A New Jersey public high school football coach has been told by a federal appeals court that he must follow his school district's instructions and not pray with his football team.Marcus Borden, who has been the head football coach at East Brunswick High School since 1983, sued the district in 2005, saying its policy violated his rights to free speech and due process, as well as to academic freedom and freedom of association.
Judge D. Michael Fisher wrote in his opinion that “the conclusion we reach today is clear because he organized, participated in and led prayer activities with his team on numerous occasions for 23 years.”
“Thus,” Fisher continued, “a reasonable observer would conclude that he is continuing to endorse religion when he bows his head during the pre-meal grace and takes a knee with his team in the locker room while they pray.”
"Asking any citizen to remove from view any symbol or any book that has deep significance to his or her life borders on tyranny," Freshwater said.
Opponents say they don't have a problem with a teacher having religious beliefs, but that the appearance of a Bible on a teacher's desk could influence students' religious beliefs.
Again many people wouldn't have a problem with this, and actually I wouldn't either. The bible may be a religious symbol just like any other. Or he may be an atheist who just likes to read the Bible. As long as it sits there and is not prominently displayed, I would be okay with that. It's not like he is spouting off religious sermons in his science class:In the past, Freshwater has taught his students about the "holes in evolution," and about Intelligent Design, the theory that a supernatural power created complex forms of life, said Dave Daubenmire, a spokesman for Freshwater.
The Mount Vernon school district asked John Freshwater last week to remove all religious items from plain view. Freshwater took down the Ten Commandments ...
2 comments:
If you look a little deeper at the Freshwater case, it is not just a question of him being allowed to keep a bible on his desk. I doubt if the school administration would have had any problem with that.
He also posted a collage of the ten commandments on the door to his classroom, had posters with bible verses on the walls, had bibles on the bookshelves and handed them out to students, performed "faith healings" at the school, and he is now being accused of burning a cross onto the arms of his students in science class.
If true, he is nothing more than a child abuser, and a sad excuse for a human, much less a teacher.
Yes, after posting this I found out more information from PZ at Pharygula. Basically the same stuff you have said.
If these allegations are true, then child abuser is one of the nicer terms one could use to describe him.
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