Top West Point general: ‘Valid concerns’ raised about prayer after Army football game

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Top West Point general: ‘Valid concerns’ raised about prayer after Army football game

By Dan Lamothe
http://twitter.com/danlamothe

September 10

WEST POINT, N.Y. — The top general at the U.S. Military Academy said that “valid concerns” about separation of church and state were raised by people who questioned why the Army football coach asked a staff assistant to lead his team in prayer after an upset victory last week.

The issue emerged after Coach Jeff Monken was shown in a video produced by West Point celebrating with his players and directing a member of his staff to lead a prayer after an upset victory Sept. 2 over Temple University. The video was taken down at the direction of Athletic Director Boo Corrigan after West Point received complaints because it was offensive to some people and leaving it online would have been “like grinding salt into the wound,” said Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, the superintendent at West Point.

“Maybe 90 percent of the people who were out there supported the prayer,” Caslen said. “But, when you look at it from a legal basis and from a legal standpoint, and then you look at it from a leadership standpoint, there were some concerns, and I think they’re valid concerns.”
....

The issue, first reported Thursday by the independent Army Times, emerged after the nonprofit Military Religious Freedom Foundation raised concerns publicly and said it had received dozens of complaints. The foundation regularly raises questions about issues of separation of church and state in the military.

[WhiteTara]

1. Very valid concerns.

As in, this should not be done and don't do it again.

[Moostache]

2. Freedom OF religion REQUIRES freedom FROM religion in the public square,

I fail to understand why this remains so difficult for so many "Christians" to understand...

To make it crystal clear to them, flip the script and instead of praying to Jeebus in a coerced manner, mandate a bowing to Mecca, led by a team Muslim instead....STILL want to have coerced, state-sponsored religion THEN?

I didn't think so.


This nonsense that "Christians" are bound by their faith to "share the good news" is a bunch of cockswallop too. Your religion remains like my penis....it is great that we both have something that we love, it is OK for us to shower it with attention in the privacy of our own homes too...but once we step into the public square, neither your religion nor my penis should be "shared" with anyone else against their will...and neither one belongs anywhere near children either.

[LiberalLovinLug]

4. Sharing the "good news" is unfortunately a big part of their requirement.

"go ye into all the world and preach the gospel" is but one verse they cling to. I grew up in such a house.

You see it in Islamic religion too. That's a big part of any religion...to keep it going, keep the funds coming in, keep expanding.

To use your analogy, they are required to unzip and show the world how magnificent they are and that you could have something as spectacular as they do. You just have to bend over and submit to believing in an invisible vindictive violent God who created you for your primary purpose, which is to glorify Him and spread the word.

[Wilms]

3. .