Students Pray after Humanist Group Threatens Suit
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
ATLANTA (Worthy News)– Approximately 200 students and their parents gathered Wednesday at a Georgia high school in response to letters from a humanist group that threatened legal action if the school’s coaches continued to promote Christianity, according to The Christian News Network.
The American Humanist Association had sent letters to the superintendent of Hall County Schools, the principal of Chestatee High School and the chairman of the Board of Education complaining that coaches at Chestatee High School have allegedly been citing Bible verses on team documents and joining the team in prayer.
“We have received reports that CHS coaches have joined players in prayer while standing in a circle, hands interlocked. At times, the head coach has led the prayers, which is an egregious violation of the Establishment Clause. Further violating the Constitution, a citation to Galatians 6:9 was placed at the bottom of workout log sheets given to players, and the citation and text of Proverbs 27:17 was written in giant letters on a banner used for a football team pregame entrance.”
AHA threatened a lawsuit if these practices were not stopped and requested a response within two weeks, but the response they got was group prayer in support of the team coaches as students and their parents gathered on Chestatee’s football field.
“We choose to pray,” said Chestatee student Megan Ellis. “They don’t make us pray.”
“I think [the controversy is] really ridiculous,” said student Marlen Olvera. “Every school does it. Every school prays before football games and after football games. It’s not the coach’s decision; it’s the students decision.”
“I think it’s sad that you can be in a state prison, and you can have a Bible and read it all day long, and you can have a worship service inside that prison, but you can’t pray on a football field,” said parent Kevin Elrod.
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