LINK After losing his job for praying on the field, ex-high school football coach brings case to Supreme Court
Washington — It was after watching the sports film "Facing the Giants" that Joseph Kennedy, then a new coach for the Bremerton High School football team in Washington state, was inspired to pray.
And so, after coaching his first game for the Bremerton Knights in August 2008, Kennedy walked to the 50-yard-line, "on the battlefield," the retired U.S. Marine says, and took a knee to offer a prayer of gratitude.
It began with the coach, alone, briefly thanking God after the final whistle for keeping the players safe, for fair play and for spirited competition. But soon enough, the number of players gathering alongside Kennedy after games grew to include a majority of the team, though participation varied. At least one parent said his son felt "compelled to participate" out of fear he would lose out on playing time.
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12 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Why does this court feel it is their duty to overturn decades and many previous rulings from earlier judges? Obviously they are not true, independent thinkers as they are required to be.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Apr 25, 2022
2
Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:5-8)
Summary
Jesus taught, “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 men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.”
Paul_Clamberer
Level 7
Apr 25, 2022
6
How to annoy the crap out of a Christian: force him to adhere to the strictures of the Bible. It may also get him jailed.
High School coaching is year to year contracts last I coached. And, coaches can and are fired for pretty much any reason. Being a public school, they had good reason; shit, they could argue his prayers made them keep the lights on too long.
Beowulfsfriend
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
6
If this bullshit makes it to SCOTUS, with it's current roster, the separation between church and state is going to take another hit.
KKGator
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
5
If SCOTUS does not slap him down it then opens the floodgates to Islam, Judaism and Pastafarianism.
@anglophone Quite right. Then the christians will start pitching even bigger fits.
It would almost be worth it just to watch their heads explode.
The satanists should take full advantage, too.
SCOTUS is hearing it today. Decision will come in June.
So when you are a white guy taking a knee to mumble words to an imaginary cult about the game that has just been played it is okay.
But if you take a knee to protest the very real deaths and injuries not to mention injustices being perpetrated on a targeted section of the population that is wrong?
It Colin lost his job so should this guy.
He could have simply bowed his head and mumbled his useless words not make a public display out of it.
Budgie
Level 8
Apr 24, 2022
5
Religious nutter strikes.
Jolanta
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
5
Just imagine the uproar if Joseph Kennedy had been praying to Quetzalcoatl.
"Religion is like a penis ...".
Christian supremacism needs to be countered every time it raises its ugly head.
anglophone
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
6
A penis serves a purpose……religion doesn’t, except to manipulate and brainwash.
Gee I thought free speech didn’t give you the right to force your beliefs onto others!
Redheadedgammy
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
5
The last time I checked it didn't.
@Triphid in this country, just christianity. Had that coach been Muslim, parents would have flipped out on day one
@JonnaBononna The same would have happened to any Satanist.
@anglophone of course
@JonnaBononna So are you suggesting that the ONLY religion in the U.S. IS Christianity then?
So what happened to all Buddhist, etc, etc, did they get expelled or something?
I see nothing wrong with what the coach was doing until it appears to have become a de facto requirement for his players to join the bandwagon in order to feel accepted by the coach and the rest of the team. At that point, it became a religious requirement for the players on the team, even if it was an informal requirement. That made it an improper blend of church and state in a public school sports program.
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
Apr 24, 2022
5
It was wrong because it was at a school event and he made a show of it- going to the 50 yd line and kneeling while the crowd was still in the stands with the game having just ended. He could have stood where he was and bowed his head for 10 seconds (you know, like the Bible says he should) but he wanted it to be seen.
@JonnaBononna I agree, but I don't think the simple act of going out on the field then and kneeling, etc., was enough to get fired for, if he had kept it to just one incidence. It was his making it a regular ritual that was causing his players pressure to take sides with him or against him with repeated acts that made it a fireable offense. Once or twice would probably have not made it a fireable issue for the school.
Although I didn’t notice it being specified in the article, I assume this guy is some sort of christian: the sort who ignores the injunction against public displays of piety in the Book of Matthew, wherein the author has his Jesus character calling such behavior hypocritical. Had he quietly and privately thanked his god after a game, without the accompanying showmanship, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble.
The-Krzyz
Level 8
Apr 24, 2022
9
You should know and realize by now that such injunction as per those instigated by the assumed Disciples, etc, etc, ONLY APPLY when and WHERE the Christfools NEED/DESIRE them to do so AND NEVER when it comes to any/all Christfools.
I don't think he should lose his job for praying on the field, and Colin Kaepernick should not have lost his for taking a knee
Flyingsaucesir
Level 8
Apr 24, 2022
1
MizJ:
Except that it's a public school and we are supposed to have separation of church and state
@MizJ No one is more in favor of maintaining that separation than I am. But the coach did not try to make others pray. He just expressed himself. I think his actions are protected by the 1st Amendment right of free speech. Where I draw the line is at including the words "under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance, which K-12 students are encouraged to repeat every school day for 13 years.
MizJ:
@Flyingsaucesir The coach is an authority figure and is supposed to set an example, also the peer pressure this causes is problematic to me.
@Flyingsaucesir The problem is that with his public displays of religion, over and over, he causes his players to feel pressured to join him in it, otherwise they will feel excluded by those who do join him and that they may lose playing time for not following him. He is an authority figure with power over his players, so his religious lead behavior becomes coercive to the players, whether intended to be that way or not. It is simple group dynamics.
@TomMcGiverin, MuzJ, Okay, I was thinking in terms of an isolated incident. If it's an ongoing thing, that's different.
I'm sorry. Your job is football coach and your god does not give a damn about football.
DenoPenno
Level 9
Apr 24, 2022
8
Or anything else for that matter since there is no evidence that any gods exist.
Edited comment and hope it clarifies the topic and makes everyone happy.
@jlynn37 Woof! 
@Triphid Dear friend, it is not an error. People here on this site and elsewhere have used the word "dog" instead of "god" just as they use the word "jebus" instead of "jesus". It is nothing more than a play on words. You are an intelligent person and I do not understand how you can not grasp that.
End of story for me.
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