Cheerleaders, Bible Verses, and Freedom of Speech Collide
There mere fact that this issue has reached the Texas courts is why the First Amendment and the Freedom of Speech is worth defending.
Would it bother you if the cheerleaders at a high school football game paraded banners praising God or citing bible verses? If so, why? Are you so insecure in your own belief? Well, apparently someone was and complained. The cheerleaders at the high school elected as a team, to do this, each one takes a turn of selecting a bible verse to put on a banner in relation to the football game for inspiration. Because it is an individual selecting the verse, it does not represent the school, the school district, or even the cheerleading squad.
Most of the students at the high school support it or ignore it, they are not required to accept it. The team usually runs through the banners when they enter the field. Yet, the Anti-Defamation League and others took this to court to have it stopped saying public schools are for children of all faiths or no faith, and these banners were clearly being displayed in the context of school sponsored activities and should not be at school events. The school district does not want to give the impression they favor Christians over other religious beliefs at the high school.
The judge presiding over the case ruled in favor of the cheerleaders at the attempt of the school district to stop them because it would violate the cheerleaders right to free speech.
School officials tried to prevent the cheerleaders from displaying banners with religious messages such as, "If God is for us, who can be against us". However, the fight is not over, the trial is set for June 2013.
What a waste of time. Rah, rah, rah!