A religious freedom group continues to target Ridgeland High School football coach Mark Mariakis.In a third complaint letter sent today, the Freedom from Religion foundation commended Walker Schools on eliminating the use of the Bible to motivate in any public school setting, but again questioned the constitutionality of taking public school students on an outing to area churches.The Ridgeland football team has had pre-game meals at area churches.Also in the letter, the FFRF asked Walker County Superintendent Damon Raines if he, “would be comfortable with your child attending a school district that bused its children to a different mosque each week?”The FFRF also pointed to Mariakis’ appearance at community-planned prayer rally.The letter concludes by calling for an investigation into the rally and that the school ceases busing students to houses of worship.The FFRF filed its original complaint against Mariakis on Aug. 21. Walker Count Schools responded shortly after, but evidently did not satisfy the FFRF’s requests. The two sides have been corresponding back and forth for close to a month.
By David Purdum / For the AJC
A religious freedom group continues to target Ridgeland High School football coach Mark Mariakis.
In a third complaint letter sent today, the Freedom from Religion foundation commended Walker Schools on eliminating the use of the Bible to motivate in any public school setting, but again questioned the constitutionality of taking public school students on outings to area churches.
The Ridgeland football team has had pre-game meals at area churches.
Also in the letter, the FFRF asked Walker County Superintendent Damon Raines if he, “would be comfortable with your child attending a school district that bused its children to a different mosque each week?”
The FFRF also pointed to Mariakis’ recent appearance at community-planned prayer rally.
The letter concludes by calling for an investigation into the rally and that the school ceases busing students to houses of worship.
The FFRF filed its original complaint against Mariakis on Aug. 21. Walker County Schools responded shortly after, but did not satisfy the FFRF’s requests. The two sides have been corresponding back and forth for close to a month.
By David Purdum / For the AJC
A religious freedom group continues to target Ridgeland High School football coach Mark Mariakis.
In a third complaint letter sent today, the Freedom from Religion foundation commended Walker Schools on eliminating the use of the Bible to motivate in any public school setting, but again questioned the constitutionality of taking public school students on outings to area churches.
The Ridgeland football team has had pre-game meals at area churches.
Also in the letter, the FFRF asked Walker County Superintendent Damon Raines if he, “would be comfortable with your child attending a school district that bused its children to a different mosque each week?”
The FFRF also pointed to Mariakis’ recent appearance at community-planned prayer rally.
The letter concludes by calling for an investigation into the rally and that the school ceases busing students to houses of worship.
The FFRF filed its original complaint against Mariakis on Aug. 21. Walker County Schools responded shortly after, but did not satisfy the FFRF’s requests. The two sides have been corresponding back and forth for close to a month.
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37 comments Add your comment
sportsnut
September 18th, 2012
3:24 pm
The responsible parties should ignore this group and tell them to mind their own business. As long as there are no complaints from the parents of these young men, there should be no complaints from outside influences. I wonder just who are these people and who do they think they are. If I were a GHSA member, I would give these people an ultimatum, cease and desist or face legal action.
Art Vandelay
September 18th, 2012
3:37 pm
Actually, sportsnut, this group is minding their business, which is the extremely important business of keeping our public schools separate from our religious institutions. I’ll ask you the same question that the FFRF asked Superintendent Raines: Would you be protesting their involvement if the school-sanctioned outings were to mosques instead of churches? I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. As for your tough talk about cease-and-desist letters and ultimatums, those would be completely ineffective because the school is on the wrong side of the law on this issue.
Roaddawg80
September 18th, 2012
3:50 pm
Actually, Art, the FFRF is on the wrong side. If you don’t know what all is going on then you probably shouldn’t respond. There is much more to the story other than some little article the AJC wrote. None of these kids were forced to go. None of them were forced to pray and none of them were forced religion on. The only reason they were at the church was for a meal that was being provided for them. None of the student athletes complained and nobody was forced to go. It was all volunteer. The FFRF has no jurisdiction here and it shows because there was nothing done about this situation other than not going to that facility for free meals. In which, all the FFRF did, was take a free meal out of the hands of some kids that really need it. Especially in that community. Way to go!
Maybe they should....
September 18th, 2012
3:56 pm
ask the players, in private without being identified to other players or coaches, if they have a problem with being taken to a church regardless of why they are there. Maybe some of the players don’t like it but feel intimidated and don’t speak up. Not saying that’s the case but you won’t know until you ask.
