I respectfully disagree, Michael,
With that stance, you have just given carte blanche to educators and coaches to do whatever they like under the guise of motivation! How about physical punishment? Swearing and verbal abuse? Why should the state stay out of this area and not every other area that pushes a personal agenda or belief- and CHristianity, or any specific religion, IS a personal agenda. You might argue that verbal abuse is different, that we have to protect children from these things---- but I would maintain it's really not different, and that we can't pick and choose what we think is ok, just becauseWE believe it.
THere is a great deal of pressure on a student to be a team player, to belong, to please his coach. You're asking a young teen to stand up to an authority figure AND the man who holds his playing time in his hands and also call attention to himself for being "different". Not only different, but different in a way that goes against a majority that considers itself "right". This is, I feel, an untenable situation, and I would be very unhappy were my children placed in it. (Actually, CW has been placed in it, but he has never had a problem with standing up for himself. Not many kids are as verbal and self-confident as CW, however, as you know!)
Many coaches for some reason, around here at least, are very outspoken and committed Christians. At the athletic banquet last spring, each coach gave an award to the outstanding athlete in his sport. One coach talked about God and religion and then how his award went to this fine Christian boy, a wonderful example, yada yada. I found this appalling- I wrote about it here at the time. CW's best friend is Turkish and a Muslim, another is Jewish. I'm sure they felt like second class citizens. THey joked about not having a chance to win. THis is reprehensible, and were I the administration, I'd have been on that coach the next morning. These coaches wear t-shirts on which they've changed the athletic saying to Christian messages. THe whole thing is a not very subtle evangelism effort.
I understand that the football coach has been asked to stop the pre-game kneel and pray thing this year, but I don't know what happened. I'll try to find out. |
