Atheist group demands East Tennessee school cease pre-game prayers

**SBG** · October 20th, 2010, 01:47 PM

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) ? A group that promotes the separation of church and state is demanding an end to prayers before football games at Soddy-Daisy High School.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press quoted the attorney for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, who said the Madison, Wis.-based organization sent a letter to local school leaders at the request of some students at the school near Chattanooga.

Staff attorney Rebecca Markert said the letter to Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales was sent last week and objected to Christian prayers uttered over the school's public address system.

A spokeswoman for the schools says Scales received the letter Monday, but was not yet ready to comment because the system's lawyer was out of town.

http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=9027109

**MikeJones** · October 20th, 2010, 02:00 PM

I demand a cease in athiest groups.

**Biggin** · October 20th, 2010, 04:29 PM

yes, because its the atheist groups that constantly break constitutional requirements about religion and schools.
:/

the facts are that schools are not allowed to have any form of school-sponsored denominational prayer before a school function, thats black letter separation of church and state.
and if a school is using its PA system and doing it before a football game, then it would fall under a school-sponsored prayer, therefore violating church and state.

why is everybody so opposed to a moment of silence? does that not solve the problem and leave all sides happy?

**SBG** · October 20th, 2010, 05:17 PM

Officials halt prayers before football games at East Tennessee school

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) ? A public high school in southeastern Tennessee will no longer allow prayer to be uttered over loudspeakers before football games, following a complaint.

Principal John Maynard said Wednesday that he would follow the order to halt the prayers issued by Hamilton County Schools Superintendent Jim Scales.

Scales told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he sent the e-mail restricting public prayer at football games on Tuesday.

"Now that we have citizens in our community protesting, we need to notify our principals to follow the law based on numerous court cases," he said.

He said he will also discuss the issue with the district's legal counsel.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation ? a Madison, Wis.-based group that promotes separation of church and state ? sent a letter of complaint to Scales, the Chattanooga Free Press reported.

Staff attorney Rebecca Markert said the letter to Scales was sent last week after some students at the high school objected to Christian prayers over the school's public address system.

She asked the school to investigate and take steps to "remedy this serious and flagrant violation of the First Amendment."

The prayers have supporters who argue it was part of school tradition. Rhonda Thurman, who is on the Hamilton County Board of Education, said anyone who didn't want to hear the prayers could "put their fingers in their ears."

But Annie Laurie Gaylor, director and co-president of the foundation, said several U.S. Supreme Court cases found prayer before football games and graduation ceremonies to be unconstitutional.

"Students are a captive audience, they're required to go to school," she said. "When there is a violation like a prayer at a school, they're really vulnerable; it's a violation of their civil rights," she said.

One area parent, Jim Rogers, whose son is manager of the football team at East Hamilton School, said he thinks that public prayer falls under his free speech rights.

"Our country was founded on the principle of religious suffrage and the freedom to express that religion," he said.

While prayer may be a tradition at the school's football games, changing populations in the area could push against the status quo, said David Eichenthal, president of the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies.

"As Chattanooga and (Hamilton County) continue to grow, the more we view things to open us up to that diversity, the stronger our region will be," he said. "To the extent that we make people uncomfortable or feel out of place who come to the community, that could have an impact."

http://timesnews.net/article.php?id=9027117

**cosmo99** · October 20th, 2010, 06:24 PM

"why is everybody so opposed to a moment of silence? does that not solve the problem and leave all sides happy?"

I agree that a moment of silence would be an excellent idea. There would still be some unhappy from both sides though.

**R13** · October 20th, 2010, 10:42 PM

Good for them, they needed to be challenged. Just because "that's the way it's always been", doesn't mean it's right, it isn't. It's forcing people to take part in it and before anyone says there's no gun to their head, just don't participate and see what ridicule comes your way, it's worse in other areas - you'd probably lose your **** job. But glad to read see this, a win for the good guys.

**1inStripes** · October 20th, 2010, 11:33 PM

Maybe Lee High does it best then.

**Rocky** · October 21st, 2010, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by R13

Good for them, they needed to be challenged. Just because "that's the way it's always been", doesn't mean it's right, it isn't. It's forcing people to take part in it and before anyone says there's no gun to their head, just don't participate and see what ridicule comes your way, it's worse in other areas - you'd probably lose your **** job. But glad to read see this, a win for the good guys.

but wouldnt it be better if you dont agree with something to just NOT take part in it? Why would it bother them to just go about their own beliefs and let the people who pray do their thing? I mean, i dont see a petition going around telling them NOT to come to the games so that they have to miss the oh so evil prayer. **** like this kills me. On the other hand its just as easy to have a silent prayer.

**LCAS_712** · October 21st, 2010, 05:21 PM

Seems like Hell will get a few more people when they die.........

**Biggin** · October 21st, 2010, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by Rocky

but wouldnt it be better if you dont agree with something to just NOT take part in it? Why would it bother them to just go about their own beliefs and let the people who pray do their thing? I mean, i dont see a petition going around telling them NOT to come to the games so that they have to miss the oh so evil prayer. **** like this kills me. On the other hand its just as easy to have a silent prayer.

the problem is that they used the school PA system and did it as a part of the school function. If a group of students led a prayer aside from the game and not a part of the actual ballgame activities, they would have been fine. But when a school does it across the PA system and as a part of the actual festivities, its the school sponsoring said religion and thats unethical.

A moment of silence solves all these problems everywhere, for the life of me I cannot understand why people fight against a moment of silence so hard. It keeps everybody happy and does not break any constitutional requirements.