To the football coaches praying at midfield, the political lampreys laying hands on heavily

[Atticus]

made-up moral pygmies and TV screamers "speaking in tongues", consider what your instruction book says:

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.”

You'll find that in Matthew, if memory serves.

[3Hotdogs]

1. Future footb --- no, all sporting games will now be preceded by the singing of the "Banner" and

concluded with a group "kneel."

And God help your sorry heathen ass in the community if you ain't down on one knee.

[raging moderate]

2. Yep. Matthew 6:5.

You are right. Matthew 6:1-6:
"Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen by them, otherwise ye have no reward from your Father in heaven....Therefore, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing...in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men, but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy Father who seest secretly shall reward thee openly."

[Diamond_Dog]

3. Too bad they don't actually read the Bible.

[DenaliDemocrat]

4. Actually they do - and that's the problem

They interpret literally and without context.

That’s where Protestant differ from Orthodox/Catholics who embrace sacred tradition and teach that Jesus spoke in parables

[raging moderate]

8. No, many Protestant churches teach that Jesus spoke in parables.

The United Methodist Church teaches that Jesus spoke in parables. Because He did. And they embrace sacred tradition of many kinds. It is the Fundamentalists who read literally and without context, and pounce on phrases that prop up their egos. If you read Matthew 25 aloud to them with slow speed and proper enunciation and pauses at the commas, they become flustered and rush out to insist that it cannot possibly mean what it means, because obviously only members of their little club could be accepted into Heaven.

Matthew 25:40: When the Son of Man shall come in his glory....Before him shall be gathered all nations....Then shall this King say unto them on his right hand, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the fountation of the world. For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; I was naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me....Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

[ToxMarz]

40. Did Jesus really speak in parables

Or did all those people that weren't Jesus who authored the Bible just write it l that way.

[DenaliDemocrat]

45. The Gospels are supposed to be the actual words of Jesus

So, yes. He did speak in parables per the Gospels record of his lessons.

[DenaliDemocrat]

43. Sola Scriptura is universal in Protestantism.

It was one of the 95 Thesis Luther “nailed on the Vatican door (even though that really never happened)”. Apostolic succession is probably the most fundamental element of Sacred Tradition eschewed by all Protestants except some Anglicans

[Diamond_Dog]

10. I remember, eons ago, something like,

“All who make themselves great will be humbled, and whoever humbles themselves will be made great.” To me that means, God likes when you do your praying in private and don’t brag about what a great Christian you are. Or something to that effect.

Kind of applies to the orange gasbag being the exact opposite of humble, and always bragging about how superior he is in every way, but I’m sure they don’t associate those two things, either.

[wnylib]

17. The last will be first and the first will be last.

Also from Matthew.

[DownriverDem]

11. Catholics

moved to the repubs over abortion.

[uponit7771]

26. +1, found out recently they did that in the 80s with the push of political affliation and not ...

... from doctrine from the bible.

[DenaliDemocrat]

44. Aye...In direct conflict with their Jewish tradition

And in the teaching of Aquinas who has influenced so much of the Roman Rite.

[uponit7771]

25. THIS !!!! ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾 ... and when they do read the bible its seldom in perspective of how God ..

... interacts with man so they can repeat those actions.

[progree]

13. Effectively part of the preamble to The Lord's Prayer, which is in the same chapter

Matthew Chapter 6, beginning with verse 5:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:5-15&version=NIV

5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[ b ]’

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

[RaDaR63]

5. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone how to pray.

I was raised in a religious family, but I'm agnostic, and don't pray. I know a lot of people who pray, and they all do it differently. I have no objection to public praying, as long as others aren't being coerced into doing it, too.

[Mariana]

6. When it's a high school coach "leading" the team in prayer

or a teacher "leading" prayer in the classroom, it is inherently coercive. The players/students always have to be concerned that the coach or teacher, or the other players/students, may retaliate against them if they decline to participate.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. This x 1000

And peer pressure. And if the coach were praying to Allah, what would the response be?

[XacerbatedDem]

14. Maybe it's time for a version of the DeSatan law in Fl.

Call it the "Don't Say God" bill.

[RaDaR63]

16. The OP goes well beyond that.

[Mariana]

42. The OP didn't tell anyone how to pray.

The OP referred to their supposed holy text, and repeated the supposed instructions of their supposed divine figure that are found therein.

[wnylib]

18. That's the core of this issue.

The coach is doing coercive showmanship, not prayer.

[uponit7771]

28. +1, ... if a Muslim coach did the same MAGA heads would explode

[Diamond_Dog]

46. Yes they would.

And I hope lawyers for the school district brought up that point. Would the same ruling apply to a Muslim coach

[Rebl2]

33. Exactly

[70sEraVet]

37. Yet, the same people who are pushing for prayer in schools

are the ones complaining the loudest about teachers 'indoctrinating' our kids!!

[niyad]

22. Welcome to our DU family. In a secular, and multi-cultural, nation, public

prayer has no place.

[RaDaR63]

35. The term multi-cultural would suggest otherwise

as does the nation's first amendment. Our government is secular, or, at least, is suppose to be. It's not required of the people.

Thanks for the welcome.

[niyad]

39. Wrong. You will notice that the only public (contrary to their supposedly holy

instruction manual) "praying" is one very specific brand of piety.

[Rebl2]

31. That's the

problem. Students felt coerced.

[Buckeyeblue]

9. Alito justified the prayer by saying since the game was over the coach was no longer working

Obviously, Alito did not play sports. The coach continues to be the coach until the season is over.

And you can't tell me their was unspoken pressure on the student athletes to participate. We all know how that works.

My cross country coach essentially made us pray before every meet. I never prayed but I felt I didn't have much choice but to stay in the group huddle while he prayed. Life is ironic though--he ended up in prison to inappropriate behavior with a middle school student.

But the SC will go all in on prayer, I'm sure. Next year the schools will be broadcasting prayer on the intercom.

[multigraincracker]

12. What would the court say if a coach had them chant...

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

[wnylib]

21. Or recite a prayer from the Koran?

Or give praise to Mother Earth?

[Rebl2]

32. Exactly

It should be put to the test.

[sanatanadharma]

38. Of the courts I am sceptical

Of the courts I am skeptical.
However, were the team to actually chant, they'd be happy even in loss.

Need drums though.

[czarjak]

15. Dabo Sweeney proclaiming "God is good", because he won a football game?

[RainCaster]

19. They would all be upset if he brought out a prayer rug

and faced Meccah to pray.

[DinahMoeHum]

20. . . .or burned some sage. . .

. . .for a Native American or Wiccan ritual.

[niyad]

23. Exactly.

[onethatcares]

30. 5 times a day

and woe to you if you don't join in.

The temerity of thinking that a god cares about the outcome of a sporting event while not giving a damn about his children starving and making war on each other flabbergasts me.

[calimary]

24. Dayum ... "political lampreys" ... I swear, Atticus ...

You leave me weak in the knees!

That description is - uh - what’s higher than world class? Galaxy class, maybe?

Absolutely staggering perfection! Makes it immaculately clear EXACTLY what they are.

[multigraincracker]

27. If you really want win the game...

Sacrificing Goats

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Sacrificing-Goats


That ought to work.

[Escurumbele]

29. Excellent! Thank you

[Turbineguy]

34. indeed

The Bible is loaded with good advice.

[bluestarone]

36. 100% agree

Right on the money here!!

[jaxexpat]

41. The whole religio-patriotic exercise at sports events.....

all pretty much exists as a hangover from our own experiments with propaganda during WWII. You get what you swallow.