Here in North Georgia we are once again in the throes of a huge religion in the public schools controversy, this time over Bible verses at a football game, of all things!
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High is a public school in Northwest Georgia. Apparently for several years it has been a tradition at football games for cheerleaders to write Bible verses on large sheets of paper for the players to run through as the game begins. Two weeks ago this was banned by the system's superintendent after a resident of the community contacted her to say this was probably unconstitutional. (The system's lawyer agreed with this).
Well now the local community is up in arms. There was a protest rally Tuesday night and at the football game Friday night there were multitudes of signs held by people in the stands saying things like "You took Him off our sign but you will never take Him out of our hearts". Students wore T-shirts saying "Warriors (the school mascot) for Christ." One cheerleader was quoted in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press saying "A lot of good has come out of this. This has brought (people) to God." The newspaper also mentioned two students who wore T-shirts saying "Protect the Law." I hope they don't catch too much flak for it!
I get intently frustrated over this sort of thing. I'm a Christian, raised in a fairly fundamentalist church in this very region. I'm also a schoolteacher in a high school similar to LFO. I absolutely do not see the point in having Bible verses displayed at a football game in any sort of "officially approved" (as in the posters being made at the school on school time, then having them on the field and associated with cheerleaders and players representing the school, and thus being tacitly approved by the school) manner. If people want to wave posters with Bible verses on them from the stands, well and good. I don't see the point but I won't object. Plenty of people did that night with no protest from anyone. I do wonder what would have happened had anyone waved a poster with quotations from Buddha or the Vedas,though.
It amazes me that some people professing Christianity believe they are being persecuted when they are reminded that we live in a secular society. I cringe when I see loud and showy public exhibitions intended to demonstrate faith. It annoys me even further when I realize that such controversies are exploited by politicians. For example: here is the last sentence in the Times-Free Press' story "This is what we want, people to come and support the cheerleaders and support Christ," said local youth pastor Brad Scott, one of the organizers of the Tuesday rally and Republican Party chairman for Catoosa County."
EDIT: I should have mentioned that the "Warriors for Christ" lost 34-0 Friday night. Evidently God liked the Ridgeland Panthers better!