Paul Lukas at Uni Watch today posted a couple links to photos of high school cross country runners in Oregon. In the shots, Jesuit High School runners compete in a state meet with painted crosses on their faces:
The high school team doesn’t do it all the time, witness Jesuit’s top runner Annamarie Maag last month.
Jesuit is a private, Catholic school, so those kids reserve the right to the striking imagery. As it should be.
If the kids went to a public school, I’m guessing that’d last about five milliseconds before a lawsuit would be launched by the ACLU. Don’t be shocked though if there isn’t some sort of protest about the face paint from “representatives” of public schools that compete against Jesuit at some point.
Jesuit’s nickname is ‘Crusaders’, and I can’t think of a better way of getting their point across. Powerful.
6:45 pm on November 9th, 2009
I’d like to use 494’s cross as a target in the bedroom.
7:25 pm on November 9th, 2009
Dude, she’s 16!
12:33 am on November 10th, 2009
Oh please Liverlips…
Clearly Jdog just wants to punch 494 in the nose where the “target” is for being so creepishly faithful…in his bedroom.
But seriously, this is creepy.
4:38 am on November 10th, 2009
The ACLU would have no problem with kids putting crosses on their face, even in public school. They only intervene when public schools/teachers endorse a religion. Kids are welcome to pray, paint crosses on their face etc as long as it doesnt interupt school.
Also, they look more like pluses than crosses.
9:52 am on November 10th, 2009
I don’t understand what is creepy about high school kids publicly displaying their faith. It is something that is deeply important to them, and they are making the statement that they believe in Christ.
So…what’s creepy about it? Full disclosure, I consider myself a Christ follower, though I’m not prone to shove it down other’s throats. If making a statement about one’s personal beliefs is creepy, I’m at a loss for words as to what the definition of that word is any more.
10:16 am on November 10th, 2009
Private school, they can do what they want.
10:30 am on November 10th, 2009
494…….yum
10:32 am on November 10th, 2009
Christians = people who belive in a guy in the sky, but when seeing actual empirical evidence of evolution in a museum scoff at its nature.
10:54 am on November 10th, 2009
One group’s Crusade is another group’s terrorism. I’m sure MissouriHawk would have the same stance if Muslim students were displaying their faith by scrawling Allahu Akbar on their foreheads.
12:04 pm on November 10th, 2009
For His Kingdom…awesome
12:50 pm on November 10th, 2009
Guess they forgot or ignored Matthew 6:6.
Make sure their cars have all the requisite bumper stickers (NOTW, John 3:16) license plate frames and other garbage that people use to demonstrate that they belong to the “club” and that you don’t!
1:22 pm on November 10th, 2009
Yo, what’s the big deal? Tebow does it every saturday…
1:25 pm on November 10th, 2009
also…their mascot is the crusaders…crusaders wore painted crosses on their faces into battle…
1:54 pm on November 10th, 2009
Yeah, and Tebow is a dumbass, too.
2:51 pm on November 10th, 2009
Actually RJ, you are correct. I would have the exact same reaction. Why? Because I actually adhere to what Christ says and not what the Christian movement in this country has become.
I would disagree with the Muslim student’s faith, but I see nothing wrong with them publicly stating that faith in a peaceful manner.
3:09 pm on November 10th, 2009
I support this, it is fine.
Being Jesuit, I don’t think the ACLU would step in.
But other people are wrong here. If these were Christians in a public school, they would be removed and reprimanded, regardless of the school’s prior knowledge. Why? Because the minority has the majority over the barrel lately.
Simple, but true. Whine about a Muslim and you are labeled a racist and intolerant. Complain about a Christian and the Christian is the one being loud and overbearing.
Sucks.
3:50 pm on November 10th, 2009
I got some groceries, some peanut butter
to last a couple of days
4:17 pm on November 10th, 2009
I think its very cool.. But it makes 491 look like she has a weird shaped head. But then again, maybe she does.
