Posted on Sep 9, 2016
West Point To Investigate Whether Prayer After Football Game Violated Religious Freedom
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See a lot of people getting in trouble for praying, the latest, this time @ West Point.
"Ninety people had registered complaints about the prayer with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the organization’s president told Army Times.
MRFF is “dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” the organization says on its website.
“We want three things,” Mikey Weinstein, the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told The Huffington Post afternoon. “An admission that there was a mistake, an apology, and assurances that this won’t happen again.”
"Ninety people had registered complaints about the prayer with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the organization’s president told Army Times.
MRFF is “dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” the organization says on its website.
“We want three things,” Mikey Weinstein, the president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, told The Huffington Post afternoon. “An admission that there was a mistake, an apology, and assurances that this won’t happen again.”
West Point To Investigate Whether Prayer After Football Game Violated Religious Freedom
Posted from huffingtonpost.com
1st Amendment
Religion
Sports
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 15
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Considering how often they get beat by the Navy, training isn't working. So maybe prayer is the answer?
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Cpl (Join to see)
Pagans at Stonehenge prayed also and had regular ritual gatherings. How would the anti-religion crowd treat them. Witch burning?
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As a graduate of USMA West Point I am disgusted with Mikey Weinstein's never-ending assault on any public expression of faith by anybody associated with the military SPC James Harsh.
[Edited 9/9/2016] Coach Monken asked a staff member to lead teh thankful team in prayer. Cadets at West Point are students. Prayer is voluntary. Nobody was forced to pray.
USMA Cadets are trained to lead. Cadets are trained to stand up for what they know is right and against what they know is wrong. Anybody who did not want to participate was free to be silent as the others prayed.
Some football player whined to his mom and five other football players complained.
I had to chuckle when I read "Coach Monken had no business telling my son and his Army teammates to get on their knees and pray a prayer to Jesus!" wrote one concerned parent. "My son was very upset about this. ... This violates the Constitution and to think it happened at West Point?"
There are a lot of people who seem to be clueless about the Constitution and the bill of rights.
[Edited 9/9/2016] Coach Monken asked a staff member to lead teh thankful team in prayer. Cadets at West Point are students. Prayer is voluntary. Nobody was forced to pray.
USMA Cadets are trained to lead. Cadets are trained to stand up for what they know is right and against what they know is wrong. Anybody who did not want to participate was free to be silent as the others prayed.
Some football player whined to his mom and five other football players complained.
I had to chuckle when I read "Coach Monken had no business telling my son and his Army teammates to get on their knees and pray a prayer to Jesus!" wrote one concerned parent. "My son was very upset about this. ... This violates the Constitution and to think it happened at West Point?"
There are a lot of people who seem to be clueless about the Constitution and the bill of rights.
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LTC Stephen F.
LT Miranda Bernabei - interesting post. There is no separation clause in the Constitution or the Bill of rights.
The separation clause was contained in a letter exchange with Thomas Jefferson.
In colonial America the concern was over establishing a state religion such as Roman Catholicism, Anglican, Lutheran or Presbyterian. Many of teh early colonials fled fro religious freedom since they were persecuted in their old nations
"Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
The separation clause was contained in a letter exchange with Thomas Jefferson.
In colonial America the concern was over establishing a state religion such as Roman Catholicism, Anglican, Lutheran or Presbyterian. Many of teh early colonials fled fro religious freedom since they were persecuted in their old nations
"Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
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LTC Stephen F.
LT Miranda Bernabei - thankfully the USA has never come close to establishing a state religion. There was an outcry when JFK ran for President because of perceived loyalty to the pope. However JFK was a nominal Roman Catholic so it turne dout be a moot point.
Nancy Reagan consulted mediums and astrologers while she was first lady but made no effort to make it a mandatory process and Ronald Reagan didn't seem to share her views.
There was significant debate about Mitt Romney's loyalty to the LDS church since he was serious about his mormon faith.
Religious litmus tests have usually been openly decried in principle but not always in practice in politics.
Nancy Reagan consulted mediums and astrologers while she was first lady but made no effort to make it a mandatory process and Ronald Reagan didn't seem to share her views.
There was significant debate about Mitt Romney's loyalty to the LDS church since he was serious about his mormon faith.
Religious litmus tests have usually been openly decried in principle but not always in practice in politics.
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Candy Alkaabi
There is such a thing as quietly not participating. I sit through prayers in various places quietly, I have also found that if one quietly asks they can do their own prayer or sit out a prayer. No one is being forced here, that player just wants something to complain about because its the new trend.
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If nobody was forced to pray weren't they practicing freedom OF religion? Oh excuse me this is the freedom FROM religion crowd, may mistake...
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SPC James Harsh
PO2 Robert Aitchison - Perhaps there should be no prayer at weddings and funerals than since it may upset others. I have listened to prayer more than once in the military and that is what I find odd.
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CW3 (Join to see)
If you don't have the option to walk away, then yes, having to be present while others pray *is* being forced to do something...it's being forced to be present while others pray.
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CW3 (Join to see)
Yup. Where you can be forced to be present while others exercise their religious freedom while being denied your own, just because someone with more rank than sense has the butthurt. If the prayer had been led by a Muslim coach, I guarantee you there'd be folks calling for his head on a pike.
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LTC David Brown
So what happens to soldiers on burial details? Oh they might have to be respectful of people praying during interment. Oh the horror.
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