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November 15, 2011

(A similar letter was sent to University of Nebraska- Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Pearlman.)

Dr. Rodney Erickson
Interim President
Penn State University
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

Re: Unlawful University Sponsorship of Christian Prayer

Dear Dr. Erickson:

On behalf of the members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, complainants at State College and around the nation, I am writing to convey their and our objections to Penn State’s involvement in sponsoring an ostentatious pre-game Christian prayer at Saturday’s game. FFRF works to sa***uard the constitutional principle of the separation between state and church, and to educate about nontheism. Our national organization, with more than 17,000 members across the country, includes nearly 600 Pennsylvania members and an active chapter, Nittany Freethought, in central Pennsylvania.

The inappropriate prayer spectacle on Saturday involved all coaches and their entire public university teams participating in Christian prayer in the middle of the football field with 100,000 stadium spectators and millions of television viewers. This prayer service at a public university was deeply offensive to many university students, parents, faculty, boosters and spectators.

Our membership is distressed to see a public university in the midst of a national scandal wrap itself in piety. Clearly, we need eyes wide open, not further demonstrations of blind faith and heads bowed in submission to misused authority.

Sectarian prayer endorses Christianity, excludes non-Christians and nontheists

National media reported extensively about the pre-game prayer delivered by Nebraska assistant coach Ron Brown. The coaching staffs of both teams instituted the prayer. Nebraska’s Ron Brown said in his post-game press conference that the prayers were scheduled by both schools’ Directors of Football Operations and that Penn State coach Tom Bradley “thought it would be a great idea.” The Daily Collegian also reported that Penn State assistant coach Larry Johnson informed the team they would be joining Nebraska in prayer. Coach Bradley was quoted as saying that he sought out Coach Pelini to kneel next to during the prayer. The article in the student newspaper said, “Pelini said having Brown lead the prayer was an obvious choice and that for him, signing off on it was a ‘no-brainer.’ ”

We couldn’t agree more that public university coaches arranging team prayers is a “no-brainer.” That is, the coaches failed to use theirs. Public officials and authority figures such as coaches may not use their position to impose prayer on students, team members, and sporting event audiences.

Penn State is a public research university — a land-grant university whose stated purpose is to “generate, disseminate, integrate, and apply knowledge that is valuable to society.” According to your website, it was from the outset considered an “instrumentality of the state,” that is, it carries out many of the functions of a public institution and promotes “the general welfare of the citizenry.” Penn State has no legitimate evangelical mission.

Inappropriate evangelizing on the football field

Knowing the nation’s eyes were on the game, Coach Brown, in collusion with Coach Bradley, unethically used the opportunity to promote his personal evangelical viewpoint. Brown said in his post-game press conference, “We felt like it would be appropriate to let a stadium, a city, a university, and the whole nation understand . . . the reality of the situation and that Jesus Christ was alive and wanted to heal.” From what could be heard of the pre-game prayer, Brown ended it by saying,

And may we be reminded, Lord, as it says in your word in John 1:14 that Jesus is full of grace, and truth. May the truth be known. May justice be known. Would you protect the victims that…were persecuted, Lord [inaudible]. And that Father, you would say grace and forgiveness in the lives of all of those involved. [inaudible] Thank you for the [inaudible] of Jesus Christ. Now give us a great game, a game that honors You. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Brown explained the meaning in his press conference:

I prayed to God, God, that we demonstrate manhood in this stadium by the way we played football, by our competition, by our spirit, by honoring You with the gifts of talents that you’ve given us. And may we learn what truth, the truth in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is. In John 1:14 it says Jesus is full of both, grace and truth. In other words, yes, the truth is eventually going to be revealed and hopefully justice is done, but also, all of us, the Bible says to all of us of sin and falsehood of His glory, not one of us could stand before God. He forgives us. He restores us. This community, this university, and every one of us needs restoration.

It should not be necessary to spell out why it is impermissible — and a demonstration of bad manners — for a public university serving Christians, non-Christians and nonbelievers alike to characterize a school football game as being played to honor Jesus. Given the timing and context of the game, the long-winded sermon by Brown that his god “forgives us,” no matter the “sin,” is deeply disrespectful to the victims in this far-reaching scandal. Brown downplayed the egregious nature of the allegations and cover-up by saying “every one of us needs restoration.” Far from being appropriate or “unifying,” his message of salvation through Jesus was divisive and insulting. Brown’s evangelical message is one which many players, students, faculty, parents and boosters do not subscribe to, nor should they be expected to show obeisance to his or Bradley’s personal religious views in order to take part in, attend or watch a public school sporting event.

