Texas Cheerleaders Take Bible Banners Fight With Atheists To The State Supreme Court
The Texas cheerleaders are fighting to keep their Bible banners within public schools, and atheist groups are already arguing the state Supreme Court should disallow the practice on the basis of separation between church and state.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, a temporary Texas cheerleaders God ruling back in October of 2012 granted an injunction to the Kountze High School texas cheerleaders, acknowledging that banning them from writing Bible verses on banners not supplied by the school is a violation of their free speech rights.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation had originally complained the Texas cheerleader’s Christian banners were a violation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution’s First Amendment, which states that the government “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” But State District Judge Steven Thomas wrote in his final ruling that the Christian banners “have not created, and will not create, an establishment of religion in the Kountze community.”
Texas cheerleaders argue that censoring what they are allowed to write on their banners is a violation of the First Amendment. Ashton Lawrence, one of these Texan cheerleaders, believes that freedom of speech should also apply to other religions, not just Christians:
“If it was a group that was wanting to post not scriptures, but maybe phrases from a different religion they should also be allowed to have their speech.”
But the atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation continues to insist the Establishment Clause does not allow any religious message of any type to be allowed within public schools.
“It’s a religious proselytizing message, and it’s a school-sponsored message. It violates the Establishment Clause. Nothing has changed,” the FFRF’s lawyer claimed. “These banners continue to be school-sponsored speech, and they continue to violate the Establishment Clause, so depending on the outcome of this litigation, we’d certainly be prepared to sue.”
Do you think the Texas cheerleaders should be allowed to create their Bible banners that support a Christian message within a public school?
