TOO MUCH JESUS IN TIGERTOWN?
Clemson University’s football team came up just short in its bid for a national championship this week … but the program’s rise to national prominence is reenergizing its opponents.
And no, we’re not talking about Twitter trolls from its arch rival, the University of South Carolina.
We’re referring to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group which filed a complaint against Clemson and head football coach Dabo Swinney back in 2014. That complaint accused Swinney of appointing a team chaplain, scheduling team devotionals and providing transportation for players to Christian church services, among other “offenses.”
“We don’t think the university has taken appropriate corrective action,” an attorney for the group said this week. “We still have concerns about how that program is being conducted. The university needs to appropriately monitor religious activity in the program.”
In fact the group plans on suing Clemson to make sure it does just that.
Jeez …
A year ago, Swinney – a vocal Christian – pointedly addressed these criticisms, saying “ain’t nothing (going) to change.”
“We’ve never tried to force anything on anybody,” he told The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier. “Everybody who comes here to Clemson knows who we are as people. There’s no surprises in that regard.”
As much as we hate to give such political correctness the time of day, the God-haters have a point here. As long as government remains in the business of higher education – and by extension the business of major college football – there are going to be grounds for lawsuits like this.
Of course Swinney has the First Amendment right to profess his faith publicly – and share it with others as he sees fit. And as long as there’s no evidence his religion is impacting the discharge of his professional duties, then he has a compelling religious freedom argument to counter these criticisms.
But again … all of this leads us back to our fundamental point: That government has no business being in the higher education business, period. The sooner it extricates itself from that business, the sooner we can stop wasting time addressing nonsense lawsuits like this one.
58 comments
Of course Swinney has the First Amendment right to profess his faith publicly – and share it with others as he sees fit. And as long as there’s no evidence his religion is impacting the discharge of his professional duties, then he has a compelling religious freedom argument to counter these criticisms.
Excellent point.DATTTTT AAAAA BOYYYYY will be fine. Dabo does’t show ‘evidence’ of being a Christian/religion when he is coaching on the sidelines.They have nothing on him.
The Buckeyes suck dirty donkey cock.
DAAAATTTTTT AAAAAA BOYYYYYYY!!!!!
Clemson: #2
Ohio State: #4
Alabama didn’t have to beat Ohio State, they beat themselves.
Ba, ba Bam!!!!!!
What if you’re a young Jewish, Muslim or atheist kid who always dreamed of playing Clemson football. Say you’re a marginal player, but enthusiastic and willing to work hard. The head coach creates an environment in which Christian religious activities and observances are encouraged and facilitated. The activities and observances of other religious groups are not. Don’t you think it’s just possible a young impressionable kid may be subtly (or not so subtly) pressured into participating? The “go-along-to-get-ahead” phenomenon? Why should a public university (that’s one supported by and dedicated to ALL the public — most importantly the taxpayers) be in the business of supporting or facilitating the activities of the coach’s religion?
Read “One Nation Under God” by Princeton historian Kevin Kruse and you will know.
It’s been part of the CEO sponsored Christian Libertarian plan since the 30s. Christian Libertarian religion distracts working people from what business is doing to screw them over and teaches them that’s what should happen and they should love it. They have turned Jesus’ teachings upside down.
Liberals like you,mamatiger92 and Rocky are the problem.This assault is not happening from accident or whim. It is happening because disaffected liberals have deliberately set out to upend our Judeo-Christian traditions. Indeed, they are determined to tear down the traditional norms, values, and institutions that have been part of American society from its founding. The cultural debris that saboteurs like OBAMA has created will take decades to clean up.
Actually, you’re the problem. You are such a joke of a Christian that it is hard to have a remotely serious debate regarding religion. I feel bad for the other Christians on this website that have to hang their head in shame every time you open your yap and embarrass them. Even I don’t think they deserve to be compared to you.
Other Christians? Rogue and I are the only Christians left after Tango left.
Please follow Tango. Please!!!
I understand.An immoral,lying,cheating American hating liberal like YOU gets exposed for what and who you are…now its time to ban bloggers and free speech.
You are a textbook fraud and pussy.
Let him have it Sec Hum – he’s just a whining little pile of contradicting Old New Testament with some Koran thrown in for good measure. He’s not a Christain. When he reaches the Pearly Gates they’ll slam in his face, and the chute will open under his feet.
I bet your home smells like a sewer.
You have a Judo tradition? Oy Vey!!!
Kruse is full of crap, writing with an agenda to those of a like mind.
Religion has always been a tool of the wealthy and powerful to keep the poor from cutting their throats. It isn’t limited to Christianity alone.
“Say you’re a marginal player, but enthusiastic and willing to work hard. ”
Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!
Then they should send their tape to Mushchamp. Clemson does not recruit 1 and 2 stars.
Ouch.
you do know Brain Dawkins was offered and commited to Clemson. He is…. 2 stars. Just quit saying stupid shit dumbass.
I bet the lawyer dude for FFRF, Patrick Elliot, is just raking in the cash. Man, the hourly rate you could charge for this bullshit has to be astronomical.
What a dumbshit you are. All of their work is done pro bono.
I gave your wife my pro bono.
The FFRF had $124,576 in legal expenses in 2014, for 5% of their total expenses of $2,465,656. It helps that attorney fees are recoverable in cases like this when you win.
