High school football team in Georgia now running through Bible verse-free banner

By Sun-Times Wire

Members of the USC Trojans and Penn State Nittany Lions pray after the 2009 Rose Bowl. (AP)

The Warriors of Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High (Ga.) ran through a banner completely devoid of Bible verses before their football game tonight.

But, not everyone is thrilled about the more secular entrance.

The school has kicked off each game by running through a banner that featured verses written by the team’s cheerleaders since shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The practice had become a tradition before Catoosa County schools Superintendent Denia Reese banned it following a parent’s complaint.

That’s not sitting too well in the town the AP describes as “deeply religious.”

Hundreds of people attended a rally this week supporting the signs, which included messages such as: Commit to the Lord, whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Many students attended class Friday wearing shirts with Bible verses and painted their cars with messages that read: Warriors for Christ. During the game, several other messages were visible in the packed stadium. Some people stood with signs that read You Can’t Silence Us and some young men had Bible verses painted on their chests.

The issue, of course, is the bold line between church and state. The school board’s attorney informed Reese that the biblical banner violated federal law because it was being displayed at a school-sponsored event.

Next Up In News

Netflix looks to curb password sharing, considers ads

Aiming to predict COVID, future pandemics better, CDC opens infectious diseases forecasting center

Joliet farmers wrangle cows thrown from semitrailer after crash on Interstate 80

1 killed, 3 wounded in shootings Tuesday in Chicago

Obama relatives sue Milwaukee school alleging racial bias

Unmasked transit: Pritzker ends mask mandates in public transportation, airports