Isn't the prayer before the game part of the experience?  I mean if you don't want to pray before a football game, sit your ass down, and let anyone who feels they have a right to freedom from persecution say a blessing.  I don't know, what do you guys think?
210395
Absolutely! Prayer brings unity and good sportsmanship.
187140
My friend, I agree with you, yet I also see a more pressing matter at hand. What about those persecutors and all the non-believers? If they die, they will not rejoice with all of us in heaven with the Lord God. I will pray for both the believers and the non-believers. There isn't much I can do from my present state but pray and preach the Word, since i'm not in a position to do anything but that. Email me if you have questions or are a fellow believer in Christ at questinchrist@yahoo.com. God bless
164745
My friend,First, please take no offense at this statement that first hit my mind as I read your question:::It sounds like your practicing some new upscale Voo-Doo ritual practiced by the Papa Doc of the 21st century! all kidding aside, The need for prayer is the way we commune to whatever Higher Power influences our Spiritual existence.In a bathroom, on a subway,standing in a line at McDonalds...it does'nt matter! First of all, its what YOU feel, NOT what is socially acceptable...you as a Human Being has the right to make that decision.If you are influenced by the status quo vote as to how 'you' should act because of some Harris Poll, than you'll never find internal peace of your Spirit and you'll find yourself praying all the time for the right answers and never getting them.Praying is a personal event and no one else has the right to say where ,how, or what should be said...so pray away !...but first...please put out the Cigar! LOL   Sundancer
450107
Preachers hiding their own scandals under a cloak of righteousness? This sure seems to be the case! I'm beginning to wonder about the chicken and the egg.  Does preaching hate against a group mean you're covering yourself, or does obsessive hate turn into compulsive behavior of the type you hate? Either way, it's another compelling reason to keep religion out of politics.
119948
pray for blessings for the ppl who have noone and nothing in life we all take for granted for what we do have we never seem to be fully satisfied we always want more and were always praying for more ...why not pray for the lost and scared ...why not pray just to say thank you for what you do have ...
44094
Kids can still pray in school.  They just can't be forced to, and they're not given a designated time to do it during the school day.  If prayer were forbidden in school, I would never get through a day of teaching!  I find it sad that moments of silence have been removed from schools b/c it's nice to have a small moment at the beginning of the day to collect your thoughts, pray, or zone out.  Nothing can stop a person from having a personal relationship with God.
480073
God can be of any religion, not just christianity, I personally am a Pagan.  But I am not offended by these sayings or actions.  I feel that people are too sensitive and should chill out.  I can say god bless you when someone sneezes without getting phobic about it.  To me it is no different than saying thank you or excuse me.
403903
At what point is a person a "religious extremist"?  If he prays to thank God at meals? How about the football star who kneels in prayer before a game?  Is it when you attend church every week instead of just Christmas and Easter?  Or is just belief in a deity enough?  What is extreme when it comes to religion?  Where is the line drawn?  Who is the authority that defines a "religious extremist"?\n\nCould it be that people who do things that are acting on their beliefs are just being compared to those who claim no belief, or claim a belief but do nothing and so prove they really have no belief at all?\n\nOne day, when I was in high school in the 70s, a girl was reading her Bible in study hall.  She wasn't bothering anyone; just quietly reading her Bible.  The instructor had left the room.  Several students began harrassing her because of the Bible.  I found myself defending her right to read her sacred book in peace, because this is America after all!  In that situation.... who was really the "extremist"????  The person quietly practicing her faith, or the people who thought they had a right to abuse her because they had none?\n\nSue
382410
Go to church before the game and pray.  That's what I would do.  And maybe either fast the day b4 or the day after.  That's what I would do.
414558
I wouldn't say anything about prayers. That could be taken as offensive (if he's atheist), despite meaning well. It personally makes me feel a tad uncomfortable when people say they'll pray for me. I appreciate the sentiment, but it's still kind of off-putting. I would say that you send your best wishes and your hopes and thoughts are with him and his family in this difficult time.
385777
I agree with you. If a person WANTS to say the Pledge before a meeting (game, class, etc) then they should be allowed to do so. No one is forcing others to join in and pledge -- they are perfectly within their rights to abstain. \n\nIt really p*sses me off when people try to claim that just "hearing" the pledge violates their rights. Well, what about my right to assert myself and my allegiance to my country?? I would think that would trump anything else.
430451
When you pray to thank God for your food, don't try to stick with the same prayer that you use every single time. just say" hey God, thanks for providing this meal for me. please bless it to the nourishments of my body, in Jesus names. Amen". and it doesn't have to be word for word. just make it your own prayer and whatever you say, mean it. don't just say it for the heck of saying because it looks and sounds good. hope i could be of some help.
