Whether or not praying before a game or any other public event is protected under the first amendment is a very current and controversial topic. Recently this idea has hit the news after a Wisconsin-based anti-religious group tried to ban an Ohio high school tradition of praying together before competing. The community is rallying together to fight the ban.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) stated that they received a complaint from two “concerned citizens” who were concerned that the prayer was coercive and unconstitutional. In response, on Jan. 18 the school paused their tradition of having a pastor give a non-denominational prayer before the games. FFRF co-president, Annie Laurie Gaylor, was “pleased the public school district took quick action to halt the practice of inflicting coercive Christian prayers before what is essentially a captive audience.” She also stated that, “Public school students should not be expected to pray to play.”
Gaylor’s use of the phrases “coercive” and “expected to pray to play” were completely unjustified and did not reflect the attitudes of the majority of the Ohio community. To begin with, praying before games had been a long time tradition. Players were not forced to pray to God. It was a way that teammates bonded toward a common goal. Players who did not join in prayer were still allowed to play. The coaches had not forced religion on the players like Gaylor wanted people to believe.
These accusations angered many Ohio natives and Christian legal teams. The First Liberty Institute, a non-profit law firm, decided that it would investigate the claims and try to defend the school’s traditions.
“These students have every right to pray before their sporting events,” said Deputy General Counsel for First Liberty, Jeremy Dys. “Atheists need to stop stalking and bullying religious students across the country and recognize their constitutional right to freely exercise their religion.”
Many others around the nation, including myself, agree that the FFRF does not have the right to infringe on the religious rights that the people have. Ellie Spelhaug, a four year starter on the Pleasant Valley basketball team, gave her thoughts on the issue. Her coach leads a prayer before the games, but gave the team an option to leave if it made them uncomfortable. Ellie felt that, “[Prayer is] a good perspective to focus on the world and prepare for the game.” Neither she nor any of her teammates felt that prayer was used to “coerce” any one into Christianity. It’s time to stop viewing prayer as a threat, but rather as a tool to bring everyone closer together.
