Anti-Faith Group Tries to Censor Cheerleaders' Bible Banners: Foul?
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2012/09/24 05:58:48
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The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) tried to stop high school cheerleaders from writing positive religious messages on banners at their football games. The Wisconsin-based group sent a threatening letter half-way across the country to Kountze High School in Harden County, Texas that read, “You must take immediate action to stop these religious banners from being part of school-sponsored events. It is illegal for a public school to organize, sponsor or lead religious messages at school athletic events."
The FFRF wants to remove religion from all public and private life. The FFRF actively attacks schools and local governments who allow prayer or religion. The group uses the threat of legal action and lawsuits to silence people of faith in public life. The tactic initially worked on the Kountze school district, which censored the banners in fear of a lawsuit.
The Liberty Institute and a local attorney filed a temporary restraining order against the school from censoring the students' religious speech. The Harden County court agreed to the TRO. Courts will hear the case on October 4.
Liberty Institute President Kelly Shackelford said, “These government officials will never learn that students’ religious rights are protected.”
“We are excited that the cheerleaders for the Kountze High School Lions can again do what they do best -- cheer on their football team without government censorship,” said Mike Johnson, Senior Counsel for Liberty Institute. "This is a quintessential example of students private speech being censored unnecessarily by uninformed school officials. This is a well-established principle of constitutional law that students don’t have to shed their constitutional rights of free speech when they enter the school house gate."
The FFRF believes that religion stops social and moral progress. The organization's website states, "The history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion."
JDJOURNAL.COM reports:
The FFRF wants to remove religion from all public and private life. The FFRF actively attacks schools and local governments who allow prayer or religion. The group uses the threat of legal action and lawsuits to silence people of faith in public life. The tactic initially worked on the Kountze school district, which censored the banners in fear of a lawsuit.
The Liberty Institute and a local attorney filed a temporary restraining order against the school from censoring the students' religious speech. The Harden County court agreed to the TRO. Courts will hear the case on October 4.
Liberty Institute President Kelly Shackelford said, “These government officials will never learn that students’ religious rights are protected.”
“We are excited that the cheerleaders for the Kountze High School Lions can again do what they do best -- cheer on their football team without government censorship,” said Mike Johnson, Senior Counsel for Liberty Institute. "This is a quintessential example of students private speech being censored unnecessarily by uninformed school officials. This is a well-established principle of constitutional law that students don’t have to shed their constitutional rights of free speech when they enter the school house gate."
The FFRF believes that religion stops social and moral progress. The organization's website states, "The history of Western civilization shows us that most social and moral progress has been brought about by persons free from religion."
JDJOURNAL.COM reports:
The dispute arose when the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the superintendent of the school seeking separation of church and state and criticizing the practice of its cheerleaders holding up bible banners.
Read More: http://www.jdjournal.com/2012/09/22/texas-cheerlea...
Top Opinion
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D D 2012/09/24 13:34:38
The favorite over the years has been the "John 3:16" banners.
I have always wondered, what they are afraid of?
They should be proud of it.
People have the right to express. If a group of Muslim students in Dearborn want to hoist banners declaring Allah's power, go for it .... you have that right.
Any message that they put up can be attributed to the school, and that is where the line should be drawn. It is not the same as individual, personal expression of religious belief, which definitely should be protected.
I am tired of bowing down to a tiny minority that thinks they can force their thinking and way of life on me !
Religious speech should never be hate speech.
Any religion whose god advocates hatred of others is not a religion but a cult of hate.
I have this thing called Personal Responsibility and Accountability, along with Integrity. Things I picked up in the US Army by the by.
I'm not going to RESTRICT you from anything. I believe VERY FIRMLY in the 1st Amendment and spent 12 years defending that right while NOT having it myself.
I do not see anyone being forced into a religion on the ball court or in the bleachers here.
But again, you are absolutely right.