The Madison, WI-based Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) warned East Coweta County High School administrators that it is illegal for the football team’s coaches to join the team in prayer.
However, when the East Coweta Indians took the field against the Newnan High School Cougars on Friday, Nov. 3 they stood shoulder to shoulder, defied the threats of the FFRF, bowed their heads ,and prayed, but this time without their coach.
Christopher Line, legal counsel for the FFRF, indicated that Coach John Small is not allowed to pray with the team because it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and sends a message to students that the school is endorsing religion.
The FFRF’s stated agenda is “to promote the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, and to educate the public on matters related to nontheism.”
The FFRF is operating on a false premise, because the Constitution of the U.S. makes no mention of the separation of church and state. In fact, the First Amendment of the Constitution says that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a coalition of disgruntled atheists dedicated to eliminating religion, especially Christianity, from the American landscape. They bully their way into our lives to undermine the foundation of our society and disrupt the practice of our faith.
Several years ago the FFRF posted an offensive, and historically inaccurate sign insisting that Jesus Christ is “a myth.” They succeeded in ending the distribution of Gideon Bibles in public schools, removed Ten Commandments monuments from public lands, ended Bible instruction in public schools, ended commencement prayers at a Top Ten University after 122 years of practice, and has become the devil’s agent for suppressing religion in America.
What kind of organization is it that wants to dismember and destroy an institution (Christianity) that has made so many valuable contributions to society?
Think of all the good that Christianity has done in our society:
First, Christianity has made incredible contributions to healthcare. Jesus spent much of his ministry healing those who were afflicted. Christians have played a significant role in the establishment of hospitals. Ever since the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., Christians have been challenged to establish hospitals wherever there were churches.
In Atlanta and throughout the nation there are hospitals established by the church. The Georgia Baptist Mission Board has a Healthcare Foundation that provides funds to meet physical needs all across Georgia and beyond.
Second, Christianity has created a spirit of philanthropy that has permeated our society. Jesus stated that those who show mercy to the poor, the sick, and the needy are in effect ministering to Him personally (Matthew 25:35-40). Today, Christian denominations have benevolence and missions ministries that are financially supported by multiplied millions of dollars. Georgia Baptist gifts to feed the hungry and disaster relief alone should illustrate the generosity of God’s people.
Third, Christianity has been responsible for much of the educational advancements in our society. Most of the great Ivy League institutions of today were established by clergymen and founded to train preachers, including Harvard University, the oldest learning institution in America, founded in 1639. Admittedly, many educational institutions have become secularized in the last 80 years, but they were founded for noble purposes.
Today, many churches have Christian schools and Georgia Baptists have three great institutions of higher education: Shorter University, Truett McConnell University, and Brewton-Parker College.
Fourth, Christianity has been an advocate of human dignity and human rights from its beginning. The primary reason is believers embrace the concept that each person is made in God’s image. Christians today are leading the fight for the sanctity of life from conception until natural death for all people. The New Testament teaches, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3:28).
Fifth, Christianity gives attention to the eternal as well as the temporal. This is the most important contribution the church makes to our society, and no matter how much the atheists protest the validity of this truth, it must be added.
Mankind was created for eternity and those who deny that have a myopic view of life. Thank goodness for the shed blood of Jesus Christ and the glorious Gospel. We have the truth that will surely set men free and what an inestimable contribution that is to our society.
It is tragic for the Freedom From Religion Foundation to challenge Christians, because they are actually trampling on most of what is good and noble in our society.
Oh, if they could only know the Savior who has set our feet on the solid rock, put a new song in our hearts, and written our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life.