Thursday - October 27, 2005

Apologizing For Christianity?

I am stunned! I am outraged! I am speechless! What happened to the America I grew up in? The land where people weren’t afraid to go to church or to admit it? The land where Judeo-Christian morals and beliefs were the bedrock of our legal system? The land where the Boy Scouts was considered a decent organization? The land where the military was respected and supported?

Have I been transported to another dimension where things are all haywire?

In this strange new dimension I find myself in, students in California schools are forced to take classes in the Islamic religion, the homosexual lifestyle is celebrated and encouraged and now finally, a professional football player goes to a school to help motivate students and give the students a presentation on morality and decency .... only to find out he has to apologize for having talked about his Christian faith and how it has helped him avoid drugs, rape and other seedy vices that so many professional athletes are into. Two things to take note of here: (1) this happened in New Jersey and (2) The ACLU is involved.

Apology Follows Christian-Themed Assembly
NEWARK (AP)

The principal of a public high school apologized to parents for allowing a Christian-themed assembly that featured two pro football players, saying he was misled about what the presentation would cover. Newark High School Principal Emmanuel Caulk wrote in a letter that he expected the talk by Philadelphia Eagles players Tra Thomas and Thomas Tapeh to focus on “values, choices and challenges that adolescents face in today’s society.”

He said promotional material used the name “Tra Thomas Promotional Tour,” and that he did not know Thomas was founder and spokesman for Athletes United for Christ. A projection of that organization’s logo was shown throughout Tuesday’s assembly, and the athletes urged students to attend an upcoming rally and concert at a Philadelphia-area Christian center. Some students and parents complained.

“As a parent of a child in a public school, I am uncomfortable with the fact that an evangelical organization can come into a public assembly that is a promotional event for an evangelical Christian concert,” Becky Ashley told The (Wilmington) News Journal. Thomas said he assumed everyone knew his promotional tour was connected to his organization but that he has heard similar complaints after speaking at other public schools.

“What we’re trying to do is to help the kids make better decisions in life. I guess I understand,” why some people objected, he said, “because you have other religions there. But we’re not preaching to the kids.” Promoter Angela Brown said she had made it clear what Thomas would be talking about and the organization with which he was affiliated. Caulk disputed that.

Drewry Fennell, executive director of the Delaware chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said such miscommunications reflects a nationwide trend. “Organizations like this one across the country are gaining access to schools through the famous people and entertainment value and then using those opportunities to proselytize,” she said. “These organizations sometimes take advantage of the schools’ desire to provide compelling experiences for their students.”

Thomas said he’s just trying to help. “I’m just trying to get them to identify with me, the person, rather than just Tra Thomas, the football player, so we can relate to each other better,” he said. “And my Christianity is a big part of what I am.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/27/2005 at 12:03 PM   
Filed Under: • Outrageous •  
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It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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