School bars cheerleaders' Bible banners at football games

Kountze High School cheerleader Brooke Coates paints scripture verses on a car Wednesday in Kountze, Texas. The small Hardin County community is rallying behind the high school’s cheerleaders after the squad members were told they could not use scripture verses on their signs at the football games. Photo by The Associated Press.

By The Associated Press

Friday, September 21, 2012

HOUSTON (AP) — For three straight weeks, high school football players in a small southeast Texas town took the field by bolting through large red-and-white banners that hollered the praises of Jesus Christ.

Most people in Kountze viewed the banners as evidence of the students’ admirable moral upbringing — Christianity and the Bible always had been fundamental to this town of 2,100.

But someone complained to a foundation that fights for the separation of church and state, and by Tuesday, a day after receiving a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the superintendent banned the banners, and the town became embroiled in a controversy that has touched other communities nationwide.

On Thursday, a judge granted a request by the nonprofit Liberty Institute law firm to temporarily bar the implementation of the ban. It also set a hearing for early October when the sides will be able to make their arguments. The cheerleaders planned to raise their 20-foot banners at Thursday evening’s junior varsity football game.

People in the town 90 miles northeast of Houston talk of little else. Parents and students have plastered pictures of the banners — some of which quote scripture, declaring “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” — on their Facebook pages. A Facebook group created after the ban, Support Kountze Kids Faith, had more than 35,100 members by early Thursday.

Superintendent Kevin Weldon said he gently explains to every parent who calls that a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court precedent-setting decision requires religion to be kept out of public schools. Weldon said he has to abide by the judge’s injunction.

Tanner Hunt, attorney for the Kountze Independent School District, said he would advise the school board to argue for the ban. However, it will be up to the board how it wants to proceed, he said.

Weldon said he is torn on the matter, personally.

“The decision I made is not my personal opinion,” Weldon said. “I’m a Christian. This puts me between a rock and a hard place.”

On one side is the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison, Wis.-based nonprofit that challenges any religion in public schools.

“I’ve never heard of this kind of school problem, this kind of a violation at a public school where students would be expected to run through Bible verses to play football,” said the foundation’s president, Annie Laurie Gaylor. “It’s a new and creative way to work religion into our public schools.”

On the other side is the Liberty Institute, a Plano, Texas-based nonprofit law firm that says on its website it is dedicated to “restoring religious liberty across America.”

“It’s an important and fundamental freedom students have to engage in free speech,” said Mike Johnson, senior counsel for the institute. “They are not asking anyone to believe in Christianity or accept the faith. They are just well wishes.”

But Hunt said he believes a Supreme Court decision in 2000 that barred prayer at the start of a high school football game sets the precedent.

“This is pretty much a white horse case,” Hunt said. “The answer was clear: they must cease and desist.”

More like this story

Sequoia 8 months ago

I don't think raising banners with Bible verses is a sign of good moral upbringing. That's like saying that wearing an American flag bikini is a sign of deep patriotism.

Calling on the name of Jesus to help you win a junior varsity football game is disrespectful and sacriligious, and a sign that Americans can't draw a line between the sacred and the profane. These kids need to learn some respect for sacred things. Jesus didn't die on the cross to save your junior varsity team from fumbles, people. Get serious. Respect the name of Jesus. Call on his name quietly, humbly, prayerfully. Not when you're sloppy drunk and cheering for a quarterback sack.

John 8 months ago

It is NOT disrespectful and it is NOT sacreligous to pray that you do your best in the contest on the field. You, like so many others insist that others meet your requirement for P.C. SCOTUS has held up many times that religious actions by students is absolutely legal.

GrumpyGus 8 months ago

Christians are called to minister to non-Christians and other Christians alike. I beleive the parable is not to hide your lamp under a vessel, let the light shine for all to see. Tree, I have seen you claim to be a Christian many time on this board, but I never see you able to espouse any basic fundamental ideas about Christianity and worship thereof.

Sequoia 8 months ago

Having football players run through a paper with Bible verses written on them isn't ministering to non-Christians. This is what I'm talking about: confusing a hokey, frivolous display of vague religiosity with the Light of Christ. Writing Bible verses on your car is not "worship." Making noise about Jesus at a football game is not "prayer." I realize these are just kids, but the adults have a responsibility to teach these kids some respect.

Some people think wearing an American flag bikini is patriotic. Some people think that holding up Bible versus for your junior varsity football team to run through is religious faith. I think it is trashy and disrespectful.

It's American Idol culture: In America we think that "praying" and "worship" means getting in the spotlight and saying something about Jesus or religion. That's not what prayer is. We think that being a Christian means hollering about Jesus like he's your favorite football hero. We treat everything like a performance, and so we don't know how to do anything, even pray, without turning it into a performance. That's not fundamental Christianity, Gus.

They are not worshiping. They are just making noise and trying to make themselves look holy and good. They are using the name of Jesus to bolster themselves and attract attention. They are disrespecting the name of Jesus by using it in silly, trivial ways.

I see you claim to be a Christian, but it just seems like you think that all anyone has to do to be Christian is label themselves Christian and make a bunch of noise about how they are Christian.

I think it is a fundamental, basic idea about Christianity and worship that being a Christian isn't about getting on a stage and SAYING you're a Christian (no matter how loudly)... it's about ACTING like a Christian. Quietly.