9:23 pm on November 10th, 2009
Goliath1, talk about a persecution complex!
The ACLU has defended numerous faiths including Christianity. The ACLU fights against schools/state endorsing religion, christian and muslim alike not acts of faith by the individual.
If a student on their own decides to paint their face, the ACLU wouldnt step in. I actually think the ACLU in this case would side with the athletes.
Stop listening to Glen Beck!
10:32 pm on November 10th, 2009
Brooks, did you ever get an update on the cheer squad ? Similar discussion.
http://sportsbybrooks.com/cheerleaders-under-seige-for-getting-too-lordy-26268
And it’s been said before - 17’s and square roots are the same ’cause smart people only do ‘em in their heads……
1:04 am on November 11th, 2009
All I’m going to say about those painted crosses, and the seemingly predictable reax to them, is the following:
1. Some of the most wholesome, family-friendly, even Christ-affirming TV programming in the history of network television (Touched by an Angel, Walker-
Texas Ranger, et al) garnered its best ratings during Bill Clinton’s administration, on a network called…CBS.
2. In what is quite easily the most hostile political environment since at least the ’70s, the anti-abortion movement (a Christian movement at its very heart and soul) managed to get a pro-abortion Speaker of the House to toss abortion funding aside in order to get a flaming-bag-of-dog-feces known as Health Care Reform through the House.
Make of this what you will, but the conclusion should be obvious.
1:59 am on November 11th, 2009
Hey Brad. You’re retarded. I’m sorry no one told you till now.
Awkward……
2:16 am on November 11th, 2009
BTW Brooks, you have too many psycho religious zealots reading your blog apparently by the looks of your poll.
Like RJ said, “I’m sure MissouriHawk would have the same stance if Muslim students were displaying their faith by scrawling Allahu Akbar on their foreheads.”
Obviously there would be some “Americans” against the idea of having a big crescent moon and star representing Islam on their face.
3:41 am on November 11th, 2009
Looks more Braveheart than anything. Athletes, fans and band members paint their faces all the time for the big game. What about those black bat wings you see on so many baseball/softball players under their eyes? What exactly does that represent? It does look cool, gotta admit.
If these girls’ jerseys did not say Jesuit on them, you probably wouldn’t give it a second thought.
Move on, nothing to see here…
5:50 am on November 11th, 2009
Those aren’t crosses. They’re “plus” signs. They are honoring mathematics.
10:12 am on November 11th, 2009
@YouKnowWho
I’ll simply refer you to my second post in this discussion. Not all Christ-Followers fit the stereotype you have.
3:31 pm on November 11th, 2009
Mark in SoCal
You live in SoCal… thanks for affirming my own hunches.
The ACLU hasn’t affirmatively defended Christianity in years. All I was saying is that the movement of ‘political correctness’ has the majority of people walking on eggshells. It’s not a persecution complex, it is life. The only difference is that I don’t need to put a label on something to pass the blame/guilt off my own shoulders.
10:18 pm on November 11th, 2009
What does the fact I live in So Cal have to do with anything?
Yea looks like you have to go all the way back to July.
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2009/July/ACLU-Claims-Religious-Censorship-in-VA-Jail/
This isn’t about being PC it’s about upholding the Constitution. Schools/states aren’t allowed to endorse a religion and the ACLU fights that. They have no issues with individuals showing their faith and in fact have defended people of all faiths, including Christians. Hell, they’ve defended the crazy Christian group from the Westboro Baptist church.
1:06 pm on November 12th, 2009
The VA Jail excerpt doesn’t apply to this situation. Jails and Inmates have different codes of conduct.
The point here is the line “if the kids went to a public school…”. If they did go to a public school, as an individual in that school (and sport) are they allowed to paint the crosses.
It’s a moot point… just like ‘eye-black’ messages. We need a policy to address. Relax. I was just saying that the ACLU files some crazy lawsuits.