Federal Court Reverses Decision Barring Christian School from Praying Over Loudspeaker

Don't accept a penny from the feds if you're a private, especially if you're a traditional or religious, institution.

Signed,

An atheist

This is the right call. Private schools should be able to do this.

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When the two faith-based schools asked if they could offer a prayer over the loudspeakers prior to the game, Roger Dearing, the executive director of the FHSAA, denied the request.

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Two private schools never should have even bothered asking for permission and just gone ahead with their prayer

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Two private schools never should have even bothered asking for permission and just gone ahead with their prayer

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I think they were using a private stadium for the game?

I’m jewish.

Went to Rummel. I went To mass. No one made me pray but there was payer all the time.

It’s part of going to a catholic school.

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This is the right call. Private schools should be able to do this.

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Yep, if you don’t like it don't put your kid in a religious private school.

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Again, you are missing the point. This lawsuit was not about a private prayer on school property. It is about a prayer at a publicly-owned stadium on publicly-owned loudspeakers.

As is normally the case on this forum with regard to any legal proceedings regarding matters religious, this thread completely ignores the relevant context.

This is not some grand ruling in favor of prayers at football games.

You have to look at the procedural stance of the case. This case was dismissed before anyone had any chance to present any evidence. The 11th circuit has simply ruled that the parties should have had the opportunity to further develop the evidence.

This case has not been resolved, it is simply been sent back to the trial court for further proceedings.

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Again, you are missing the point. This lawsuit was not about a private prayer on school property. It is about a prayer at a publicly-owned stadium on publicly-owned loudspeakers.

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The FHSAA isn’t a government organization.

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FHSAA does not own the stadium. The City of Orlando owns the stadium. Hence the potential problem.

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The interesting question lies in the fact that they were playing in the Citrus Bowl stadium, which is owned by the city of Orlando.

Completely different set of issues

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That's retarded. The city of Orlando doesn't have the right to stifle free speech.

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The city of Orlando doesn't have the right to stifle free speech.

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no, it does not. In fact, as a general rule, it is prohibited from interfering with political speech. (Does a prayer before a HS football game constitute “political speech?”)

But the City IS bound by the establishment clause.

At this point, we do not know whether the FHSAA had a rule against prayer anywhere and any time, or whether they thought they were prohibited from allowing it in that stadium because it is public-owned and would have potential problems under the Establishment Clause. One of many things we do not yer know.

That is the sort of thing which would be uncovered during the discovery phase, and this case never reached that phase because it was dismissed under 12(b)(6). In all likelihood, that is the reason that the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the trial court. That information needed to be developed.

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Just wait till a Muslim or Hindi student wants their prayer over the loudspeakers and wait for the whiplash.

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No shite

Nothing in the Constitution says a damned thing about freedom FROM religion.

No religion is a belief system like any other one. Just listen to the preachiness of its adherents. The government shouldn't be promoting their (well actually mine too) religion either.

I am nonreligious, but I despise the fake butthurt of the professionally nonreligious more than any religious fanatic I have ever met.