Your statement released this weekend is troubling. You said:

On the field, the football players demonstrated a level of maturity and determination that was an inspiration. The athletes from both teams came together at midfield in unity, respect and prayer for the victims. Then they played their hearts out. It was remarkable in so many ways.

The university’s resounding support for the prayer compounds the violation. Student athletes may choose to gather privately in prayer, but a public university should not encourage or endorse religious ritual, much less inaugurate it. Whether to pray or not, whether to believe in a deity who answers prayer, is an intensely personal decision protected under our First Amendment as a paramount matter of conscience. A state school and its representatives in their official capacity may not violate the duty to remain neutral on religious matters. Penn State may not lend its power and prestige to religion, amounting to a governmental endorsement of religion that excludes the 15% of the U.S and Pennsylvania adult population that is nonreligious (American Religious Identification Survey 2008).

Prayer as part of university football games is particularly problematic when the prayers include sectarian or proselytizing devotions. It is a fundamental constitutional principle that publicly funded institutions cannot support, promote or otherwise endorse religion or engage in religious exercises. See generally Santa Fe Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Doe, 530 U.S. 290 (2000) (Struck down a school policy that authorized students to vote on whether to hold a prayer at high school football games); Mellen v. Bunting, 327 F.3d 355 (4th Cir. 2003)(Finding mealtime prayers at state military college to violate the Establishment Clause). Sectarian practices demonstrate the university’s apparent endorsement not only of religion over nonreligion but also of Christianity and its evangelical forms over other faiths. Penn State’s prayer sends an impermissible message to “nonadherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.” Justice O’Connor, Allegheny v. ACLU, 492 U.S. 573, 627 (1989).

Also violated is the Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights, which guarantees that no citizen may

“be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent; no human authority can, in any case, whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious establishment or modes of worship.” (Religious Freedom, Art. I, Section 3)

It is no defense to call such prayers “voluntary.” Players on both teams who are nonreligious or non-Christian of course wouldn’t dare opt-out of prayers instituted by their coaches in front of millions of onlookers. Nor were they given that opportunity. Coaches exert great influence and power over student athletes and those athletes will follow the lead of their coach, should their coaches direct locker-room, pre- or post-game prayers. Courts have summarily rejected arguments that voluntariness excuses a constitutional violation. See, generally, Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. at 596 (“It is a tenet of the First Amendment that the State cannot require one of its citizens to forfeit his or her rights and benefits as the price of resisting conformance to state-sponsored religious practice.” ); Abington Sch. Dist. v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203, 288 (1963)(Brennan, J., concurring)(“Thus, the short, and to me sufficient, answer is that the availability of excusal or exemption simply has no relevance to the establishment question…” ); Mellen v. Bunting, 327 F.3d 355, 372 (4th Cir. 2003)(“…VMI cannot avoid Establishment Clause problems by simply asserting that a cadet’s attendance at supper or his or her participation in the supper prayer are ‘voluntary.’ ” ).

Those who are not impressed by constitutional dictates should perhaps open their bibles and peruse the Sermon on the Mount, which attributes to Jesus these words condemning public spectacles of prayer as rank hypocrisy (Matthew 6:5-6):

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Penn State must take immediate action to stop any further involvement, endorsement, encouragement or scheduling of prayers at university functions and sporting events. Coaches are representatives of the school and may not organize, lead, or direct their student athletes to pray. We request that you take immediate steps to ensure no replay of Saturday’s university-fostered sermonizing. May we hear from you about this matter at your earliest convenience?

Very truly,

Annie Laurie Gaylor, for
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

http://ffrf.org/news/releases/...s-penn-state-prayer/

---

It's impossible to speak with force in a muffled voice from the closet

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

 
 
Originally Posted by A. Robustus:

November 15, 2011

May we hear from you about this matter at your earliest convenience?

Very truly,

Annie Laurie Gaylor, for
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

http://ffrf.org/news/releases/...s-penn-state-prayer/

 

 

 

 

 

November 16, 2011

Certainly. As soon as we hear from you about THIS matter.

http://www.theblaze.com/storie...c-religious-holiday/


Very truly,

 

Dr. Rodney Erickson
Interim President
Penn State University
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

 

 

Originally Posted by Roland Pfalz:
 
 
Originally Posted by A. Robustus:

November 15, 2011

May we hear from you about this matter at your earliest convenience?

