Posted on 08/23/2015 11:10:46 PM PDT by yorkie
The Brandon High School Band did not perform at halftime during the season-opening game Friday night. A statement from the Rankin County School District says a July federal court order is the reason the band was banned from Friday night's halftime show.
The band had been slated to perform the hymn "How Great Thou Art."
The district made the decision to ban the halftime show after learning the hymn was included in the performance.
"It bothers me because you look at the schools and all of the school shootings and all the bad things that are happening, and wonder why. It's because we're allowing evil to step in," parent Kimberly Moore said.
Moore and dozens of parents and students sang the hymn during halftime Friday night in response to those who banned its performance.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued a court order on July 10, which said "defendants are permanently enjoined from including prayer, religious sermons or activities in any school sponsored event including but not limited to assemblies, graduations, award ceremonies, athletic events and any other school event. That means administrators, teachers and staff of the Rankin County School District may not participate in any religious activity, or solicit or encourage religious activities at school or while performing duties as a RCSD employee.”
Judge Reeves said the district continued to promote Christianity during school hours after it agreed to stop. He fined the district $7,500 and again ordered it to stop sponsoring prayers at graduations, assemblies, athletic competitions and other school events.
One of my favorite hymns!
And now every Catholic Church in the USA includes the addendum — for Thine is the — at the end of the Our Father. Our only difference now is that we still say Trespasses, instead of debts.
Pay to pray? Do it regardless.
The judge should hang from a lamppost.
They need to be fearful about doing anti-constitutional rulings.
Hey Judge, please read the rest of the First Amendment: or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
America has lost its way.
What, no bloodshed? How utterly civilized of you all.
If something similar were to happen with sunnis and shiites, somebody’d be getting beheaded for their blasphemy.
The boot is hard against the American neck....does the general public even get it ?
The only fix is to separate the government from education, so that these football games would not have any sort of government-related implications.
Who is this Carlton Reeves, and how is he so perfect and smart that he can dictate to common people how society should be?
Good point.
Just include a muslim prayer and it will go on as usual
Lots of different songs have similar tunes. John Fogerty once prevailed in a “he stole my song” lawsuit by demonstrating as much in a courtroom, with his guitar.
All my life, school bands have been performing hymns and other music. the Star Spangled Banner is a hymn.
Next they will ban the alma mater from being played at graduations across the country. I don’t know the words to my high school alma mater, but my university’s lyrics are Christian.
Ignore the overreaching judge.
Schools need to ignore such rulings, ignore the fines & refuse to pay them, & do what the community wants.
Moreover, we need to get the government out of the education business permanently.
Fundamental Atheists are the most intolerant cultists in the country.
Pray America is waking
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