Putnam County Football Players Take A Knee To Pray After Complaint From National Watchdog Group
On September 17th, After The Football Game Between Upperman High School And Stone Memorial High School, The Players Gathered To Lead Prayer With The Overwhelming Support Of Their Parents And Community.
Photo Credit: Bob Vick / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A Washington D.C. based group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, recently sent a letter to a Putnam County school district, scolding them for “instances of prayer and proselytizing” at Cookeville and Upperman high schools.
On their Facebook page, Americans United reported that after being alerted to church-state violations happening in Putnam County schools, they wrote to the district and that school administrators immediately responded to their letter “to make sure all policies and laws concerning prayer at school-sponsored activities are followed.”
In 1962 the Supreme Court ruled that it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment for schools or school officials to initiate prayer in public schools and at public school events such as football games. However, this ruling does not prohibit the rights of students to pray on school grounds themselves or at school-sponsored events.
Putnam County Schools gave a statement to Fox 17 WZTV news saying that they understood that faculty members and staff could not lead prayer, while being supportive of the right of students to participate in and lead prayers. “As a district, we absolutely understand the importance of prayer in the lives of our students, faculty, and staff members.”
On September 17th, after the football game between Upperman High School and Stone Memorial High School, the players gathered to lead prayer with the overwhelming support of their parents and community.
Bob Vick, a Putnam County Schools alum shared a photo on Facebook of the players praying after the game with the following caption, “Satan’s power was defeated tonight, as the threat of a legal action to forbid prayer after the game was overwhelmed by player lead prayer supported by parents and fans in solidarity on Overall Field. God bless the Baxter and Stone players for their faith and courage.”
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Americans United, on their Twitter page, say they have been “protecting the wall of separation [between Church and State] since 1947!” The “national religious liberty watchdog group” announced on Twitter that the Putnam County players praying together was “A great WIN for C-S Separation!”
Twitter user @69BuickGS455 replied to Americans United’s post saying, “Yeah, I don’t think so. Looks to me like WE win!”
Trina (@Trina24340416) said, “Actually it backfired on you! The whole community came out to support these boys that said nothing will stop them from praying! Their post and pictures of the field full of people in prayer around them have been shared thousands of times!”
Bob Vick’s post of the players and community has been shared over three thousand times. In the comments of that post, Christa Leah Mullins, an Upperman High School parent, said, “We are a praying team and community and that will NEVER change. God wins. Always.”
About the Author:
Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and contributor to The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
But somehow it’s perfectly alright for the apostles of Marx to dressed up like teachers and proselytize our children in the classroom with their religion of state worship.
GREAT COMMENT!!!
I am sorry but the supreme court has no right telling people when or if or where they can pray. The founding of this country is based on freedom of religion. I would ignore who ever wants to stop prayer in any situation. Schools etc. Without prayer or God in our hearts and country we will loose this country. Look at it at this time.
My wife Sharon, whom I lost many years ago, graduated from Upperman, would be, and I’m sure she is, proud of her high school.
Makes me proud of Baxter, Stone Mountain and my home county, Putnam. There are a lot of good people in Tennessee. A Victory to our Savior, and our Lord.
Separation of church and state was a concept established in the 17th century Enlightenment, along with a guarantee that all men were entitled to self-govern, worship as they please, and free speech was protected to insure that all of those other rights were protected. The Supreme Court superseded its authority to rule on a God given natural right of man. Voluntary prayer in schools is a God given right, and one that cannot be diminished or taken away by any court on earth.
I wonder if this is the result of left wing liberals moving in from California and New York??
Bingo!