Very truly,

Annie Laurie Gaylor, for
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

http://ffrf.org/news/releases/...s-penn-state-prayer/

 

 

 

 

 

November 16, 2011

Certainly. As soon as we hear from you about THIS matter.

http://www.theblaze.com/storie...c-religious-holiday/


Very truly,

 

Dr. Rodney Erickson
Interim President
Penn State University
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

 

 

_______________________________

As I, and a few others told you when you posted this in another thread, this is what you get when you insist on religion in schools. Don't like it? Me either. How bout we get rid of ALL religion in schools. As it should be. That would solve this issue once and for all.

Originally Posted by DarkAngel:
Originally Posted by Roland Pfalz:
 
 
Originally Posted by A. Robustus:

November 15, 2011

May we hear from you about this matter at your earliest convenience?

Very truly,

Annie Laurie Gaylor, for
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

http://ffrf.org/news/releases/...s-penn-state-prayer/

 

 

 

 

 

November 16, 2011

Certainly. As soon as we hear from you about THIS matter.

http://www.theblaze.com/storie...c-religious-holiday/


Very truly,

 

Dr. Rodney Erickson
Interim President
Penn State University
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

 

 

_______________________________

As I, and a few others told you when you posted this in another thread, this is what you get when you insist on religion in schools. Don't like it? Me either. How bout we get rid of ALL religion in schools. As it should be. That would solve this issue once and for all.

 

 

Exactly. This is why I asked WHERE is the FFRF on this issue?  Are they all in or not? This looks like picking and choosing.

Originally Posted by Roland Pfalz:
Originally Posted by DarkAngel:
Originally Posted by Roland Pfalz:
 
 
Originally Posted by A. Robustus:

November 15, 2011

May we hear from you about this matter at your earliest convenience?

Very truly,

Annie Laurie Gaylor, for
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION FOUNDATION

http://ffrf.org/news/releases/...s-penn-state-prayer/

 

 

 

 

 

November 16, 2011

Certainly. As soon as we hear from you about THIS matter.

http://www.theblaze.com/storie...c-religious-holiday/


Very truly,

 

Dr. Rodney Erickson
Interim President
Penn State University
201 Old Main
University Park, PA 16802

 

 

_______________________________

As I, and a few others told you when you posted this in another thread, this is what you get when you insist on religion in schools. Don't like it? Me either. How bout we get rid of ALL religion in schools. As it should be. That would solve this issue once and for all.

 

 

Exactly. This is why I asked WHERE is the FFRF on this issue?  Are they all in or not? This looks like picking and choosing.

_________________________________

 

My understanding of how and when the FFRF get involved in these issues is when someone in the community contacts them and ask for their help. I am sure there are exceptions to this, if say it were a national issue. So what it will take is someone from that Cambridge school district to complain about ALL religious holidays being honored by the local public school board. Maybe someone will contact them and ask for help in fighting this. Of course they can't just insist the Muslim holiday be removed. It will have to be Christian holidays as well.

 

I think that children should be given an excused absence for religious days. If it is their religion to celebrate a certain day with their family then they should be free to exercise that right without it being held against them. I don't agree with shutting the whole school system down for all regardless of the religion.

 

so........DA you are against education???. ........ummmmi wonder if that is agenda driven??????

 

do you think Princeton will dsisolve the department of religion based on your e jack u lation of pure nonsense??? the danger here is that you dudes , deer-in-the-headlights, feed on these silly notions and propogate amongst yourselves as some euphoric rhelm in a parallel society away from the real world. it ain't gonna happen pray without cessation of the privilege DA. Thought is a system.

Originally Posted by lexum:

so........DA you are against education???. ........ummmmi wonder if that is agenda driven??????

 

do you think Princeton will dsisolve the department of religion based on your e jack u lation of pure nonsense??? the danger here is that you dudes , deer-in-the-headlights, feed on these silly notions and propogate amongst yourselves as some euphoric rhelm in a parallel society away from the real world. it ain't gonna happen pray without cessation of the privilege DA. Thought is a system.

 

 

What REALLY gets my dander up is when OUR GOVERMENT gives the CLEAR IMPRESSON that it CODDLES to groups like the FFR bunch OVER pro-Christian groups. If you 'say NO' to one group, DO NOT 'get caught holding hands' with the opposition, which is EXACTLY what our government is doing. In its attempts to selectively enforce the 1st Ammendment, our government has 'crawled into bed' with snakes.

"Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then."

 

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

Originally Posted by Gnu:

"Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then."

 

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

Great advice from someone who’s claim to fame is jumping headlong into a river full-0-crocks.

Originally Posted by CrustyMac:

This is one of those cases where I might let them pray - the administration at Penn State needs some Godly retribution rained upon them, starting with jail time.  ©


Amen. Prithee why is "f*e*g" censored. Do they feel we're too dumb to know the difference between a cigarette and a homosexual, plus too dumb to spell the word?

