Thursday, December 10, 2015

Air Force Football Home Games Force Prayer?

Naturally I'd have something to say about this. I find it offensive, but not for the reasons an ex-Chaplain complained about. It is more an issue over trivializing faith down to wining a game than anything else to me.

No one can force anyone to pray at all. Who knows if they are humming a commercial jingle in their heads or not as someone else says a prayer? Plus, if God is mentioned during a prayer, no one explains which one. Is the God referred to Jewish, Christian or Muslim (same God different beliefs) or is it the God worshiped by other faiths around the world? If God is the Christian God then which denomination? Each one has their own beliefs and doctrine. So far I haven't run across any mention of God being interested in the outcome of a football game.

Ex-Chaplain Criticizes 'Tebow' Prayer at Air Force Football Home Games 
Military.com
Bryant Jordan
December 10, 2015
Members of the Air Force Academy's football team pray together before a game; their public religious displays are now being investigated by the academy. (DoD photo)
A former Air Force Academy chaplain calls the end zone praying by members of the school's football team "another 'territorial conquest' of the Christian right."

"This stands in a long line of conservative Christian usurpation of government space via supposed voluntary demonstrations of Christian piety," MeLinda Morton, a former captain, said in an email.

Morton, who said she never saw the Falcons offer public prayers when she served at the academy 10 years ago, said the fact that home games are essentially mandatory formations for cadets should bar any public display of faith.

"I've not been to the academy in a decade. I didn't see it when I was there," she told Militay.com on Wednesday.

Morton was fired from her position at the academy in 2005 after she backed up reports that Christian officials were improperly attempting to proselytize cadets. She then resigned her commission after 13 years in the service and now serves on the advisory board of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group that promotes the separation of church and state.

The academy is investigating the public prayer ritual, in which team members take to one knee after the fashion of NFL free-agent quarterback Tim Tebow. Some of the Falcons take part only to avoid conflict with teammates or out of fear of retribution, according to Mikey Weinstein, president and founder of foundation.
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