Mike
September 18th, 2012
4:01 pm
I know coach Mariakis very well.He is a great man to be a leader of young men.He is a good christian man, but never pushes his religion on anyone.But if you ask him about it ,have a seat because it will be a while..He overcame the removable of a serious brain tumor 2 years ago and was back to coaching in about 6 months.I wish the AJC would do a story on this mans journey. Also won 4 straight 7AAAA region championships over teams like Dalton and Allatoona and carrolton
Art Vandelay
September 18th, 2012
4:16 pm
Roaddawg, I only know what this article has reported. That said, it doesn’t really matter whether anyone was “forced” to go or not; if the school is organizing events in conjunction with a religious institution (ANY religious institution), it needs to stop. Think about it from the perspective of a player on the football team who happens to be Jewish, or Muslim, or Hindu, or atheist. Sure, he may attend the event because the rest of his teammates are going, but do you think he’s comfortable with it? Obviously, the vast majority of students in this country are Christian, but that doesn’t mean that the non-Christians should be put into situations in which their only options are to either go along to get along (e.g. “keep your mouth shut and follow the group”) or speak up and risk being ostracized and ridiculed. The simple solution is to keep religion and public education as far apart from each other as possible; there are plenty of very good religious schools in the state, and there’s no need to try to incorporate any element of any religion into taxpayer-funded public institutions.
JOE
September 18th, 2012
4:56 pm
I think the only problem here is the adults. All the kids want to do is play football and have a satisfying time doing it. As is the case with so many other adolescent activities, the adults want to impose their will and get their way. Leave the kids out of it.
bucket
September 18th, 2012
5:09 pm
Since the FFRF is so worried about the welfare of these children I am sure that they will begin volunteering their time and money to cook meals before games and wash the players uniforms after the games.
Art Vandelay
September 18th, 2012
6:21 pm
Way to keep the conversation on topic, bucket.
Father of Five
September 18th, 2012
6:48 pm
The team violated no law whatsoever. No reason to cave in to FFRF. The Constitution does not require freedom FROM religion — it expressly protects “freedom OF religion.” Not a word about separation of church and state. In fact, if this representative republic has any chance, the state needs to start protecting the church — from groups like FFRF. Every stat proves how dramatically the government schools have gone downhill since the Bible was removed. Expectations used to be high. Now you need to pay private schools to challenge young minds with the Truth (instead of cowering to political correctness). One day, history will look back on groups like the FFRF and be amazed that “enlightened” people ever thought that way.
FridayNightLightsFan
September 18th, 2012
7:04 pm
@Father of Five – 1000% Agree
“freedom OF religion”
Tom
September 18th, 2012
7:33 pm
Could do the same thing at nearly every school across Georgia
Joyce Smith
September 18th, 2012
7:39 pm
This group needs to mind their own business. We as Christians have the Freedom to Religion. If you do not know my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I would like to introduce him to you. We can pray no matter what anyone says, but we can pray out loud :::our first admendment.
fan
September 18th, 2012
7:52 pm
Wow Hope they dont come to south ga. This happens at every school down here. Free food and volunteering….. must be some real bad people.
Art Vandelay
September 18th, 2012
8:03 pm
Joyce, I think you should feel free to pray wherever, whenever you want, and as loudly as you want. But I also think that our schools should be teaching math, science, English, etc., and not bible studies. As much as you’re convinced that your Lord and Savior is the answer, I’m just as convinced that he’s not. Public schools are not churches, nor should they be.
Concerned
September 18th, 2012
8:23 pm
FFRF questioned his attendance to a community planned prayer rally? Wow, so now he cannot publicly display he is a Christian even on his own time? What’s next, secretly attending religious services?
waynester
September 18th, 2012
8:29 pm
AV
you ragged on a previous poster for going off subject–what about you dragging this red herring about school ‘Bible study” through the blog? That’s a far cry from providing a team meal…and as long as kids are free to opt out, where’s the beef?
battleaxekid
September 18th, 2012
8:33 pm
Once again it is the minority trying to do their best to leave God out. And it will continue to be so. As our Bible tells us. It should not shock anyone who believes the Bible and what it stands for..
