Public Prayer and the Result, “Woodlawn”
Public Prayer and the Result, “Woodlawn”
by Jake MacAulay
I don’t have TV nor do we watch TV in the MacAulay household but recently I caught a short clip on theBlaze.com of a former TV child star Candace Cameron-Bure on a show called “The View” where they were discussing the story about a high school football coach who recently defied a lawsuit threat demanding he stop praying on the field after games.
This persecuted assistant coach’s name is Joe Kennedy and he is claiming the post-game prayer session is not mandatory and is therefore protected free speech under the First Amendment where “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or the Free Exercise thereof.”
“The separation of church and state does not mean that we cannot pray publicly,” Bure correctly asserted. “It actually guarantees our free exercise of religion so that if it is voluntary, we are allowed to pray wherever we would like to.”
“But that’s not fair to somebody who doesn’t pray,” Raven-Symone added.
“You don’t have to — it’s voluntary,” Bure said. “If people would actually put more effort into prayer than to fight prayer, you would see a whole difference in this country to see that power of prayer.”
Did you hear that??!! Ms. Raven Symone is offended because this strange delusion of religious prohibition has been allowed to dictate the moral compass of Christianity in America.
Bure went on to praise the football coach for taking a stand for prayer and said schools need to hire “more men like this who are willing to pray for our students, for our athletes, for protection, for safety.” The audience, including myself, erupted into spontaneous applause.
I can see Founding Father, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, abolitionist, First American Surgeon General, and founder of Dickenson College, Dr. Benjamin Rush bursting into this conversation… "I lament that we waste so much time and money in punishing crimes and take so little pains to prevent them...we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government; that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible; for this Divine Book, above all others, constitutes the soul of republicanism." "By withholding the knowledge of [the Scriptures] from children, we deprive ourselves of the best means of awakening moral sensibility in their minds."
A misguided non-jihadist professor of the religion of Islam is absolutely thrilled to have a country where his or her rights are protected because you aren’t gonna find that in a Muslim-jihadist led country. Atheists, you aren’t going to find the right to Life, personal liberty, or property in a Socialist controlled government, that is why you are in America.
I have met both classes of individuals all over the country in my travels who are so grateful our founders perpetuated Christianity as their religion and the religion of America and its citizens.
If we truly want to see the power of healing, peace and restoration to our country we would follow the examples of men like Coach Joe Kennedy and perhaps we could have more events like that of Woodlawn High School in 1974, whose spiritual awakening captured the heart of nearly every player of the Woodlawn High School football team, including its coach Tandy Gerelds. Their dedication to prayer, love and unity in a school filled with racism and hate, lead to the largest high school football game ever played in the torn city of Birmingham, Alabama.
Benjamin Franklin acknowledged, "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
I have to ask the question, why do certain splinter groups get so upset over people praying for our children and our nation?