Big controversy in Georgia involving high school cheerleaders, and this time it doesn’t involve naughty cell phone photos (darn it). The Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School cheerleaders are under fire for unfurling a series of religious banners at football games. Here’s one below.
The school system wants the banners gone, saying that they violate the first amendment, and are written in an unpleasing font (that second part may not be true). But the community supports the cheerleaders, and has staged a rally at a local Chick-fil-A restaurant to stop this communist war on religion sponsored by Satan. All I can say is thank you, Georgia, for making our Tuesday more amusing.
The CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS has the pertinent details.
A school system statement released Monday said the message constitutes “a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution for signs with Bible verses to be displayed on the football field.”
Brad Scott, a local youth minister said the ban prompted a rally tonight in support of the cheerleaders outside the Chick-fil-A restaurant on Battlefield Parkway so people can show their support for the cheerleaders and their signs.
Fort Oglethorpe Mayor Ronnie Cobb vehemently disagrees with the ban and said he’ll call on the City Council to support the cheerleaders and their signs.
“I’m totally against them doing away with it,” Mr. Cobb said, adding that the cheerleaders’ rights are being abused.
“If it’s offensive to anyone, let them go watch another football game,” he said. “Nobody’s forced to come there and nobody’s forced to read the signs.”
Whoa, hold up there, Ronnie. Those are everyone’s tax dollars at work on those signs, in case you forgot this is a public school. What if the cheerleaders wanted to raise this banner before games?
I’m sure that would go over big; we’d have a whole lot of folks thumbing through the Constitution looking for that whole separation of church and state thing.
Do you want your football team bursting through a Bible verse to begin with? Isn’t that like vandalizing the Lord? They also could have picked a shorter portion of Phillippians. I came here for a football game, not to read.
The bottom line is, if students start wearing their political and religious beliefs on their sleeves at school during public events, where does it stop? What if we want Jewish banners? Or Ron Paul for President banners? Or this:
Please cheerleaders, think before you paint. You may now resume your fundraising car washes. Thank you.
1:36 pm on September 29th, 2009
they were black….then what would be said? nothing because of Al Sharptonager….Let them say what they want, it’s called Freedom of Speech. Everybody else gets to bitch and complain, why shouldn’t Christians have a right to express faith? This country was founded on that verse…. LONG LIVE THE BIBLE!!!
1:40 pm on September 29th, 2009
Mom, for the last time, stop commenting here.
1:48 pm on September 29th, 2009
leave your mother alone son…….she worked hard at typing up that bulllshit
1:59 pm on September 29th, 2009
Wait, I thought Truett Cathy carried the MARK OF THE BEAST.
YOU BLASPHEME.
*can I get the combo, w/ a gallon of sweet tea?*
2:02 pm on September 29th, 2009
As if you needed another reason to stay the hell out of Tennessee…
2:06 pm on September 29th, 2009
You said what if they were Black,
But they’re white, so where the popular white pastors?…no where to be found, hiding behind the pulpit preaching to the all white scared to deal with reality choir, people rag on Al Sharpton speakin up for blacks,…but wheres the white pastors, olsteen, warren, dobson, billy graham jr?…I know !!! hiding safely within their mansions mailing checks to hungry kids in Croatia,
Sharpton does stupid things sometimes but at least he stands up for his people,……you wont find ONE white pastor stick their necks out for these girls or for freedom of speech.
Dont throw rocks at some who lives in a quarry
2:10 pm on September 29th, 2009
Since when did the 1st ammendment say, “Every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and religion, except for Christians.” If the cheerleaders want to make that sign, and if the football team wants to run through it, why should anyone try to stop them?
2:16 pm on September 29th, 2009
I thought Jesus said that you were supposed to close the door and pray in private, and that those who called attention to themselves by making big displays of their faith in public were hypocrites. Hey but God forbid anybody actually reads and follows what’s really in the Bible
2:41 pm on September 29th, 2009
EAT MOAR LOAVES AND FISHES
2:59 pm on September 29th, 2009
I think those making public displays were doing it for the wrong reason, it was the Pharaisees who were the hypocrites. It’s all about the cheerleaders intentions for the poster.
White pastors hiding in their mansions….do some research buddy, you’re way off base…
3:14 pm on September 29th, 2009
While I support Rick’s underlying premise, I think the school statement is incorrect by stating that this display violates the 1st Amendment.
The Supreme Court has only ruled directly on permanent religious displays on public property.
Lower court rulings on these matters are quite are variable, but almost all allow temporary displays of non-secular material on public property.
The larger 1st Amendment issue would arise when the (inevitable) non-Christian banner is unveiled and school officials try to stop it, even under the guise of public safety concerns.
It’s further complicated by issues of who (or what public / private org.) financed the banner(s) and cheerleaders, and if publicly funded, how are the funds and cheerleading core made available to interested religious groups.
4:02 pm on September 29th, 2009
Why/HOW is it that Chick Fil`A is involved? It’s also funny to read how upset and mad people can get over what others write (or type) on a blog…. Ohhh your so tough with your sarcastic remarks…. BRING ON MORE OF THE “T-BONE GIRL!” BRING ON THE HOT GATOR GIRLS!!!
4:20 pm on September 29th, 2009
This Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School is in North
Georgia, just over the state line from Chattanooga, not in Tennessee.
4:34 pm on September 29th, 2009
Thanks, Parkerz. Now fixed.