Originally Posted by Gnu:

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

______________________________

I remember having prayer & giving allegiance to the flag each morning in school. My Mom didn't smoke or drink while she was pregnant or any other time & my Dad didn't beat her or anyone else silly.

What does segregation have to do with what Dog said? The world wasn't perfect then & it isn't now. Do you ever reminisce about the past, good or bad?

Originally Posted by Gnu:

"Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then."

 

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

 

Gnu, husbands beating wives may be nothing new, but it has never been normal behavior. In the past, many women confabulated some poppycock to tell their naive neighbors and were believed. We are more trained to see this behavior in 2011. You owe every husband over 70 an apology.

Originally Posted by FirenzeVeritas:

Gnu, husbands beating wives may be nothing new, but it has never been normal behavior. In the past, many women confabulated some poppycock to tell their naive neighbors and were believed. We are more trained to see this behavior in 2011. You owe every husband over 70 an apology.

__________________________________

If Gnu grew up in a home where his Dad beat his Mom, to him that might be normal behavior because it's all he knew. If that's the case, it's very sad.

 

You say we are more trained to see that kind of behavior now but it all depends on how well a woman can hide it.

I just recently saw a show on TV about women that kill their husbands due to abuse. This reporter interviewed family & close friends of one woman that killed her husband earlier this year. None of them knew about the abuse that had gone on for years.

She did everything in her power to hide it & did it very well. Even her children said they were trained from an early age to never tell. She had taken it for so long that she just snapped one day, picked up his gun & killed him.

It was always strange to me when visiting a public school to hear a prayer in the classroom.

I wondered why we didn’t do it at the Christian school I attended.

          We never had prayer or pledged allegiance.

Mid morning chapel service was different. There was prayer in the religious sense there.

No prayer in class and I don’t recall hearing one in the Bible classes.

      It seemed there was some separation on the part of my Christian school as to the appropriate time for prayer as not to diminish it’s importance.

   That being said if the public schools want to pray; no one should prevent it.

The FFRF is correct about this matter.  It is a macrocosm, at University and community level, of the recent situation at Brooks High School.  The assistant coach very obviously led a sectarian prayer.  He is an agent of the government.  Numerous controlling Supreme Court decisions clearly define this as unconstitutional.  No matter how emotionally charged the matter might be, no matter how many ignorant, emotionally-inflamed,  folks might support it, the prayer exercise on that field last Saturday was unconstitutional.  Emotion does not decide constitutional issues.

con10dah ++ 'er

you are advocating along with the Supreme Court the violation of Constitutional rights for the citizenry.

 

I've asserted this claim before. This anomily out of character being a COC, has caused you to give refuge to the enemies of God.

 

      i propose you should be dragged down the isle at the next religious assemblage, cast prostrate at the feet of praying elders of whom will plead on your behalf a penitent consorter with the devil himself.

Originally Posted by Gnu:

"Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then."

 

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

==========================

Well I know who drank the Drano. Your reminiscing is good, I hope

your Mother is OK.

Originally Posted by Gnu:

"Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then."

 

Schools were racially segregated then too. The good ol days right? When America was at the top of the world! If youre from that great era maybe your mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant and your dad beat her silly just because he could. All normal social behavior then too. that's when American families were at their best right? Gee lets reminisce some more

I beg to differ. In 1971, in Eufaula, AL, blacks AND whites attended the SAME schools.

Originally Posted by JimiHendrix:
Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then.

If you are a product of that school system, then it doesn't seem to have worked so well.

You know jimi....when God was passing out a s s h o les, you obviously stood in line more than once.....

 
Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then.

__________________________

Originally Posted by JimiHendrix:

If you are a product of that school system, then it doesn't seem to have worked so well.

_____________________

Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

You know jimi....when God was passing out a s s h o les, you obviously stood in line more than once.....

____________________________

I never have & never will respond to Jimi but Dog, I have to give you a thumbs up on that one.

Originally Posted by semiannualchick:
 
Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

Funny. I recall a time in school, where EACH DAY began with The Lord's Prayer. America's schools WORKED....then.

__________________________

Originally Posted by JimiHendrix:

If you are a product of that school system, then it doesn't seem to have worked so well.

_____________________

Originally Posted by dogsoldier0513:

You know jimi....when God was passing out a s s h o les, you obviously stood in line more than once.....

____________________________

I never have & never will respond to Jimi but Dog, I have to give you a thumbs up on that one.

====================================

Yeah, Jimma thought he said piehole, and wanted one with teeth.

 

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