Freedom of Religion Trampled Again At Texas School

By Clash Daily / 21 September 2012 / 12 comments

September 20, 2012

An east Texas cheerleading squad is at the center of the latest debate about religious expression in the public arena.

Some cheerleaders at Kountze High School, located 85 miles northeast of Houston, were writing Bible verses on homemade signs and bringing them to their school’s football games. After a complaint, the Texas Association of School Boards has advised the Kountze Independent School District to make the cheerleaders stop, according KHOU 11 News in Houston.

The station reported KISD superintendent Kevin Weldon, who heard of the complaint from the Freedom from Religion Foundation, told parents that religious signs at school-sponsored events would not be allowed.

“It is not a personal opinion of mine,” Weldon told KHOU. “My personal convictions are that I am a Christian as well. But I’m also a state employee and Kountze ISD representative. And I was advised that that such a practice (religious signs) would be in direct violation of United States Supreme Court decisions.”

One of those Supreme Court decisions came from a Santa Fe, Texas, case where student-led prayers at games were found to be in violation of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment.

The Kountze case could wind up in court, too.

This is a discrimination case, according to the Liberty Institute, which posted a story on its web site Thursday morning saying it was teaming with Beaumont, Texas, attorney David Starnes in “investigating Kountze ISD’s censorship of religious speech.”

“We are disappointed that Kountze ISD is banning student speech on banners because it is from a religious viewpoint,” Starnes said on the Liberty Institute site. “Such discrimination and censorship is unfortunate and illegal. Once we complete our investigation, we will take appropriate action.”

It sets up what could be an intriguing Constitutional battle. The Freedom from Religion Foundation’s stated purpose is to “promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism,” while the Liberty Institute’s mission is to “protect and restore America’s first and most important freedom, our freedom of religion.”

The story has quickly gained national attention and created an outpouring of local support. A Facebook group called “Support Kountze Kids’ Faith” has more than 36,000 members. Newly made signs are expected to fill the stands at the next home football game Oct. 5.

One of the cheerleaders, Ashton Jennings, told KHOU she’s glad someone complained.

“I’m actually thankful for it,” she said. “Because if someone hadn’t complained, or if there hadn’t been any opposition, we wouldn’t have this chance to spread God’s word in this big of a way.”

Read more at foxsportssouthwest.com

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Marge

Our 1st Amendment Rights in all its aspects are continually getting trashed in the educational environment. One person called in to complain and reported their feelings of offense due to the sign…these haters would not like the world they are trying to create which would silence their voice all together. Idiots!~
- Chris
  
  im very sure that youd make this exact same lame argument if the signs were “praise allah, muhammad makes everything possible, without him we are nothing” on a banner at a football game that all the kids gotta run through, and the cheerleaders start chanting “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” (on both sides, mind you, because God seems to care who chants loudest at football games to decide whos gonna get the “W”)
  
  I mean, you SHOULD make that argument, anyway. Still waiting for someone to, anywhere.
  - http://twitter.com/ringsofpluto J-Mac
    
    The thought just occurred to me: These people who want all mention of Christ silenced in schools and government buildings and such always taught the meme of “separation of church and state”. The problem is that the United States has a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Our faith is part of who we are, and we are our government (which we have abdicated control of, but that’s a different debate). Church and state can no more be separated in America than copper and tin can be separated in bronze. These young girls are Americans, entitled to every right enumerated to them in the Constitution of the United States of America. No one has the authority to tell them they can’t speak freely about their faith, even within the context of a school event.
  - BaconHotline
    
    America was founded as a Christian nation, founded on Judeo-Christian tenets. The muzz can go pound sand or stay in their own Allah-forsaken countries. But just to entertain your outlandish scenario, the muzz could make all the signage they wanted and try to encourage the crowd (muzzies are BIG on cheerleaders, I hear. Do they wear cute little burqas?), but I fear they’d not get much enthusiasm from a Texas crowd. Same with the atheists. (That would be pretty funny, though.)
    - TexasJester
      
      Thanks for the visual – I needed a laugh! “Cute little burkas”!!
  - Micky
    
    As long as they don’t use a video as an excuse to kill an US Ambassador, then they can say what they want.
Progressive Republican

First, a little quiz:

1. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am not allowed to go to a religious service of my own choosing.
B) Others are allowed to go to religious services of their own choosing.2. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am not allowed to marry the person I love legally, even though my religious community blesses my marriage.
B) Some states refuse to enforce my own particular religious beliefs on marriage on those two guys in line down at the courthouse.3. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am being forced to use birth control.
B) I am unable to force others to not use birth control.4. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am not allowed to pray privately.
B) I am not allowed to force others to pray the prayers of my faith publicly.5. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) Being a member of my faith means that I can be bullied without legal recourse.
B) I am no longer allowed to use my faith to bully gay kids with impunity.6. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am not allowed to purchase, read or possess religious books or material.
B) Others are allowed to have access books, movies and websites that I do not like.7. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) My religious group is not allowed equal protection under the establishment clause.
B) My religious group is not allowed to use public funds, buildings and resources as we would like, for whatever purposes we might like.8. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) Another religious group has been declared the official faith of my country.
B) My own religious group is not given status as the official faith of my country.9. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) My religious community is not allowed to build a house of worship in my community.
B) A religious community I do not like wants to build a house of worship in my community.10. My religious liberty is at risk because:A) I am not allowed to teach my children the creation stories of our faith at home.
B) Public school science classes are teaching science.Scoring key:If you answered “A” to any question, then perhaps your religious liberty is indeed at stake. You and your faith group have every right to now advocate for equal protection under the law. But just remember this one little, constitutional, concept: this means you can fight for your equality — not your superiority.If you answered “B” to any question, then not only is your religious liberty not at stake, but there is a strong chance that you are oppressing the religious liberties of others. This is the point where I would invite you to refer back to the tenets of your faith, especially the ones about your neighbors.In closing, no matter what soundbites you hear this election year, remember this: Religious liberty is never secured by a campaign of religious superiority. The only way to ensure your own religious liberty remains strong is by advocating for the religious liberty of all, including those with whom you may passionately disagree. Because they deserve the same rights as you. Nothing more. Nothing less.
How many readers of this site would stand up for these students’ rights if the sign had said, “I can do all things through Allah who strengthens”?
- wayne74467
  
  Mr. P.R., you do write some real bullcrap.
  - TexasJester
    
    I bet you answered a lot of “B”s!! I liked the quiz. I answered “A” to every one.
GRAMPA

People have an inalienable right to free speech. this is over all laws made by man. Stand up people or the government will make you think that your rights come from them. If the people who object want, they can leave which is their right. Our constitution was written so that a demand of a small group cannot override the rights of a single sovereign person. This is not a democracy people!!! Nowhere is it protected under the constitution that you have the right not to be offended.
If you don’t like this country go elsewhere. I will buy you a ticket.
God bless America.
Grampa
Micky

What is the real purpose of saying, “It will not be allowed”. This is just a Superintendent being used as a pawn to push someone else’s agenda. This is NOT liberty. The rights do NOT come from government.
Micky

The left opposes anything that you wish to do, but everything they want to force you to do. It’s called Tyranny. They don’t admit it, but it is what it is.

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