Posted on 09/08/2009 11:02:37 AM PDT by JoeProBono
HARDINSBURG, Ky. (AP) -- A Kentucky woman says her 16-year-old son was baptized without her consent when he and fellow football players were taken to a Baptist revival by their coach.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
We don't know how much was disclosed, but to me it's a moot point.
This type of activity should never happen under the authority of any public school figure.
It's jerks like this who make it hard to argue in favor of harmless traditions like the pre-game locker room prayer. Because they don't know their boundaries.
It seems “pretty mainstream” because you agree with it.
If it had been any other non-Christian religion, you probably wouldn’t feel the same way.
“some people” prefer that teachers and coaches stick to their jobs and not violate their duties and imposed trust by running a religious angle, ANY religious angle, on the kids in their charge.
But, hey, let’s leave religion out of this;
What if they’re taken the kids to an Obama rally, or a gay “pride” festival, without the parents’ knowlege or consent.
A parent has the right to oversee their childrens’ religious education. Any violation by a third party is a VIOLATION. Period. Wether it’s Jeeeeesus, Mohammed, Abraham or Buddha.
Fine, why don’t you order all of us heathens into the stadium for a coerced “mass baptism” to “save our souls.”
Oh my - didn’t mean to hit such a nerve. Didn’t have all that information.
Still, a 16 year old can decide for themselves and decline the baptism if against it. Maybe the kid WANTED it and MOM was the one saying “NO”.
“Baptism is never a bad thing” - That is MY belief!
Don’t see it in the story.
For many players, the coach is the only role model. I’m glad that the coach is a Christian. The player is fortunate to have a good Christian man in his life.
But rather than taking him down to the water, his best bet was to be a good example for the kid, and let his actions demonstrate.
Didn’t hit a nerve. Just gave the reasons I thought it was a stupid question. If you think forcing Baptism is a good thing, then you have a strange belief. But good luck to you and be careful.
I think the question is, did this young man do this willingly, or was he coerced?
Some on this thread seem to assume he was coerced. If so, I’d oppose it.
But if he genuinely desired baptism, I think that it his right.
I also think it is the right of adults to invite minors to religious activities. Further, their parents have the right to allow them to attend or not to attend. We’ve invited scores of kids to Vacation Bible School. But they all come with a parental permission slip.
If he was invited; allowed to go; and decided to get baptized himself -
then I do not see a problem.
If my son was invited to a Wiccan, or Muslim, or whatever retreat, I WOULDN’T ALLOW HIM TO ATTEND.
It sickens me how some folks on this "freedom loving" website support using public schools to spread their brand of Xianity (a faith with a liberal Jewish hippie as the messiah, btw), when they should be PULLING KIDS OUT of public schools and starting independent christian schools. They should also respect parental sovereignty over children. What would you folks say if a Muslim coach did this?
The story at the link has been changed now. It now quotes both parents.
There are more details in this article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-09-07-kentucky-football-trip-baptisms_N.htm
The mother IS a Baptist. The father is Catholic. They both wanted their son to wait for age 18 to decide. So, they’re not atheists. (I’m as surprised as anyone else!) :-0
Was the kid hurt? Did he do something that can't be reversed or even needs to be reversed?
This sort of thing happens all the time when anyone of any religion invites a friend who is not a member to go to a church function of any kind.
What are the monetary damages if the case is civil and if criminal, what laws were broken and what if anything is the punishment?
Why must this parent put their kid through this? To prove a point? To express anger?
What lesson was taught here?
I am not religious and if this is religion and what it teaches, then I'm glad I have no associations with it.
Was I right when I decided many years ago that all religions were nothing but exercises in hypocrisy?
Now there is a good point of discussion.
I think you are missing the fact that the mom allowed her son to go.
The situation is inherently coercive. That's why authority figures are supposed to know better.
That was one of the possibilities I thought of. Maybe the parents wanted to share in this special, once-in-a-lifetime event.
But now the football coach of the local school has usurped their right to raise their kid as they saw fit.
The lesson is that people that don't see anything wrong with this should stay away from other people's kids.
Go, yes.
Baptism, no.
The coach was in a uniquely powerful position. Any kid is going to go anywhere with other members of the team. If a baptism isn’t specifically mentioned, a parent might think it’s educational.
Either way, the coach should never have used his position to maneuver the kids toward his particular religion (or anything else).
Bad form.
Probably violated his duties as a coach, as well.
“The situation is inherently coercive. That’s why authority figures are supposed to know better.”
If so, then anyone who is a coach, assistant coach or whatever on a sports team should be forbidden to invite any minor to any religious activity at any time. That’s a pretty heavy breach of 1st Amendment rights. I don’t think it would stand.
I do think they can’t coerce. But to invite, with no repercussions either way, is their right.
It is further their right to invite to Wiccan and Muslim and Santeria stuff, too. As long as their is no coercion.
And the parents have the right to keep their minor children from attending, with no repercussions.
The mother of one player said her 16-year-old son was baptized without her knowledge and consent, and she is upset that a public school bus was used to take players to a church service — and that the school district’s superintendent was there and did not object.
“Nobody should push their faith on anybody else,” said Michelle Ammons, whose son, Robert Coffey, said Coach Scott Mooney told him and other players that the Aug. 26 outing would include only a motivational speaker and a free steak dinner.
Two other parents.
Two.
People who abuse their powers and work angles like this often tell different people different things, depending upon their receptiveness.
Some might be OK with a straight out “baptism”.
Some might be comfortable with “retreat”.
Some might just tolerate “team function”.
Nobody wins when people in positions of authority have ulterior motives. The coach should have known better, or he did know better but did it anyway.
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