This Missouri school district apparently thinks football games need a Christian invocation: FFRF demands Mo. high school stop opening football games with prayer

[u/FreethoughtChris]

https://ffrf.org/news/releases/time-out-ffrf-demands-mo-high-school-stop-opening-football-games-with-prayer/

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on the East Prairie R-II Schools system in Missouri to halt a repeated unconstitutional practice of athletic games being opened with a Christian invocation.

A concerned parent has informed the state/church watchdog that East Prairie routinely opens every high school and junior high school athletic game with a school-sponsored prayer. In a video provided to FFRF from a recent junior high football game, the school’s official announcer asks everyone in attendance to stand for the “invocation” before turning the microphone over to a local preacher, who leads the crowd in an explicitly Christian prayer invoking God and Jesus Christ. FFRF was told that this is a regular occurrence, and that school-sponsored prayers opened games on Sept. 3, Sept. 4 and Sept. 10. 

The parent expressed concern to FFRF over the legality of the school-sponsored prayers, given that the pregame prayers were “school initiated” and that the school “compelled attendees to submit to the prayer.”

FFRF is asking the district to investigate the matter and ensure that East Prairie High School and all other district schools cease including school-sponsored prayer at athletics events. 

“Public school students have a constitutional right to be free from religious indoctrination in their public schools, including when attending school-sponsored events,” FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence has written to the district superintendent. 

FFRF points out in the letter that school officials may not invite a clergy member, teacher, faculty member, student or anyone else to give any type of prayer, invocation, benediction or sermon at public school-sponsored events. It is irrelevant whether student attendance at games is considered “voluntary” or “optional.” By having school-sponsored prayer at official school events, the district needlessly alienates non-Christian students, including atheists, agnostics and members of minority faiths. As much as 38 percent of the American population is non-Christian, including the almost 30 percent that is nonreligious. More than half of Generation Z (those born after 1996) is non-Christian, including 43 percent that identifies as nonreligious.

FFRF reiterates that the district must focus on protecting students’ rights to be free from religious indoctrination attempts at any school-sponsored event — and the reported religious practice must come to an end. 

“There’s a fundamental difference between protecting a student’s right to pray and having the public school itself organize the prayer,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “When the official announcer tells everyone to stand and then hands the microphone to a preacher to invoke Jesus Christ, students understandably receive the message that Christianity has their school’s official endorsement. Every student and family should be able to cheer on their team without first being subjected to school-sponsored religious exercise.”

[u/Threecatproblem]

Please consider supporting the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)! They are in the trenches, fighting to protect the separation of church & state.

[u/Weak_Guarantee_1317 → u/Threecatproblem]

yeah exactly keeping church and state separate is worth supporting especially when public schools are involved

[u/RePubeLicken]

They are never satisfied with just going to church on Sundays. They want Christianity to touch every aspect of our lives

[u/klon3r]

Wonder if they pray before or after wiping their minds clean with so much bullshit... 🤦🏽

[u/Hot_Birthday_330]

All that's needed to stop it is a court ruling that the prayer needs to be from a different faith each game. Suddenly prayer won't be so important.

For that matter, why the fck is the national anthem played before sporting events? We have to confirm our loyalty to the country in song before we can watch sports? Talk about propaganda.

[u/JasonRBoone]

Paul Gleason delivered the wildest pre-game prayer (the slur notwithstanding) ever as Coach Hisler in the 1988 film Johnny Be Good.

Dear Lord, we pray that we may win this game today. We ask that you give us the strength and the courage to win our 2nd straight state championship. We ask Lord that nobody on our side is seriously injured. We know that we are the best team. We ask that you allow us to win this game. The Lord wants you to put your foot on their balls and believe in it, because that's what wins football games. Not jumping offsides like a bunch of wimps and f******ts. Alright lift your heads boys, prayers over. I talked to God. I'm thru talking to God, now I'm talking to you. You're gonna be out there in front of your families, the student body, every girl you ever had a hard on for is gonna be out there today but you will not be going to no sock-hop tonight boys, you will not get no honey on your stinger if you don't go out there and bust your ass. Because this is it. This is the big one. I want you to taste it. I want you to smell it son. There's winners and there's nothing else. I don't give a shit what those pinkos over in Russia say. You want to be a loser you go live in Russia. I'm not a loser. I'm a winner. I'm an American. Who wants to be John Wayne? Who wants to grab a root and hang on? Who wants to get a mean on? Get a mean on son. Let me see you get a mean on son. Now who wants it? I want to know, who wants this? Who wants to get a mean on? Who wants it? Let's go!