Georgia school district repudiates ‘bizarre’ mass baptisms on football field

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Georgia school district repudiates ‘bizarre’ mass baptisms on football field
Reuters
15 Sep 2015 at 15:54 ET



A Georgia high school violated local public school district policy by allowing a mass baptism of members of its football team on the school’s field in an event criticized by a group advocating for the separation of church and state, officials said.

A pastor dunked 18 Villa Rica High School players and one coach into a tub of water on the school’s field in a Christian baptism ceremony before an August football team practice.

“We are pleased that the school district has publicly affirmed its commitment to keep religion out of public school events, and concurs that the bizarre baptisms crossed the line,” Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the advocacy group Freedom From Religion Foundation, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The group noted that a coach had invited Pastor Kevin Williams of First Baptist Church of Villa Rica to perform the mass baptism.


Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/georgia-school-district-repudiates-baptisms-on-football-field/

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[center]

Pastor Kevin Williams of First Baptist Church of Villa Rica[/center]

[V0ltairesGh0st]

1. Fuck this shit entirely

Sue them to poverty!

[Kingofalldems]

2. Who is the idiot who decided football has anything to do with Jesus?

[Javaman]

13. the same idiots that equate football with the military. nt

[SoapBox]

3. Just plain creepy.

I hope nobody pee'd in that tub.

[awoke_in_2003]

4. baptism in a storage tote...

Classy.

[csziggy]

9. Actually I think it's a livestock water trough

Rubbermaid makes them up to 300 gallon: http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp/products/detail.jsp?categoryID=507&subcategoryID=555&rcpNum=4242

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Even better...

fleecing the sheep.

[missionstyle]

5. I remember having to say the lords prayer at the end of every practice

I could have chosen not to, but was made fun of by the other guys on the team enough as it was.

[Archae]

6. I know a guy in that town.

I used to spar with him on the old Fidonet "Holysmoke" and "Politics" echoes.

He was completely conservative, loved his then congressman Bob Barr, and had a psychotic hatred of the Clintons, ALL of the Clintons including Chelsea.

He created his own "newspaper," the "Villa Rica Voice."

(It still has a Facebook page that hasn't been updated in 2 years.)

https://www.facebook.com/Villa-Rica-Voice-432572143487049/timeline/

The paper didn't sell, so he tried giving it way. That failed too.

[nichomachus]

7. They need to shut down this school's football program

If they can't follow the rules, screw 'em.

It will be better for the kids. It will spare them hip, knee, and brain damage later in life.

[JoeyT]

8. Is the coach still around?

Then they didn't repudiate a damned thing. All they did was say "Please don't sue us, we're already broke.".

Williams told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper that he had checked the school’s rules and thought there was no prohibition on baptisms as long as it was not school-sanctioned or held during school hours and no students were compelled to join in.

Yeah, ask anyone that grew up non-religious in a place like this what not being compelled to join in looks like. When they say "Students aren't compelled to join in" what they mean is "We try to keep the teachers from coercing them into joining in a way that can be proven in court, but we encourage the students to do it.".

[murielm99]

11. Dropkick me Jesus through the goalposts of life.

[fasttense]

12. The pastor there has a very young wife.

If it is his wife?

[rockfordfile]

14. Take that crap some place else

Take that crap some place else and off of public property.

[smirkymonkey]

15. Ok. That does it. This crap is starting to make Russia look like a Utopia.

God, if you do exist, save us from your followers!