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| Prevo on the left. |
The Anchorage Baptist Temple’s school will not host this year's state wrestling tournament for small high schools, as it has in the past, after the Alaska School Activities Association asked it to stop its practice of including a public prayer in the event.
An attendee of the 2013 event had complained to a national church-state separation watchdog group, which told the ASAA that as a public entity it couldn't sanction prayer at a school extracurricular event.
Removing the prayer "was a show stopper for us,” said Tom Cobaugh, the administrator of the private Anchorage Christian Schools, the Anchorage Baptist Temple's education ministry. “That’s who we are.”
The prayer issue made its way to the pulpit of the Anchorage Baptist Temple Sunday morning, when pastor Jerry Prevo used it in his sermon as an example of what he described as a “battle against prayer” in public schools.
For seven years, Anchorage Christian Schools hosted the wrestling championship for small schools in its gymnasiums, Cobaugh said. The school, which shares an East Anchorage campus with the Baptist temple, serves about 650 students from preschool to high school.
This is yet another victory for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. They have been advocating on the side of secularists and Atheists for a number of years now and have managed to achieve some rather impressive wins.
I particularly like this one as Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple is an especially disruptive and dangerous member of our community. He has almost single-handedly manged to oppress our LGBT community, and has had very unfortunate and pernicious influence on our politics.
Seeing him lose in this way does nothing but fill my heart with joy. And I hope it is only the first of many defeats that are coming his way.
Speaking of filling our hearts with joy:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/08/transgender-kid-rapping_n_6124062.html
Awww, that made my day!
DeleteI was raised Catholic, don't go to church anymore, but still believe in the teachings of JC. However, I also believe in the separation of church and state. Just as I don't see how same sex couples getting married would affect my marriage in any way, I also don't see how not having prayers at public events in any way affects my ability to practice my faith or believe as I do. I would say that they should be allowed to keep having the tournament there and keep the prayers as long as they allow other faiths to offer prayers too. But then again we might have gotten something like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajan_Zed_prayer_protest
ReplyDeleteAs a raised Lutheran, it is nothing but crap.
Delete@12:54 pm
DeleteOur country is a secular Republic. Prayer in public places is fine and totally supported by the Constitution., but at a school sponsored event, it is a de facto government entity holding the event.
I know this is shocking to fanatics like Prevo, Jim Minnery, Charles Dobson, and Tony Perkins but we are not a Christian nation, nor are we a theocracy.
Sure, it doesn't seem like a big deal, until you stop and think about what would happen if some Muslims in the community decided that THEY should offer prayers to Allah at the wrestling events.
The Jerry Prevo types would be screaming bloody murder that no one but Christians should be allowed to pray, because ONLY Christians (of the right sort) are right about religion and faith.
Same thing would apply if the local Wiccan group decided they would offer Samhain blessings.
The evangelicals just don't see why they are not ENTITLED to be the only true religion, and they want everyone else to endure their prayers, and everybody else should shut up.
Here's the acid test. Ask Jerry Prevo how he'd feel if Wiccans, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, or Hindus wanted to offer their prayers and statements at any school sponsored event.
Gryphen, the first thing that popped into my head when I read this was simple: Why in hell is he promoting wrestling? Of all things, WRESTLING? (I enjoy a REAL wrestling match, so don't think I am slamming the sport.)
ReplyDeleteI would have thought HE, of all people, would have been condemning the sport as an example of men wanting to "play" with men! You know, sexually? I mean, after all, that IS the way this idiot's mind works, right?
Typically, he uses the law's reach (the separation of church and state) as an example of the attacks on a church's right to worship as they please. Too stupid to realize that's the way it should be under the Constitution!
Then, there's that men showering with men thingy, it's a slippery slope and the only reason soap on a rope was invented. lmao
DeleteWhat battle against prayer in public schools is he talking about? The Supreme Court decided long ago that prayer doesn't belong in public schools and that should have ended when they ruled on the issue. I'm just surprised it's even an issue today and by the number of schools that still allow prayer, not only in sports, but at other school events as well.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Jerry Prevo before and I don't live in Alaska. Did I her it here, or has he made national news in the past? How ever you look at this positive piece of news, he seems to be quite a character and seems to believe he can force his morals on others.
