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Hello Americans, I’m Todd Starnes. Stand by for news and commentary next.
A North Carolina high school football team is under attack from a group of Wisconsin atheists.
Swain High School in Bryson City, North Carolina.
Coach Sherman Holt stands accused of using his platform to organize a trip to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp. He also brought in a team chaplain.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group of atheists and agnostics accused the school district of violating the law.
“A post on Coach Holt’s personal Twitter account confirms that he took students to an FCA camp where the team ‘grew spiritually, physically, and mentally,” the FFRF wrote in a threatening letter to the school district. “He explains that 16 of the players gave their heart to Jesus as their Lord and Savior,’ which was ‘just what our team needed.'”
The out-of-town heathens then posted screenshots of the coach’s personal social media pages. Very creepy and predatory behavior — even for agnostics.
Coach Holt also held a baptism on the football field.
“It is our understanding that the baptism event took place last night and that four players were baptized as part of this official team event on the school’s football field with coaches, players and a large crowd in attendance,” the FFRF wrote.
In other words, they held the baptism in full view of the public, unlike the predatory behavior of the atheists who were lurking in the shadows taking photographs of the event.
The FFRF says it’s illegal for public school coaches to lead their teams in prayer.
But that’s not true.
The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of a high school football coach who was fired for taking a knee to pray after a game.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s majority said that the free exercise and free speech clauses of the First Amendment protected Coach Joe Kennedy’s prayer time, as he was an individual engaging in religious expression.
“Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse republic – whether those expressions take place in a sanctuary or on a field, and whether they manifest through the spoken word or a bowed head,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority. “Here, a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance doubly protected by” the U.S. Constitution.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation says the Kennedy Supreme Court ruling only covers silent prayers and does not include coaches participating in baptisms or religious services with students.
“Coaches cannot be permitted to engage in such blatantly sectarian religious behavior,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “It’s highly discriminatory toward all those members of the school district who don’t share that particular belief system.”
The out-of-town atheists are demanding that the school district cease and desist the religious activity and they want the coach punished.
“Coach Holt should be reprimanded, and if he is not willing to immediately cease infusing the football program with religion, he should be terminated,” the perpetually aggrieved atheists wrote.
In other words the Freedom From Religion Foundation wants the Christian coach persecuted for being a follower of Jesus.