Posted on 09/09/2016 7:31:10 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
The U.S. Military Academy is launching an inquiry into a prayer led by coaches following Army’s opening-day victory over Temple last week.
Video of the post-game invocation was pulled offline on Monday after West Point officials received a complaint from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.
Mikey Weinstein, who heads the MRFF, said he received complaints from six members of the football team, two of whom he said identified as Christians, as well as dozens of Army graduates and staff who took exception to the religious expression.
He said the video showed head coach Jeff Monken directing an assistant coach to lead the team in a prayer, which reportedly concluded with the name of Jesus.
Although the video is no longer available online, a cached version of the post on the West Point Facebook page shows a thumbnail of football players kneeling with their heads down and arms outstretched on one another.
LTC Christopher Kasker, director of West Point public affairs, said the Army received “allegations that this act violated First Amendment rights of some of the cadets.”
“As a result of this allegation, West Point officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter,” Mr. Kasker said in a statement. “The video, which was posted on social media, was removed pending the inquiry.”
Mr. Weinstein said West Point coaches are state actors and therefore “cannot order subordinates to take a knee and pray.”
He said he was pleased with West Point’s decision to take down the video and won’t request a third-party inspector general’s investigation, as the MRFF has done in other cases.
But he is demanding a public apology from Mr. Monken.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
They finally win a game and get busted for prayer.
Odungoville period!
Hey! We spotted you practicing religion!! We're here to stop that!
This Weinstein guy needs the sh*t kicked outta him.....
And the video should show the coach either saying "If you feel so inclined to join us in prayer, you are invited to do so" or "I order you to kneel and pray". If the coach said anything along the lines of the later, he is neither Christian, nor fit for command. However, if he said something along the lines of the former, he did nothing wrong; but to exercise his right to practice his religion.
If he had concluded his prayer in the name of "Allah, the meriful"; no one would have dared say a word; regardless of how he initialized the prayer.
Meanwhile, Navy romped and stomped all over Fordham. Navy’s game tomorrow against UConn should be a good ‘un.
In 2003, I went to a graduation where one student was going to West Point following high school. I was impressed that the ceremony included an official from WP who extolled the virtues of what it meant to be a West Point cadet, including the aspect of faith and country.
It looks like zero has totally destroyed anything good at West Point, they can no longer even acknowledge that our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.
Well, the Lord will have the final say, and if Mikey doesn’t change he won’t like what the Lord says to him.
If no players are forced to join in prayer, there is no foul.
“The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of islam” - B Husseim 0bama .
False religion imposed from the false leader above. Sue the evil bastard.
Would they have cared if it was a prayer to allah?
Uh, huh; thought not.
Our good Lord will have the final say.
Liberalism/godlessness sucks.
Unfortunately, these days, Annapolis is probably the more religious of the two institutions.
What did Trump call the generals? Rubble?
I seriously doubt they forced anyone who did not want to pray, to pray.
Mikey is such a worm. He definitely belongs on the list of people who need to just go away and never be seen or heard from again.
If true, it is later than I thought.
No one will dare complain if by some miracle Army beats Navy and they have a prayer afterwards.
The Honor Codes at the service Academies are dead anyway. If hillary wins, close them all, as they won’t matter anymore.
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