By the way, what progess has been made on catching the diabolical Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High tractor thief?
http://www.fortogov.com/content/police.htm
4:49 pm on September 29th, 2009
Hey Mel
He is right, when is the last time a credible white pastor stood up and stuck his head out for anything? other than to speak to his own choir via his own book, his own radio show or behind his own pulpit.
please tell me.
He’s kinda right.
5:38 pm on September 29th, 2009
Chick-fil-a is closed on Sundays, and that violates my right to obtain one of their delicious chicken biscuits on a Sunday.
6:07 pm on September 29th, 2009
Edit: “You may now resume your fundraising BIKINI car washes.”
6:18 pm on September 29th, 2009
whats the over/under on these cheerleaders one day working at hooters?
by the way, i believe that religious people really are suppose to pray in private. not showcase their beliefs. so i think “JSLV” is correct.
10:30 pm on September 29th, 2009
Additional:
Video - GA Rep Jay Neal speaks at the LFO Cheerleader Rally in Ft. Oglethorpe GA
http://www.chattanoogahasnews.com/videos/id_221/
LFO Cheerleader Rally Video
http://www.chattanoogahasnews.com/videos/id_222/
Update: Location Change, Rallying to Support Cheerleaders’ Religious Signs
http://www.chattanoogahasnews.com/dignews/display_article/id_16985
1:13 am on September 30th, 2009
lol @ “LONG LIVE THE BIBLE” =P
I’ll deal with life with reasoning and my own strength instead of leaning on a crutch like someone who needs “promises” made to him so he can get through the day.
1:27 am on September 30th, 2009
What’s scary is the team they were playing was pretty much damned by God/Christ/Jesus/JFC because the banner tells us so. Christianity is a bitch when it comes to fair play.
3:22 am on September 30th, 2009
Nobody f*cks with the Jesus!
8:42 am on September 30th, 2009
What’s really crazy about all of this is that the complaint was lodged by 1 person who was offended and doesn’t even attend the school in question.
Not to mention the cheerleaders of the school have been doing this for over 20 years.
The sec-pro winds of change are a blowin’.
I guess this is part of the “change we can believe in”.
8:44 am on September 30th, 2009
To You know who…. Have fun burnning in HELL… Damn I hear it’s gonna be hot!!
9:19 am on September 30th, 2009
Since half of the people posting in here are government majors, I’d like to also point out that we live in a democracy. Or to put in terms of the other half who took time away from World of Warcraft to post their religious interpretations, I’ll quote Dr. Spock by saying “The needs of many outweigh the needs of the few”. We have turned our democratic nation and turned it into such a PC, “minority-view is right” country that we have stripped away the basic principle & belief that this country was founded on - God. If you live in a Muslim-majority community, don’t gripe if everything appears to be Muslim-slanted. If you live in a Southern Baptist-majority community, don’t be shocked if there are no dances & Kevin Bacon is doing gymnastics in the trainyard. Clearly, the Ga. community supports the banners so it appears to be a belief by it’s citizens that doesn’t break any law. The School Board probably is scared the ACLU is going to show up knocking over manger scenes & crosses to get them to stop. And don’t give me the “separation of church & state” argument. That was covered in freshman government as it was to counter the “Church of England”-led monarchy in England not a bunch of cheerleaders in Georgia!
9:44 am on September 30th, 2009
Hey Robert, we actually live in a Constitution-based federal republic. Was that covered in freshman government?
9:47 am on September 30th, 2009
Favre Hater,
Well if you go to any of their websites and check out all the amazing works they do you would probably be surprised. Go to ACLJ.org and see what they do, there’s RZIM.org, GTY.org there’s all sorts of things going on out there. I think we all just take what we see in the national media and take it at face value, so now all white pastors just sit behind their pulpit and preach once a week and do nothing else….i could say that about Sharpton, the only time he does anything is when it’s hit the national media, but that’s just ignorant thinking. God Bless everyone….and thanks Robert for clearning up the separation of church and state…
11:25 am on September 30th, 2009
Anonymous,
I checked the sites you recommended,
and it looks like more clergy sending checks and building churches overseas.
when are the U.S heavyweight pastors like the ones listed above will ever have the balls to take their own word to the streets, ( subjects other than abortion) …the actual streets they live on,….here right here in the U.S.
not ONE prominent pastor will even publicly say anything about the war, american greed, child abuse in the catholic church, you know the real subjects.
But, too bad we couldn’t dialogue more face to face im sure I would learn alot from you, you seem to really know your stuff. seriously.
and thanks,
4:50 pm on September 30th, 2009
Dear Anonymous,
Those issues are talked about frequently. At the church i attend we had a whole series on greed. We’ve also had those talks about war as well. I personally feel the problem is our liberal media. I thought the same you did for a while, until i started going to church and actually spending time doing research. The Bible talks about war, greed, child abuse etc…..I also think as Christians it’s our duty to spread the word of God and answer peoples questions when they have them. Going the media route never seems to work very well because media will only publish and cover certain things…i was with the media for a bit in a job and also with law enforcement…and i’ve seen media distort the truth beyond belief more often than not.
12:23 am on October 1st, 2009
Have Fun! Where can I find more information on this Hell? Did you read about this somewhere?
8:43 am on October 1st, 2009
Read Revelations in the Bible…..Hopefully it wil point you in the wright direction……..
8:02 pm on October 4th, 2009
“At the church i attend we had a whole series on greed. ”
Yup, greed on Sunday is business is Monday. The business part covered all but the first ten minutes of the series.