I worked for several years with the founder of FFRF on the Board of another organization back in the 1970s. She was the mother of the current co-president.
If DeShawn Watson converts to Wicca and Dabo yanks his scholarship…THEN TBG will have a problem.
Why do you folks think that lawyers swamp the Democrats with donations?
Lawyers have to go to college for an extended period of time to practice law. People who are college educated tend to be more liberal than those who aren’t, such as you and flip.
If Dabo does all of this in his capacity as a government employee (ie, public college football coach), then he creates a situation where the government is endorsing his religious beliefs. How else can the government impose a religion, except through its employees? The Constitution prohibits government endorsement of religion, and in this case Dabo is the government endorsing religion. That’s a slam-dunk First Amendment violation. Think about it. Otherwise, athletes who want to play at a government college, like Clemson, shouldn’t be subject to government-sanctioned religious beliefs in the process. If the athlete is offended by Christianity, he’s going to be made uncomfortable – offended – by the government imposing Christian beliefs on him. And in this situation, Dabo is the government because he’s a state employee acting in his official capacity. Could the coach at Furman do the same thing? Absolutely. It’s a private action, not a government action. Dabo’s actions are government actions. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s not only the case, it’s the law, thanks to a bunch of liberal judges and the jackass Democrats who put them on the bench.
You went astray with your last sentence, as it has nothing to do with partisan politics. The Constitution is very clear on matters involving the separation of church and state. The problem is that so many Christians, especially those born again, believe they do not need to follow man’s law, as long as they believe they are following His law. It must be wonderful to live in that warped world, where you believe you can do anything you please because He will forgive you.
It is! Believe me.
The Bible has plenty of verses telling people to obey their leaders, but as is commonly known, most Christians pick and choose what parts of the Bible they follow.
You’re right that I shouldn’t have made it about partisan politics. It’s about liberal judges, many of which have been appointed by Republicans (ie, Ford appointing Stevens and GHW Bush appointing Souter). The Constitution is clear on the subject, but detailed, and in fleshing out the details liberal courts have made far out rulings that have taken God out of our schools and public places. No crèche on the town square without being accompanied by non-secular symbols, no prayer in school, etc., come to mind.
Explain how public schools can have theology courses in it’s curriculum.
Secular humanism is a religion and taught everyday in the public schools.
Climate change is a religion to the left and taught in public schools.
They can’t legally offer theology courses. They can teach courses in religion, treating the subject from an historic and philosophical perspective, but not theologically.
Debo is NOT a public employee in the sense that he is hired and paid by the University. He is hired and paid by the Athletic Department who receives no state funds. EVERYTHING, cars, equipment, salaries to the staff and players etc., is paid by the Athletic Dept from sales of tickets and donations. No State funds are expanded.))
$257,397.00 of William “Dabo” Swinney’s salary package is paid from state funds according to public records. Look it up:
http://www.thestate.com/news/databases/article14573084.html
The rest comes from IPTAY, endorsements, etc., as you say. Coach Swinney participates in the State retirement system, health plan, and other state benefits. He is a public employee in every legal definition and sense of the term.
Dat Boy has the public on his side –by a wide margin. Screw them.
Where was Jesus during the Alabama game? Oh, that’s right. He doesn’t give a shit about Dabo Swinney.
Sorry, I was busy chugging beers in my red body paint. Dabo understands I work in mysterious ways.
Where was Jesus during the Alabama game?
HE had to work the next day and fell asleep at the start of the fourth quarter giving
Saban…er… Satan free rein.And Jesus spoke unto his disciples, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, ROLL TIDE!”
What the hell is a Crimson Tide… a red wave? And how does an elephant play into that mascot? A female elephant jump into a pond in Bumfuck, AL while having her period and Bubba said, “that there would make a good school mascot”?
Rumor has it Dabo’s brother was wearing a Bear Bryant hat and red high heels in his jail cell BCS night?
Your dad tell you that?
DATTTT AAAA BOYYYYYYYYYYYY posted it on twitter while he was removing that football from his ass Monday night!????
Q. “What the hell is a Crimson Tide… a red wave?”
A. National Champions. ;-)
16 times :)
Tribalism does not surprise me at all at Clemson.
They even have a shrine to some rock don’t they?
Clemson cherishes the rock, USCe cherishes the cock.
Secular humanists = anti white, anti Christian, anti western civilization, pro rape culture, immigration
Dude, that’s a hell of a leap you are making. Pro rape culture???
Militant, anti-Christian atheist zealots hypocritically forcing their religious beliefs on others…they are blinded by their own bigotry and insist on bullying Christians…nothing but the complete elimination of Christianity from the face of the earth will satisfy these smug, Christian – hating bigots…
If Dabo really loved Jesus as much as FFRF thinks he does, then Clemson would have won Monday night.
God is omniscient, and thus aware that Dabo is a fraud who fakes having strong religious beliefs primary to win over recruits’ mamas and but also to create a false good-guy image. He’s on generation away from using an outhouse, but he understand the utility of espousing religion in football recruiting and pr in the South.
These libtards had rather fight a wildcat in a telephone booth than take on Dabo right now. Not in this state anyway.
What they think in Wisconsin should stay in Wisconsin!