We live in the greatest country in the world, and our Constitution is written as follows, “Freedom of religious liberty, and of speech. I am a Christian, and when the Law of the land (America)… lets us as believers meet to pray, all others who may not believe like us should be able to do so. Neither, one belief or the other should not be silenced from having “”"freedom of religion and freedom of speech,::: no matter if we agree with what the others belief is…
The key is in the Constitution… We have the right to “”" Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”"”". One has just as much right as the next,,,, just as long as we do no interfere with the above… “”"LIFE, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of Happiness”"”"”. We as Christians should never try to impose our belief on others, never try to take happiness away, and the same goes for those who we disagree with… That is key, So the answer is if one does not hamper ”’the pursuit of others happiness?? then groups are free to do and think whatever… keeping in mind that all are given freewill to worship, believe and free to say whatever they are led to say, and again as long as it does not interfere, with others happiness…
Our Constitution is very clear…. We have to trust that God will be the ultimate Judge, so we are hot anyone’s judge… Now lets talk football….
mgdawg
September 18th, 2012
8:41 pm
Isn’t there something better that the people in this group can be spending their time and money on? Everyone knows that schools are struggling for money, if a church wants to buy, prepare, and serve a football team a pregame meal for free, who are we to tell them to turn that away? I’m sure if this group wants to do the same, that the coach will allow them to feed the kids
FridayNightLightsFan
September 18th, 2012
9:05 pm
@battleaxekid – Well said.
.Maybe they should...
September 18th, 2012
10:32 pm
@Joe I think you contradict your own stance on this. First you say “the kids just want to play football” but then you finish with “leave the kids out of it”. So which is it? Give the kids a choice or make it for them? I still stand by my earlier post on this subject but it doesn’t seem that anyone else here cares what the kids want. This thread has become a battle of religion vs. non-religion and noone is going to change anyone elses mind on the subject. Let the kids choose what THEY want not what YOU want.
ST PIUS fan
September 19th, 2012
12:05 am
This is another group looking for publicity. It is so sad that people get attacked for trying to help our youth. I bet they don’t want In God We Trust on our money or God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Aren’t there more important things to worry about???? Just look at Gas prices. Get real , Get A life and get out of everybody’s business….
ST PIUS fan
September 19th, 2012
12:09 am
This is the reason we are crumbling as a society and why I went to and still support St Pius.
Bulldawg
September 19th, 2012
9:52 am
.Maybe they should,
I think our society can clearly see what happens when kids are allowed to make their own choices without any guidance. If a kid even has a father in the home these days, few of those fathers are actually engaged in their kids’ lives. I saw this firsthand, because I was also a high school coach and watched as nearly half our team went home to a fatherless house each night.
Coach Mariakis is trying to do one thing: He’s trying to be a role model for kids that simply don’t have a role model in their lives. Taking them to a church for a pregame meal is about as damaging to those players as handing them a $100 bill.
I grew up in a broken home. Both of my high school coaches were Christian men who challenged me to live a productive and moral life. My life was changed because of their stand for Christianity and its principles. We need more men like Coach Mariakis to stand up and show young men how to live a life that makes them better men, husbands, and positive members of society. Most kids are not getting that anywhere else and they will never get it if groups like the FFRF are successful at stopping any and all recognition of God in our schools.
A Mom
September 19th, 2012
11:18 am
You know, I’m real tired of the PC. If a Jewish or Muslim want to step up and complain, then let them come to the coach and be heard. So far, all it seems to be are atheists from another state, who know nothing about the community. Someone complained to them they say, rather than talking to the coach. That is the epitomy of childishness.
The constitution does NOT say that God cannot be mentioned or present in public functions, and we in fact have a plethera of evidence to the contrary, even as far as Congress sanctioning a religious holiday as federal (Christmas). What congress cannot do is establish a national religion.
Most religions teach very valuable philosiphies on how to conduct oneself in life. Respect others, do not lie, do not cheat, show kindness, help your fellow man. What sense does it make to ban this from our schools? Instead, we have the godless coming in and indoctrinating however they please, because it’s not “religious.” Do what makes you feel better, complain if you don’t like it, take from your country, get what you can get away with.
If a majority of a community want to lead the start of their games with a prayer for the safety of their players, then they have the right to do so. The descenting can plug their ears, or leave. Better yet, hopefully most will learn to respect other people.
Maybe they should....
September 19th, 2012
3:42 pm
@Bulldawg I don’t see what a “fatherless household” has to do with letting a kid make his or her own choices. They will make choices, good or bad, regardless of any outside guidance. I grew up without a father and without religion and I can say that my life has turned out pretty well. I made good choices and bad ones in my life without input from anyone else so I say let the kids choose if they want to attend these gatherings. They have to start making there own decisions in life sometime or do you think someone needs to do that for them the rest of their lives. If they don’t want to attend they should not be looked down upon by anyone. So once again, ask the kids what they want.
