Prayer before the game

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About a month ago prior to a public high school baseball game, several parents and friends in the grandstands joined hands prior the start of the game to pray for the health and well-being of the team. It was a spontaneous expression of faith by Catholics and some of our Protestant brothers and sisters. What a terrific feeling to offer our prayer prior to the ball game. Hallelujah!
 
Going to a Catholic high school, and praying together after inter-league games with guys I have known my whole life is one of my fondest memories.
 
So many Christians are upset because public schools in our age of PC-ness and not wanting to force religion on others disallow prayers before public schools sporting contests.
This is a way for Christians to bring prayer back to the public sector. It takes faith and the courage to do what you good folks did. I applaud your efforts.
It is not just the words, it is our actions that count. 🙏👏👍✌️
 
We players led by the coaches used to pray the Our Father before every game at my public high school in the Protestant south. Still now (or for now really) people, including students, can initiate prayers.
 
YourNameHere said:
So many Christians are upset because public schools in our age of PC-ness and not wanting to force religion on others disallow prayers before public schools sporting contests.
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Let’s remeber it was a Catholic family that sued Santa Fe ISD in TX (Santa Fe ISD v Doe) to end in school prayers, including football games. Their children were being subjected to Baptist proselytizing. They won their case in the Supreme Court.

School prayer in US schools that everyone is so nostalgic for was not CATHOLIC prayer or JEWISH prayer or MUSLIM prayer— it was a very specific fundamentalist Protestant prayer, along with proselytizing.

It’s all fun and games until someone whips out a rosary. Make no mistake THAT prayer would not be welcome.
 
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In a multi cultural, multi religion state, whose prayers are acceptable? Can an imam offer some Islamic prayers to Allah over the PA system before the football game? What about some Hindu prayers?
 
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I agree with this sentiment.
Christian prayer at private Christian schools, and individual team prayer, IMO, is the best middle ground here…
 
I am sure that God gets tired of everyone acting in an un-Christian-like manner, so matter where it is.
I pray to God that the people of all religions come together to praise and glorify God.
 
Prayers initiated spontaneously by parents and other fans are a way to replace the prayers that at one time were delivered by the public address announcer prior to the start of games.
This way, people of all religions can come together to pray for the common good without offending those of a specific religion or those who or not religious.
 
1ke said:
It’s all fun and games until someone whips out a rosary. Make no mistake THAT prayer would not be welcome.
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I’m not sure about that…that may be more geographically dependent.
1ke said:
In a multi cultural, multi religion state, whose prayers are acceptable? Can an imam offer some Islamic prayers to Allah over the PA system before the football game? What about some Hindu prayers?
Click to expand...
I fully agree with this. I coached at a Catholic school for 3 years where we did a private team prayer prior to games. I think it would have been…uneasy at best…when hosting public schools to have had a public prayer via PA system, but that’s me. I know that some Catholic schools in the area I live now do it, but I think that’s starting to get fewer and further between.
 
I think it’s great to pray before the game, especially if that prayer stays on everyone’s mind and makes them behave like Christian gentlemen and gentlewomen, both on and off the field.

Obviously if you make a big show of praying and then act with bad sportsmanship or get falling-down drunk and call the umpires dirty names, the prayer meant nothing. It should be a reminder that we are all brothers and sisters and we should behave ourselves while having a good time and giving our all in the sporting event as a reflection of God’s glory.
 
The US is a Christian nation. But the real solution is to get rid of government schools altogether. Then people can send their kids to the religious or non religious school of their choice.
 
1ke said:
It’s all fun and games until someone whips out a rosary. Make no mistake THAT prayer would not be welcome.
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I’m sure at any Notre Dame game, rosaries would be just fine.

Bigotry masquerading as prayer is bad. That doesn’t mean all prayer is necessarily bigoted or that it all has to go.
 
The US does offer freedom of religion. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a Christian nation. The federal government prohibited a state church. But many of the states had state churches, religious tests, and public support of Christianity. When you refer to the framers you are only considering the federal government which isn’t at all the complete picture.
 
exnihilo said:
The US does offer freedom of religion. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a Christian nation. The federal government prohibited a state church. But many of the states had state churches, religious tests, and public support of Christianity. When you refer to the framers you are only considering the federal government which isn’t at all the complete picture.
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Labeling it as such is dangerous and inaccurate, if you care to also claim freedom of religion. If you allow Christian prayer, you have to allow all religious prayer, if it is requested.
 
Other prayer is allowed. But there is nothing prohibiting the government from having exclusively Christian prayer. I mean there are some bogus court cases but those violate the founding principles of our country.
 
exnihilo said:
Other prayer is allowed. But there is nothing prohibiting the government from having exclusively Christian prayer. I mean there are some bogus court cases but those violate the founding principles of our country.
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Then a freedom of religion claim is a fallacy.
 
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