The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Joseph Kennedy [Full Ruling Here] saying the Bremerton school district in Washington state was wrong to fire him for praying after football games with players of both teams. By a vote of 6-3, the justices ruled that Coach Joseph Kennedy’s conduct was protected by the First Amendment.
In 2015, Kennedy had been a part-time football coach at Bremerton High School for seven years. Coach Kennedy would pray at midfield after each game, alone, with players and with players of the opposing team joining him. When the school district learned about Kennedy’s prayers, they told him to stop. Kennedy refused, and despite wide support from parents and the community the district fired him.
Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the court’s opinion and was joined in full by Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Gorsuch explained that the government’s only real justification for its decision to fire Kennedy “rested on a mistaken view that it had a duty to ferret out and suppress religious observances even as it allows comparable secular speech. The Constitution,” Gorsuch concluded, “neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination.”
(Via Christian Post) […] “Kennedy prayed during a period when school employees were free to speak with a friend, call for a reservation at a restaurant, check email, or attend to other personal matters. He offered his prayers quietly while his students were otherwise occupied. Still, the Bremerton School District disciplined him anyway,” wrote Gorsuch.
“Both the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment protect expressions like Mr. Kennedy’s … The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike.”
In response to today’s opinion, Kennedy said, “This is just so awesome. All I’ve ever wanted was to be back on the field with my guys. I am incredibly grateful to the Supreme Court, my fantastic legal team, and everyone who has supported us. I thank God for answering our prayers and sustaining my family through this long battle.”
Kelly Shackelford, president, CEO and chief counsel for First Liberty, a religious liberty law firm based in Plano, Texas, which represented Kennedy, hailed the court’s decision as a “tremendous victory for Coach Kennedy and religious liberty for all Americans.” (more)
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
~ Matthew 18:20
“Will you pray with me?” or “will you allow me to pray with you?” These are examples of the strongest proactive affirmations of fellowship, love and faith you can bring to any encounter. Prayer works.
However, it is not enough to simply to stop and pray, we should immediately affirm the intent of the moment. We should pause, gather or assemble and pray in His name. That is where the Spirit of Jesus will manifest. Seek to gather with others in the name of Jesus and experience His presence in the moments of life.
Fellowship is critical.
There are many biblical commands concerning “one another” because God does not want us to be alone. Isolation and/or aloneness is not living; they can be painful and harmful to our spirit. Burdens weigh most when carried alone.
Fellowship is the connective tissue that brings life to our journey. When you feel hardship, pray. When you see hardship, pray. When you find hardship in another, pray.
There is no level of experience needed for prayer, nor is there an apprenticeship for faith. While living, just pay attention. When you see a burden reach out, feel, connect, and begin… “Dear God,”….. the rest will follow.
I have a group on Facebook. Yeah, I know 🙄
I posted this wonderful SCOTUS news, and was greeted by cyber-cheers…well, except for one comment.
I’ve searched, but cannot find any info, so I’m asking if anyone has a link to any concrete news about this “coach threat to players”- not opinion or conjecture.
Anyway, my friend wrote “I don’t care if he prays before after or during a football game but I do object to him insisting that his football players all join him. Several parents pulled their sons out of the program because he said he would bench them if they didn’t participate in the prayer circle.”
Has anyone read this? I want to answer her, but with facts, not opinion.
All I see in this CBS article is that he offered students to join him in prayer and nothing about being forced to pray or be benched. I think that commenter is making things up as libs usually do.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-joe-kennedy-high-school-football-coach-prayer-case/
“While acknowledging that Kennedy had “not actively encouraged, or required, participation” in either a pre-game prayer in the locker room or his “inspirational talk at midfield” after games,” the district said in a letter dated September 17, 2015, that the activities likely would violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause and expose the district to “significant risk of liability.“”
Thank you! That’s just what I was looking for. 👍😊
Cmon, Bremerton school administration. Players willingly, but voluntarily pray after College Football Games for all to see. Kneel if you wish, walk away if not (this is an appropriate use of the kneeling gesture after games in thanksgiving for protection against injury, and for those who are injured that day.
Hope each SC decision continues to be another nail in the Dem Party/Coffin leading up to the midterms.
And the coffins of cowardly, marxist school district administrators and marxist teachers’ unions..
But the timing couldn’t be worse as these decisions will enrage and energize a defeated Dem electorate right before the mid-terms. I wish these rulings had occurred in 2023…
Actually, there aren’t enough leftist radicals to turn things over. (That’s why they know they must cheat).
Donald Trumps legacy. The Left couldn’t berate him enough for these 3 nominations. May all of SCOTUS be protected by St. Michael from Evil Spirits (and men) who prowl the earth seeking the ruin of Souls.
God bless Coach Kennedy and shame on the three Christ hating justices that dissented. I want to see their argument to dissent against an obvious expression of free speech and religion.
If Coach al-Kannady had shouted “allahu akbarrrrr” while shooting an AK-47 into the air, they would be “ok” with that.
(It reminds me of Harry Enfield comedy skit where he ponders the happy life of an arab; followed by skits of him having a successful day or occasion (like the birth of his son) punctuated by firing AK-47s into the air with blaring Pali music in background). Enfield is brilliant… and comedic partner Paul Whitehouse is “Radiant….RADIANT”!
Roberts agreed with the conservative justices?
Confusing and bewildering.
He seems to do that when there’s a decent majority. If it had been a close one he would have aided with the lefties to tip the scale in their favor. He’s all over the place when it comes to rulings. But he sure doesn’t like being on the losing side. Probabaly has notches in his bed post and everything.
Best news outta Washington all year. SCOTUS….thank you!!
I also find it a great mark of sportsmanship that the players from the rival team would voluntarily join. After, it was just a game that educates as it invigorates!
The enemy fears a praying patriotic American. Think of how much they must fear one with the patience and persistence of this gentleman.
Very few secular people know that persecution of the church makes the church stronger and it thrives.
True. Just like efforts to burn and rid the world of the Bible, do just the opposite. People of faith, real faith will stand up to persecution, threats, insults, etc.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution
is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that
protects the right of the people to Religion and Expression.
As ratified by the States:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Today Democrat politicians reject the Second Amendment.
Tomorrow Democrat politicians reject the First Amendment.
Freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion.
For those of us who believe in God’s graces, and know prayer, we should collectively find it appropriate to say prayers of thanksgiving for the SCOTUS’ trending return to the U.S. Constitutional original guarantees—They incubate freedoms derived not from men, but from men who recognize(d) where liberties and rights originate. (Looks skyward when you pray ThankYou’s)
May you continue to walk with God.
We have no idea how the lives of the young men you’ve coached & prayed with, or for, will be affected throughout their lives.
For some, it may be their only contact with God, until the day presents, and they call out to Him.