Sep 20, 2012
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High school cheerleaders in a small Texas town will no longer be able to include Bible verses on signs at athletic events after a Wisconsin-based group sent a letter complaining about the signs.
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Kevin Weldon, the superintendent of the Kountze Independent School District told Fox News he had no choice but to ban the signs after the Freedom From Religion Foundation accused the district of violating the Constitution.
Football players at Kountze High School prepare to run through a banner
The ban means any student participating in an official school activity cannot hold or create any sign, poster or banner that includes a religious message.
“I called our legal counsel and they recommended to me that we instruct all administrators in the district that religious signs or messages would no longer be permitted at school district events and that student groups and their sponsors were to be notified of the prohibition effective immediately,” he told Fox News.
Weldon received the letter on Monday and on Tuesday students were notified that Bible verses were no longer allowed.
“The decision I had to make was not a personal opinion of mine,” Weldon stressed. “I commend the students for expressing their beliefs. I respect them for standing up for what they believe in.”
It’s unclear who complained – but most residents believe the individual does not live in the community.
The incident was first reported in the Texas Conservative Republican News and word of the ban spread quickly through the tiny town of Kountze – about 85 northeast of Houston.
“It’s rocked our little town,” said Stacy Trotter, a parent who organized a Facebook page supporting the teenagers. “We’re just a small Christian town.”
The controversy surrounding giant banners that the football players run through at the start of high school football games. The last two home games featured banners that included Bible passages.
Students pray at Kountze High School.
“The cheerleaders made those things on their own time,” Trotter told Fox News. “It wasn’t something they did at school.”
She said one of the cheerleaders came up with the idea during cheer camp.
“Our boys always pray on the field before the game,” she said. “They got the idea to give inspiration to the football team (with the Bible verse banners).”
Within 24 hours, Trotter’s Facebook page, Support Kountze Kids Faith, had more than 30,000 supporters. It’s quite remarkable considering only 2,400 people live in Kountze.
“It’s brought our community closer,” Trotter said. “We’re going to stick together and as parents we are proud of what they’ve done.”
Meanwhile, outside groups are vowing to defend the young girls from the Freedom From Religion Foundation complaint.
“We are disappointed that Kountze ISD is banning student speech on banners because it is from a religious viewpoint,” said David Starnes, a Beaumont attorney working with the Liberty Institute. “Such discrimination and censorship is unfortunate and illegal.”
Liberty Institute president Kelly Shackelford has offered his legal team’s help in launching a local investigation.
“These government school officials will never learn that students’ religious rights are protected,” Shackelford said. “We have successfully passed state laws protecting student religious speech and have won restraining orders to final judgments protecting student religious speech.”
But Supt. Weldon said he was simply following the instruction of his legal counsel.
“When I was told by the lawyers about the Supreme Court case and what we should and shouldn’t be doing – obviously I’m going to follow the law – until the law changes or I’m told to do something different by the lawyers,” he told Fox News.
Weldon said he understands that people are frustrated and upset – but his hands are tied.
“Our community is very close knit,” he said. “There are great people here and a lot of them are Christian and they believe in that whole-heartedly. I don’t fault them one bit.”
- Football players at Kountze High School prepare to run through a banner
FOX News Talk
So, let me get this straight. The parents are proud that their children are fighting the anti-establishment clause and the decisions associated with it, handed down by SCOTUS, because it involves their religion?
I bet you dollars to doorknobs they'd be up in arms and threatening to burn the whole place down if someone wanted to have passages from the Qur'an, the Talmud, the Tao-te-ching, or the Chuang Tzu on those banners, and demand that the kids run through them.
Well gee, didn't know they were televising the Kountze ISD high school football games in Wisc. for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to be offended! Religion of Atheism oppressing religious freedom of others!
Well gee, didn't know they were televising the Kountze ISD high school football games in Wisc. for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to be offended! Religion of Atheism oppressing religious freedom of others!
The superintendent is wrong. The students need to continue putting out the message anyway in absolute civil peaceful defiance! Just because some atheist coward got his panties in a wad … Who cares!
GOOD NEWS! Judge Says Kountze Students ALLOWED to Hold Religious Signs until Hearing. Restraining Order by Judge Steve Thomas.
http://hardincountyconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/09/kountze-students-allowed-to-hold.html
BAD NEWS! This happened tonight just down the road from Kountze, TX.
Student Disciplined for Bible Verse on Face at West Hardin ISD TX Football Game.
http://hardincountyconservatives.blogspot.com/2012/09/student-disciplined-for-bible-verse-on.html
Just ignore these people! Come on man, have some guts! Ignore these bastards! I'm serious. Tell the ACLU where to get off!
Well just FYI there are a list of students rights! One of those rights includes being allowed to express their religious beliefs! We are not asking others to give up their beliefs only that we have the same consideration! Kudos to these kids!
Rediculous….that's what's wrong with the world….No Jesus! Well bless them because I refuse to let go of my praise for my almighty Jesus Christ!!!!! Lets get our praise on America!!!!!
we are told in our Bibles, we will be persecuted for our beliefs, and we are…we are also told to be BOLD in sharing….so students are doing what they are told to do in sharing, and what is happening was told long ago…
Please, please, please don't back down when one complaint comes in. Stand firm and don't let the threat of lawsuits bully you into turning away from public worship or displays of Scripture. Christian people all across this country need to stand firm together and listen to the Lord not the lies of evil people.
Let the atheist hate group come down and take the signs away themselves.
Acts 4:19-21 KJV But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge yes. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.