302781
I just want to know why it was okay to have scriptures & other signs of faith posted on government property in the past and now it's not okay. Who gave a group so much authority to think and act for the majority? If something is offensive, I turn my head away, but I respect someone else's right to do the offensive thing. I don't like it, but I don't go running to the ACLU & cry all over them because I was offended. I don't urge them to hire a multitude of lawyers to make those people stop their vile display, violating my senses. I don't like a lot of things that are happening in this world. I try to make a difference where I live, and an even smaller difference at the ballot box. But, all this talk about separation of church and state is horse hockey. Our constitution DOES NOT have that wording in it anywhere. I've read through it several times and I don't see it. Must have been written with invisible ink! But, the Russian constitution DOES have that wording. I can see how that would be important...to the Russians. This country was founded on scripture and Godly values, not matter what the history revisionists are trying print in our school books now days. And no matter if you or anyone else likes that fact, it's a fact. If it was good enough for our forefathers, why isn't it good enough for us now? I don't believe that we are so very enlightened now that we've forgotten where we've come from. I think a lot of people just don't want to be reminded of any symbol of faith. It might make them uncomfortable, and we wouldn't want that! We want everyone to be happy, right? But, in their effort to please one group, they're offending another. I guess it's okay. Those crazy Christians have had the past couple hundred of years to plaster their stuff all over this country. So, now they can just back off quietly and shut up. That's the attitude that the ACLU sends every time they force someone to remove another symbol of faith from public view. It reminds me of what happened in Nazi Germany. When Hitler was killing all the handicapped people, no one made a fuss because it didn't affect them. When he started killing another group of people, no one said anything because they weren't affected. Then Hitler came for them, with not a whole lot of people left to put up a cry. It wasn't until Hitler started taking over other countries that people stopped him. This tearing down of the symbols of faith will not stop. Many new churches don't even display a cross anymore, blending in with all the other buildings in the area. I believe that this country has been blessed with so much because of Godly people living and working here. Revelation 3:15-17 says, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I wish that you were cold or hot, one or the other. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. Because you said, I am rich, and have lots of  stuff, and have need of nothing (even God); don't you know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked?" I believe we are already reaping the consequences of our departure of faith. That's why more & more bad stuff is happening to America than ever before. We will believe in anything, as long as it doesn't make us too uncomfortable. I know I am making this really long, but this is something that's very dear to my heart. I love America and I love the people who live in her. I also know that there will be a few who are offended by my long tirade. Sorry that your feelings have been hurt in any way. But, I stand firm in what I believe. Everyone has the right to live out their faith in any fashion they desire. That includes government property, because it's a part of America too. Stopping the public viewing of these symbols isn't going to stop people from believing in Jesus, worshipping God or limiting their church attendance. But,
243344
In my opinion, these types of things happen because we as Christians do not stand up for the rights that the founders of America gave us.  We get mad and complain to people around us, but we do nothing on a big scale to fight against it.  America was founded on religious freedom:  the freedom to worship the god of our choice in the manner in which we choose.  There is no national religion because of this.  I'm not trying to tell everyone that they should worship the way I do, but they should allow me to worship God the way I want.  Posting the Ten Commandments somewhere doesn't force a person to read it.  "One nation under God" does not force a person to say it.  Christians need to start fighting for our rights as much as the ACLU and other groups fight for what they deem to be the rights of any other group.
67130
Gosh! It has nothing to do with that. This is the third time someone has asked that question. Just pray for Goodness sake! Pray naked if you want to, just as long as your sincere in your heart just pray, standing, sitting, hats on or off, it doesn't matter! I prayed while I was sitting on the toilet once and God still answered the pray. He isn't worried about all of our crazy thinking! And I am a christian, but I'm frustrated with all of this religious stuff! No wonder people don't want to come to church, they think the church is CONFUSED!
671038
Yes, I think it's a big deal, and I am NOT offended to find those words on our coins.  It is one of the very few places that God is still honored in our country.  Should we invalidate the Declaration of Independence, or the Bill of Rights, because they make reference to God?  No!  This country was founded in Christianity, and although I do firmly believe in freedom from religious persecution, I think we've gone way too far on the other side... it is now the Christians who are persecuted, our prayers are not allowed, the very basic principals that this country was founded on are litigated, and all by people claiming to be offended by it... well, you know what?  In many other countries, being the "wrong" religion can get you jailed and executed.  We allow you the God-given right to disagree, but what right do you have to change  who we are?!?!  This country was founded on Christian principals, and you have the right to live here and not be a Christian (although I pray for those lost souls), but that does not mean that you have the right to interfere with my rights, either.  Keep God in all that we do, to honor our forefathers, and honor our FATHER.
103252
Hmmm. Interesting points raised. \n\nThe Bible's inclusion in the swearing-in ceremony (for both elected officials and witnesses) is strictly symbolic and can be omitted, or replaced with a holy text (and appropriate references) of the person's choosing. The few non-Christian swearings I have heard replaced "so help me God" (or similar) to "by all that I hold dear" (or similar).\n\nChristmas is an interesting observation, as it (at least in the Kansas Judiciary) is the only religious holiday to be an actual paid holiday. The others, if you are wondering, are New Years, Presidents, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Columbus, and Veterans days, and Thanksgiving Weekend (Thursday and Friday). Christmas, at least in my mind, is observed solely because of the overwhelming potential for a "sick-out": if it wasn't given off, people would take it off anyway, and those scheduled to work would call in sick.\n\nAs for the Bible (and other holy texts) being misued by the government; it is a thin line they tread in using it. It is the default for swearing ceremonies precisely because Christianity is the most common religion in the US, and it was understood that a practicioner of Christianity would be remiss to swear to a falsehood. A good percentage of witness swearings now omit the reference to God (Christian or otherwise), and do not use the Bible. \n\nBut the best point in this (rather argumentative) question comes in the final lines. It is a question that I would answer yes for a good number of our legislators; sadly, I must include one (if not both) of my esteemed Senators in their number. It is the reason we must be vigilant when choosing our representation to Congress.