speak?

an analysis
americans like to pigeonhole
americans like to compartmentalize
americans like paint by numbers where everything is kept between the lines

"never let any of the food touch the other food on the plate!" - monk

americans do not care if one practices one's religion or faith in God/god, just so long as nobody else has to see it or smell it

"not in my backyard!" - generic american

as soon as a human expresses a faith/belief in God/god, in public, then that act is seen as foisting the same upon any and all much to great offense as americans are taught from birth that the only true path is the one that their parents tread and all others are some sort of evil on some sort of nebulous level

nobody would have said a dang thing if the coach had done his praying on the sideline
nope, he took it upon himself to ensure the spotlight was directly on himself and thus glorified HIMSELF and not the God/god he was professing

this act has been done since american football was freakin invented
nobody ever gives a tiny hair
until one does the thing with the intent of display

(caveat)
note please that this analysis was done early in my morning alongside the ingestion of caffeine and before the caffeine's effect, so it may not be complete or bullseye accurate

@rookie54 said
an analysis
americans like to pigeonhole
americans like to compartmentalize
americans like paint by numbers where everything is kept between the lines

"never let any of the food touch the other food on the plate!" - monk

americans do not care if one practices one's religion or faith in God/god, just so long as nobody else has to see it or smell it

[i]"no ...[text shortened]... gestion of caffeine and before the caffeine's effect, so it may not be complete or bullseye accurate

For what it's worth, I agree with you.

@suzianne said
The issue, since this is in America, is that a school official is including his religious life in a school setting. Our 1st Amendment to the US Constitution says that there shall be no establishment of a state religion. And so this has come to be known as the "separation of church and state", which I agree with. The church and the state cannot co-exist in the same space. ...[text shortened]... as the state supporting the church, which it should not do in America, because of the 1st Amendment.

Our 1st Amendment to the US Constitution says that there shall be no establishment of a state religion.

I don't think a sports coach praying is establishing "a state religion", do you?

@suzianne said
I also think this man is grandstanding.

What's wrong with "grandstanding"?

@suzianne said
He should abide by Matthew 6:5-6. Especially since he is an official of the school, and therefore of the state.

Officials "of the state" should "abide by Matthew 6:5-6"? Why?

@suzianne said
Also, praying for God to bless your team, or to thank God for your team's win is vanity in the extreme to think that God gives one whit about a sporting event, or that you deserve his help for your team simply because it is your team.

I don't see why praying for the wrong thing should be a sackable offence.

Isn't the 1st amendment there to stop the government from setting up "the" Church of America and then discriminating against those that do not adhere to this "state religion"?

@rookie54 said
as soon as a human expresses a faith/belief in God/god, in public, then that act is seen as foisting the same upon any and all much to great offense as americans are taught from birth that the only true path is the one that their parents tread and all others are some sort of evil on some sort of nebulous level

"Foisting" is an interesting word.

Does it have any negative moral or ethical resonance?

I don't see any damage being done to anyone by the coach praying.

@fmf said
"Foisting" is an interesting word.

Does it have any negative moral or ethical resonance?

I don't see any damage being done to anyone by the coach praying.

the word 'foisting' hasn't any negative moral or ethical resonance for me

i, too, see no damage caused by the coach's actions
i see no damage caused by the offense and/or outrage in other folks response to his actions
i see a circus, with an abundance of clowns, pretending to be philosophers