Not sure that having a football team tear through and trample Bible verses is very respectful of the Book, anyway. People in the crowd can (and should) hold all the signs they desire, but a.) having a public institution like the school promoting a single flavor of religion, and b.) in doing so, it's pretty disrespectful of the same religion–not good.
How would people feel if it was verses from the Koran that they were putting on those signs, i.e."Lord…give us victory over the unbelievers"? Would that make a Christian or Jewish student feel ostracized?
The point of the Establishment Clause is that our Founding Fathers saw what happened in Europe as different flavors of Christianity became "State Religions"(Catholic->Protestant->Catholic->Protestant->Catholic->Episcopalian->Anglican) and the strife that resulted. Our first settlers came here seeking religious freedom. Let's not override what the Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, saw fit to enshrine in our most important document. Because while it may be Christianity(which denomination?) in charge today, that may not be the case in 20-30 years. If it could change in *monarchies*, what do you think will happen in a Democracy? Shariah law could definitely become a possibility with no Establishment Clause.
I never understood people praying to God that their sports team win. It diminishes what God is all about and I doubt its very high on God's important list. However people that hold signs that profess God's word, I am fine with as long as the school is not participating in it. So this sign held by a student, Cheerleader, or fan in the stands is fine. However having this on the field is probably stretching the limits of seperation of Church and State and should be stopped based on the fact that we have removed God from our public institutions. I am quick to argue that a lot of the problems we have as a society can be tied back to removing God from these institutions but that is a seperate conversation and not applicable to this discussion
This is what happens when people allow filthy God. hating sodomites in any place of authority….
The Sodomite Agenda.
PLEASE SEE ALSO: THE CONSEQUENCES OF SEXUAL PERVERSION AND SODOMY.
INTRODUCTION
The research for this web page has left us feeling much violated after having conducted much research on the homosexual/sodomite agenda for the United States of America and the rest of the world. There is a variety of filth out there that is much more wicked than we had ever imagined. The wickedness of man is great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart are only evil continually. Much of the reading that we have done has been revolting to the Christian conscious. The words wicked, vile, and an abomination are not adequate to describe the cesspool and sewer of depravity which mankind has slithered into with Satan. The gathering of some of the statistics for this page required that we read some very vulgar language and statistics that are not fit for Christian ears. In our article "The Consequences of Sexual Perversion And Sodomy" we document the trail of filth and violence left by these reprobates. We will not publish our sources here because to do so would run the risk of violating or offending some young Christian. This is not a topic to research for a Christian that is young in the faith. How it must have pained God to have to record in the pages of Scriptures the deeds of reprobate minds. The focus of this page is to present what God says about sodomy and other sexual perversions. While conducting this research this Scripture came to mind:
ROMANS:1 verses27-32
The real danger to America is not gay Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting.
a filthy muslim sodomite like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to.
limit and undo the follies of a gay Obama presidency than to restore the.
necessary, commonsense , Godliness and good judgment to a depraved electorate.
willing to have such a creature for their president.
The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr.gay Obama, who is a mere.
symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the gay fools should not.
blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. “The
Republic can survive a gay Obama, who is, after all, merely a gay fool. It is
less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their.
president.”
The antipathy toward Christianity is disgusting. The absolute hatred is getting ridiculous. But it's good that this is in the news. Is getting attention.
In other news, my name is Frank. I'm a 23 year old CONSERVATIVE ACTING STUDENT. Weird, right? I know. Haha. I have always been really passionate about politics, but I only recently started writing. I figured my Facebook friends were getting tired of hearing my political rants, so I started a blog. I would love it if anyone reading this in the comments section could take a look at my blog, give some feedback or even subscribe, if you like it. The address is franklypolitics.wordpress.com
My most recent column was just posted yesterday. Thanks for your time!
- Frank
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Frank
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Frank
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Frank
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Frank
Nice to know I'm not the only one, Frank
Public school is no place for this religious nonsense.
Definite violation of church and state.
Excellent. No reason to offend others with your religious beliefs. Its about time.
The cheer leaders should hold a series of signs that say "BE KIND TO THOSE THAT PERSECUTE YOU". They could say they just made it up and make any protesters do their homework.
The cheer leaders should hold a series of signs that say "BE KIND TO THOSE THAT PERSECUTE YOU". They could say they just made it up and make any protesters do their homework.
quoted from the text : "The ban means any student participating in an official school activity cannot hold or create any sign, poster or banner that includes a religious message." -In order to follow this ban – NO student can hold US government money on campus! Dumb! For one thing – there is no such thing as separation of church and state. Holding a sign with a bible verse is NOT forcing anyone to believe it. All religions should be able to be open and honest – it's like they want Christians to hide in a closet now. The new coming out of the closet will be when teens confront others and tell them they are Christians. wow! – but back to my point – KIDS protest this – HOLD OUT YOUR DOLLARS on campus. Stay silent and peaceful!
quoted from the text : "The ban means any student participating in an official school activity cannot hold or create any sign, poster or banner that includes a religious message." -In order to follow this ban – NO student can hold US government money on campus! Dumb! For one thing – there is no such thing as separation of church and state. Holding a sign with a bible verse is NOT forcing anyone to believe it. All religions should be able to be open and honest – it's like they want Christians to hide in a closet now. The new coming out of the closet will be when teens confront others and tell them they are Christians. wow! – but back to my point – KIDS protest this – HOLD OUT YOUR DOLLARS on campus. Stay silent and peaceful!
can't hold the declaration of independence either… and I could go on
Praise Darwin that I wasn't born in Texas.