Gryphen, just reading this convinces me you have good reason to dislike this individual.
He's virulently anti lgbt issues and close friends and jogging partner with Franklin Graham, who's daddy had a birthday again this year. He came to Philadelphia's Equality Forum to preach against the sin of Homosexuality and was booed so much that the police had to escort him and his clown train of limo's. He's like the "Elvis of hate".
DeleteI grew up in a smallish town in the middle of nowhere. My family is a non-religious Jewish one stood out as one of the only non-Christian (mainly Catholic) families.
ReplyDeleteWhen I graduated from high school, there was a prayer at the ceremony. It was "non-denominational" so as to be "inclusive," but the name Jesus Christ was evoked numerous times and, of course, the fact that there was a prayer at all exclude those of us who didn't have any religion.
Now, maybe in the whole scheme of my life, it's not that big of a deal, but at the time, it made this very special event not quite as special. I felt "different" and "left out."
It wouldn't have mattered if they had prayers from all different faiths. And it doesn't matter if every single person is of the same faith. There should absolutely be no prayer at a public school event, period!
Kids and parents are welcomed to bow their heads and speak their prayers quietly in small groups before the graduation (or athletic event or whatever) or during breaks or in their heads. Nobody is stopping someone from praying in school or at a school-sponsored event.
I graduated from East High School here in Anchorage in the 1980's. I remember that there was a preacher who gave a sermon and said a prayer during the ceremony, and the whole time I just sat there wondering how in the heck it was happening because it was a public school graduation. Hope they've quit doing that by now!
ReplyDeleteOur high school had a separate Baccalaureate Service for those who were religious and wanted prayer during their graduation ceremony. Attendance wasn't mandatory. Our actual graduation ceremony was, as it should be, a secular event. This was back east, 1980's. Same with college graduations.
DeleteI'd have to think that if ASD was still allowing prayer at any of their graduations it would have been challenged and shut down by now, hopefully.
Praying doesn't need to be done in the public facets of our lives! As in schools, sports events, activities, business meetings, etc. Prayers are a private matter and assuredly don't need to be forced upon us by others.
ReplyDeleteI'm a senior citizen and in the 'old' days we prayed by ourselves or in our churches. But, it was never done at public things as is being done today.
Religion should be separate from government too. It should not be done in our State Legislatures or other government meetings. Go back to the beginnings of our history. It was not done then!
I OBJECT!!!
There are many in the USA today that are not Christians. We have a variety of religions throughout the population - plus we have agnostics and atheists. They need to be respected too!
I graduated in 1960 in Alaska and there were no prayers said. Hope that is still the case throughout the state!
DeleteThe RWNJs are out in full force at the ADN comments. (Note- ACS is Pervo's "school").
ReplyDelete"Charlene N Stu Karpiuk · North Pole, Alaska
Bill
44 out of the 45 teachers at ACS have graduate level degrees while some have masters degrees."
lol. Not apparently understanding the definition of graduate degree. Not probably understanding a lot of other things also too.
@3:22
ReplyDelete"There are many in the USA today that are not Christians. We have a variety of religions throughout the population - plus we have agnostics and atheists. They need to be respected too!"
Well, according to this a**hole, they SHOULDN'T be. Palin seems to believe that as well. AND all the RWNJ's who feel that NO belief except their own has rights. And they have already exclaimed from the highest points that the 1st Amendment does NOT mean what the courts claim!
And THAT is the problem. Their complete refusal to acknowledge the law needs to be slapped across each and every one of their faces and tattooed on their foreheads so they have to see it every time they look in a mirror.
HOW is it so difficult for these people to comprehend that their prayers are offensive to other people?
ReplyDeleteMaybe if a few Muslim prayers were said before a few games it might begin to dawn on them just how wrong it is to force a religion on others simply because you're a majority?
I can't wait for the day when hate of this magnitude isn't visited upon others in the public square, especially lgbt issues, it gives their "blessing" to the mouth breathers who kill people like Matt Shepperd for no other reason than their sexuality. I hope I live long enough to see a world where love matters most and plumbing means nothing. All families are equal and we're not a christian nation.
ReplyDeleteAll those christians want is a captive audience to preach their bullshit to. It's never been about the community good. And it never will be!
ReplyDelete