Public school football coach abuses his authority to win converts

If you have students in the local public school, do you want him or her taken to a local mosque to listen to the Quran by the government? I am guessing probably not. You would probably be mad if some coach, because of his/her Islmaic religious beliefs, thought it was O.K. to do that. Even so, if it was a Hindu coach. Or a Buddhist coach. But if it is a Christian coach, that is fine?

A football coach in Georgia, Mark Mariakis, thinks that is perfectly fine and unfortunately, many Americans agree with him. This coach has the players taken to local churches where they are sermonized by local pastors. Eating a meal doesn't take away from the fact that this government official (which he is along as he remains a public schools football coach) is using his position of authority as a government official to sermonize players to become even more religious in their beliefs.

This coach has even stated that this program is of "meeting the needs of the churches." Not the students per se, but the churches. How many government employees think they work for church outreach programs? This coach has also pressured players to attend religious football camps. Would we be fine with this if these were Muslim football camps?

This coach should either apply to a private religious school or respect the rights of his players not to have their coach abuse his position of authority in order to convert them to his beliefs. There simply is no right to be a government official in order to convert those you are in charge of, to your religion. No matter how politically powerful that religion might be.

Oh by the way, the University of Tennessee is refusing to budge from having organized prayers before football games, though it is a public university. If these prayers were Islamic in nature, then those giving the prayers would get death threats from the same folks who believe there is a right to use the government to convert others to Christianity.

Lastly, a local high school in Georgia has cheerleaders with biblical quotes on signs that football players run through to start a game. Again, if these quotes were Islamic, then the young cheerleaders would get death threats. After all, a 16 year old atheist in Rhode Island got death threats for objecting to a prayer banner in a local high school.