The ‘Right’ Role of Religion Controversy Continues

And the debate over religion at a sports game rages on. Last week, we discussed the controversy of religion and prayer at school sports games and looked at several recent cases where school cheerleaders have held signs with religious passages or conducted prayer circles at a school sports game. A few days ago the controversy reignited, this time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At a basketball playoff game between rival schools Parkview Baptist School and Patterson High School, two female students from Patterson held a sign with the tagline, “Jesus loves you…unless you attend Parkview Baptist.” While many of the basketball players didn’t even notice the sign, the students were suspended, a punishment many believed to be extreme considering they didn’t act aggressively, use foul language, or dress inappropriately. While one wore an “I hate Parkview” shirt, the other was in a Patterson High School shirt. Since the media caught wind of the story, the talk of the game has been less about Parkview’s victory over Patterson and more about the controversial sign. According to sources, the tagline “Jesus loves you…unless you attend Parkview Baptist” was a twist on one of the lyrics from the satirical country western group, Austin Lounge Lizards. While the sign was a play on band lyrics, many believe the tagline took it too far. There’s a difference between being school spirited and just being mean. There’s also a big difference between supporting your team and bullying a rival team. Were these students punished too harshly or did they deserve suspension? Perhaps the punishment was so severe because one girl wore a school shirt, which positions her as a representative of the school, rather than a random bystander. If high school cheerleaders can hold religious signs and lead a prayer on the sidelines, shouldn’t students be able to do so in the bleachers? What do you think of the students’ punishment? Did they deserve suspension? Should signs with religious innuendo be allowed at all at school events or should freedom of speech grant them the ability to say what they want? Share your thoughts below!