J. Sims
September 19th, 2012
6:10 pm
@Tom “Could do the same thing at nearly every school across Georgia” What a great idea, Tom. I think FFRF should keep trying to separate church from public schools across Georgia. Why? Prayer at public school sanctioned games is illegal. It’s also annoying. I live in Georgia, and I am tired of Christian groups trying to convert everyone they come in contact with. Just stop it. We don’t want to be a part of your religion.
dilberth
September 19th, 2012
7:56 pm
Anyone should be able to pray any time they want. I would like to see prayers from other faiths being said in locker rooms, at the meals, and on the field. I take this time to say a prayer. In the sweet name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful, let us pray. All Praise and all Glory to Allah, Lord of the Universe. Peace and prayers to our prophet, Muhammad, and to his loving family. Allah is Great!
Rush
September 19th, 2012
8:19 pm
If the church wants to provide pre-game meals, deliver them to the school cafeteria. If the coach wants to preach to his team, he can go coach at a private school.
Firstdowncreek!!!!
September 19th, 2012
9:27 pm
The next complaint will be that the coach takes the kids to Pizza Hut for pregame meals. They aren’t going to church to hear about The Lord God!!! They are going there to eat. That stated, have the parents sign a release form allowing their children to eat at the church. I recently had a discussion with several people about getting our community involved with supporting Sandy Creek sports. What’s the quickest way to fill up the stadium??? Go by the local churches and ask the members to come out on Friday nights!!! The moral decay of our society has come about because of little groups such as this FFRF. Kids don’t fear God any more because they don’t know Him. Check out how many teens in Ga. under 16 get pregnant each year and how many kids are HIV positive. Its time to rid ourselves of these ignorant groups. It’s getting late in the evening and the sun is going down. As for me and my house, we will serve The Lord!!!
skeptic4321
September 19th, 2012
11:11 pm
Ok, let’s break down Christianity into its apparent fundamental elements – virgin birth, resurrections, vicarious redemption via human sacrifice (predicated on animal sacrifice), heaven/hell, imaginary friends/enemies, magical thinking, superstition, judgment, scientific illiteracy, etc.
Now, if a player chooses not to believe what, imo, is really a bunch of nonsense, why should they be coerced into participating in such nonsense?
skeptic4321
September 19th, 2012
11:14 pm
@ J Sims
I agree – yet the Christians can’t even see they are the ones ALWAYS instigating these things by trying to impose their superstitious beliefs and nonsense on those of us who are not Christians.
dilberth
September 19th, 2012
11:46 pm
Jesus is Lard!
skeptic4321
September 19th, 2012
11:51 pm
“I bet they don’t want In God We Trust on our money or God in the Pledge of Allegiance”
You’re correct. Our country motto was E Pluribus Unum and there was no “god” in the Pledge until the 1950’s when Christian theocrats violated the First Amendment and made laws favoring monotheism over polytheism and non-theism.
Personally, I think Christianity is nonsense – utter nonsense. Christians can believe their nonsense and have their imaginary sky daddies all they want in their homes, churches, etc. But our government should not be in the business of favoring one religion over another or religion over non-religion. Our founders absolutely knew this and this is precisely why the only mention of religion in our Constitution is exclusionary. But I guess as long as Christianity is promoted, it’s ok with all the Christians who would just love to make Christianity the official religion of the US.
If you want a theocracy, move to the Middle East. The reality is our Constitution establishes a secular government – get over it.
skeptic4321
September 19th, 2012
11:53 pm
@dilberth
And let’s not forget prayers to the flying spaghetti monster.
dilberth
September 20th, 2012
12:39 am
skeptic: Hmm! My money does not have “In Glob We Trust”. Mainly, that’s because for the last 10 years, I’ve either crossed that out or stamped “Atheist Money” on all my paper currency. On quarters, I have a small Dremel tool that I use to grind it off. Yea, isn’t religion a fool-maker?
Firstdowncreek!!!!
September 20th, 2012
12:39 am
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53
Take the time to learn and interpret the scriptures and you will have a better understanding as to why 80% of your fellow Americans are Christians and 5% are atheist.
May God Bless you and keep you.