High School Drama
What would Jesus do? Judge to rule on religious football signs in case withDallas ties
The Kountze Lions don't generally make headlines. The East Texas football squad hasn't been to the playoffs in 39 years. But this fall, the Lions started the season with a four-game winning streak and a new pregame tradition. The wins aren't exactly newsworthy, but the recently minted tradition is.
The battle for whether or not Kountze High School can display Bible verses at football games is being hashed out by special interest groups from Wisconsin and Dallas.
For every game this season, cheerleaders have painted a Bible verse on the team's run-through sign. Examples include "Thanks be to God, which gives us Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ," and "Run with endurance the race God has put before you."
However unlikely, the battle for whether or not Kountze High School can display Bible verses at football games is being hashed out by special interest groups from Wisconsin and Dallas.
After receiving a letter from the Freedom from Religion Foundation in Madison, Wisonsin, complaining about the practice, Kountze ISD superintendent Kevin Weldon told the cheerleaders to cease and desist the signs. The parents fought back, and now the case is making its way through the Hardin County court system. The Liberty Institute in Plano defends the cheerleaders' choice as a matter of religious freedom.
An October 4 ruling allowed the signs to continue through Thursday, when a final judgment is expected.