Take that atheists! How middle school cheerleaders taught atheists a powerful lesson in free speech

Catholic Online ^ | May 10, 2013

[NYer]

HOUSTON, TX (Catholic Online) - Finding that there is no law against what they were doing, a judge ruled that the cheerleaders violated no laws by holding banners during football games that made references to God.

Koutnze Middle School cheerleaders say they have a tradition of making biblical and religious references on the banners which they hold at the end of halftime and the players run through when they return to the field. It's a widespread tradition practiced at schools across the nation.

However, when the "Freedom from Religion Foundation" a litigious atheist organization whose purpose is to destroy any public references to God, threatened to sue the school if it did not order the kids to stop referring to God on their banners.

Initially, lawyers for the tiny school district advised the school to stop, so the cheerleaders complied, but filed a case with the courts. The district then allowed the banners to continue but said it retains the right to control what is written on them.

At the heart of the matter is whether or not the banners violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Judge Thomas ruled they did not violate the clause because the speech originated with the students.

Students still have the right to initiate prayer and make religious references in public schools. This is distinct from the schools themselves, which may not endorse a particular religion.

Lawyers for the cheerleaders demonstrated correctly for the judge, that the banners did not ask anyone to accept Christianity or represent an endorsement from the school. They did not violate anyone's rights.

[immadashell]

They’re lucky they don’t live on the Left Coast.

[basil]

I know Kountz well. It’s very close to Beaumont where I grew up, and my parents lived there until my father died.

[ScottinVA]

Bite it, atheists.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks NYer.

...the "Freedom from Religion Foundation" a litigious atheist organization whose purpose is to destroy any public references to God, threatened to sue the school if it did not order the kids to stop referring to God on their banners.

[uncommonsense]

Atheists are mostly statists. They want the government to promulagate their ideology, but they have no stomach for competition in the arena of facts and ideas.