When we mix the sacred and the profane, we profane the sacred.

Sequoia 8 months ago

I'm all for free speech. I didn't make an argument that the kids should be censored. I made a moral argument that it is not respectful to have your football team bursting through a scripture passage, beating their chests and going "Uhh Yeah! Yeah!" while the crowd whoops and cheers.

I agree with Connor that sports and teamwork can be spiritual practice. But that's not what this is. This is just whooping and cheering at Jesus like he was Tim Tebow. It's bringing the message of the Christ down to the level of a beer commercial or a team cheer. Too many Christians already treat their faith like its another team they're a fan of.

Whether it is legal or not depends on how involved the school and faculty is. If it is something the kids are doing, you could make an argument that it is free speech and not government endorsement of religion. Of course, now that it is an issue, I'm sure some people are going to start posing like they are so persecuted and making a big deal out of how important it is for their JV team to go bursting triumphantly through the Bible quote. They're going to act like they're enduring the slings and arrows over this. I mean, look at that quote they wrote on the car window. Give me a break. It reminds me of the folks who got on this site and talk about how they are suffering under government tyranny. Get your head out of your backside and look around the world, and you'll see what tyranny and religious persecution really look like. This stupid football team is not a victim of persecution, but that's the way they're going to play up their time in the limelight. It's just so predictable and lame.

But I'm not saying it is legal or illegal. I'm saying it is wrong. I'm saying it is disrespectful. I'm saying that I think it is a sign of the commercialization and politicization of Christian faith that people think it is prayerful and holy to have your team breaking through a paper as if your football game is a spiritual matter, and that this is what they're going to fight over. It is corny and low. I think Jesus would rather have these kids helping one another than fighting about whether their football team gets to run through a Bible verse.

My point is that football players bursting through a scripture passage is not prayer. It is not worship. It's idolatry.

connor 8 months ago

There is absolutely nothing profane about young adults quoting scripture that has meaning to them individually or as a group. Nor is there anything profane about a team of young adults proclaiming their belief in Christ and scripture before, during or after a team activity surrounded by their friends, family and supporters.

Cooperation and the celebration in a team effort and acknowledging God's place within your life and his influence in your approach of such sportsmanship is certainly not profane.

Sequoia 8 months ago

There is a way to do that in a way that is solemn and prayerful, not a bunch of amped up jocks prancing and ripping through a piece of paper with a Bible verse written on it while the cheerleaders dance and the crowd cheers. It's just stupid.

What's next? Fireworks display after Communion? How about we replace the Alleluia with Queen's "We Will Rock You"? Instead of the priest saying, "Take this, all of you, and eat," he could say "Lets Get Ready to RUUUUUUMMMMMMBBBLLLEEEE!!!!"

Paroquet 8 months ago

Heya, Grace. I'm kinda with you on this. It's an individual doing the expressing, not the organization. I don't care to what religion the banners are oriented. If you're proud of your faith, let it fly.

Just you remember, though, that goes for all faiths. If you don't like one that another is flying, sit down and shaddup.

Now, don't go wailing about intolerance on this. The ban applies equally to everyone. It's not discriminatory, and is not singling out any one religion over another. You shouldn't take it that way. That you do shows you're either too sensitive, or yourself intolerant.

Sequoia 8 months ago

Here's what this reminds me of: The National Anthem.

Do you know why it is custom to sing the national anthem before a sporting event? It's an advertisement.

Before WWII, the national anthem was only sung or played on solemn occasions. Then, during WWII, the president considered cancelling the baseball season (waste of resources, big stadiums could be targets, too, I think). Anyway, the baseball owners got together and decided to start having everyone stand up and sing the national anthem before games to show how patriotic the sport was. The season didn't get cancelled. The advertisement worked.

But, people of an earlier generation probably thought it was disrespectful for a bunch of half-drunk palookas to sing the anthem and then whoop and cheer for the ballgame. But now, we think it is patriotic to do so. What used to be a serious, deep emotion is just a Hallmark sentiment now, an advertisement for something else. And we don't even realize what we've lost.

We have so internalized the commercialized fake performance of emotion that we don't even recognize it as fake anymore. We don't have deep emotion. We have shallow sentimentality, and we think it is something deep and true.

These kids think having football players burst through a Bible verse is "worship." They think that getting in the spotlight and whooping and cheering for Jesus is "prayer." And their parents think so too.

Politicians use faith to sell themselves so often that now we think that the selling IS the faith. It's all we know.

We're so used to everyone acting like they're on American Idol that we don't even know how to do anything else any other way. We don't know how to treat faith in any other way but as a sporting event or a political rally. We can't even take faith seriously. We think the over-the-top cheesy fakeness IS "taking it seriously." If we don't make a show out of it, we don't know what else to do. We don't know how to show appreciation for anything, except to applaud.

Maybe having a JV football team burst through scripture is the highest honor we can bestow on scripture in this culture. It's the best we know to do.

It's just who we are.

John 8 months ago

Everyone watch out. Those big ol' mean Christian girls are offending Sequoia's sense of morality. LOL ROFL

eileen10 8 months ago

If I had to make a choice I'd much rather see them praise Jesus versus coming on the field with a pitch fork and tail. Running through the banner is kinda iffy.

Please review our Policies and Procedures before registering or commenting

Or login with:

OpenID

News Tribune