Supreme Court rules prayer led by coach is A-OK (1 Viewer)

[V Chip]

Supreme Court rules for former coach in public school prayer case

Former coach Joseph Kennedy argued that the Bremerton School District in Washington state violated his religious freedom by telling him he couldn’t pray on the field after games.

www.nbcnews.com

Surprised this one wasn’t posted yet; in another precedent-ignoring decision, the SC ruled 6-3 that prayer led by coach after football games is not an establishment or endorsement of religion.

 

[V Chip]

One of my favorite parts of this decision was the dissent by Sotomayor, who called out Gorsuch’s repeatedly false claims in the decision that Kennedy (the coach) was praying “quietly” (he used variations of “quiet” numerous times in describing the coach’s prayers) and by himself, even including three pictures showing a large group of players huddled around Kennedy who was holding up a helmet and leading the prayer.

“As the majority tells it, Kennedy, a coach for the District’s football program, “lost his job” for “pray[ing] quietly while his students were otherwise occupied.” Ante, at 1. The record before us, however, tells a different story.”

 

[Taurus]

One of my favorite parts of this decision was the dissent by Sotomayor, who called out Gorsuch’s repeatedly false claims in the decision that Kennedy (the coach) was praying “quietly” (he used variations of “quiet” numerous times in describing the coach’s prayers) and by himself, even including three pictures showing a large group of players huddled around Kennedy who was holding up a helmet and leading the prayer.

“As the majority tells it, Kennedy, a coach for the District’s football program, “lost his job” for “pray[ing] quietly while his students were otherwise occupied.” Ante, at 1. The record before us, however, tells a different story.”

Welcome to a post-facts SCOTUS.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Supreme Court rules for former coach in public school prayer case

Former coach Joseph Kennedy argued that the Bremerton School District in Washington state violated his religious freedom by telling him he couldn’t pray on the field after games.

www.nbcnews.com

Surprised this one wasn’t posted yet; in another precedent-ignoring decision, the SC ruled 6-3 that prayer led by coach after football games is not an establishment or endorsement of religion.

Until a Muslim coach does the same thing

 

[Optimus Prime]

Another article on this
=================
On Monday, the United States supreme court overturned decades of precedent governing the separation of church and state, and achieved one of the most long-standing goals of the Christian right: the return of official Christian prayer to public schools.

Kennedy v Bremerton School District had a strange path to the supreme court. Initially filed in 2015, the case concerns Joseph Kennedy, formerly a public high school football coach from a Seattle suburb, who sued the community that used to employ him for religious discrimination after the school objected to his habit of making public, ostentatious Christian prayers on the 50 yard line at football games, surrounded by young athletes.

Kennedy has lost at the district and circuit levels; he moved to Florida in 2019, which technically should have rendered his case moot. But the supreme court agreed to hear his case anyway. This week, they ruled in his favor, 6-3……

The US supreme court is letting prayer back in public schools. This is unsettling | Moira Donegan

The court’s rightwing majority was extremely receptive to a case this week that would weaken the separation of church and state

www.theguardian.com

 

[MT15]

Just one more example of a SCOTUS that is corruptly acting in the interests of one political party rather than honoring their oaths.

 

[J-DONK]

Until a Muslim coach does the same thing

Not Muslims, Satanist.

What originally forced the school district to fire the guy was Satanist wanted to do the same thing.

Coach Suspended for Praying at HS Football Games Attends as Spectator, as Satanists Protest

While Kennedy prayed in the stands, Satanists gathered outside of the stadium.

abcnews.go.com

"Originally, our plan was to do an invocation on the field at the same time Kennedy was doing his prayer in support of religious diversity," Starr said. "But when they put Kennedy on leave we withdrew our request."

So you can already tell where this is going. Which is hilarious.

 

[V Chip]

Welcome to a post-facts SCOTUS.

Post facts and post precedent. They’re acting as if they’re the first ever Supreme Court to rule on issues.

 

[SaulGoodmanEsq]

I have no problem with this in a vacuum, but I don't want public funding supporting religious activities/indoctrination.

 

[MT15]

I have a problem with a Justice basically lying in his decision.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

I have no problem with this in a vacuum, but I don't want public funding supporting religious activities/indoctrination.

I have a big problem with it. Parents testified that their children felt pressured by the coach to participate when they didn't want to and the district gave him the option to pray quietly out of the public area. Reasonable accommodations were offered and the coach refused.

 

[SFIDC3]

I have a big problem with it. Parents testified that their children felt pressured by the coach to participate when they didn't want to and the district gave him the option to pray quietly out of the public area. Reasonable accommodations were offered and the coach refused.

If above is true, I have a big problem with it….

 

[BullSheetBuddha]

He's a high school football coach, not a priest or minister. Praying is not part of his job. If he wants to pray, he can pray to himself all he wants.

 

[MT15]

I have no problem with this in a vacuum, but I don't want public funding supporting religious activities/indoctrination.

What do you think about the ability of a Jewish player or just a non-religious player to choose to not participate in such an activity? Knowing this man controls your playing time? In my state, schools use public funds for sports, IIRC. This is coerced participation in a religious activity.

 

[samiam5211]

In high school my coach always led us in a prayer before and after games.

I wasn't religious, but i always bowed my head and pretended, because i didn't want the rest of the team to know I was going to hell.

No one had to pressure anyone to pretend to pray, it was intrinsic. It's not like it traumatized me, but just the act of a team prayer especially led by the coach, puts pressure on anyone on the team. In team sports, you don't want to seem like an individual.

 

[cuddlemonkey]

He's a high school football coach, not a priest or minister. Praying is not part of his job. If he wants to pray, he can pray to himself all he wants.

Which was the original solution proposed by the district. When he is in charge of the kids- pregame, midgame, and postgame- he's on the clock. As soon as the students are gone, he is free to pray however he sees fit. Apparently, that's not enough for some people. I guess he hasn't made it to Matthew 6:5-6.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

 

[cuddlemonkey]

If above is true, I have a big problem with it….

The article from CBS mentions that at least one parent has come forward to say that their child felt pressured to join in in order to not lose playing time.

Supreme Court sides with high school football coach who lost his job for praying after games

"The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression," Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[V Chip]

The notion that Gorsuch repeatedly pushed that this was a "quiet" and "personal" thing is such hogwash. Even after being told by the district that he was potentially running into first amendment issues, he continued to lead the team. IIRC he was then told to not do it and one time he went off by his own, but then the next time he met with politicians and religious leaders beforehand to plan his "quiet" and "personal" prayer. He knelt and prayed and all these types joined him in the prayer (picture of this was shown in Sotomayor's dissent) -- people who had never before joined the prayer nor even attended a football game. How in any way is that "quiet" or "personal" or non-demonstrative?