When you think of persecution of faith our minds tend to picture the extremes. We see the beheaded Christians of the Middle East, the gas chambers that Hitler used against the jews, or the Colosseum where Rome held festivals to watch Christians get slaughtered for entertainment.
Well done to @calvinrobinson for bringing up the persecution of Christians worldwide pic.twitter.com/Jz07yAXHGM
— Paul B 🇬🇧 🔴 (@pauldbowen) January 22, 2022
What we miss when we think about the gore and brutality of such extremes is the persecution of the Christian faith that is happening in America today. It may not be blood and death, yet; but it is the loss of livelihoods, the destruction of reputation, and the pressure of what seems like an entire society against you.
Persecution of Christianity in America
An example of the oppression of Christianity is the attacks on prayer. Prayer is one of the most important concepts of Christianity, it is communion with God where praise, forgiveness, and fellowship are fostered.
Supreme Court To Review Case Of High School Football Coach Fired For Postgame Prayers https://t.co/uxs4K2mCmR pic.twitter.com/kKllhHx3js
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) January 17, 2022
Today praying in public is not only ridiculed but outrightly attacked. Joe Kennedy, a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant, and former high school football coach has learned the hard way.
Kennedy lost his job after refusing a Washington State school district’s order to stop praying after games. The prayer was done silently for 15-30 seconds after each game. It was not mandatory and any on the team were allowed to join, or not if they so chose.
Former coach Joe Kennedy's legal fight with the school district began in 2015 when he began having solitary postgame prayer.
The highest court is likely to hear arguments over the case sometime in April, officials said.https://t.co/zHPTlBxKcn
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 19, 2022
Now the Supreme Court is preparing to hear Mr. Kennedy’s testimony ass he fights for religious freedom. Kelly Shackelford is president and CEO of First Liberty, which is representing Kennedy along with the legal team of Kirkland& Ellis LLP. He has this to say about Mr. Kenedy’s case:
“No teacher or coach should lose their job for simply expressing their faith while in public,” said Shackelford. “By taking this important case, the Supreme Court can protect the right of every American to engage in private religious expression, including praying in public, without fear of punishment.”
This devout man has been waiting for this news for more than 2 years. https://t.co/67ahkkFure
— The Western Journal (@WestJournalism) January 17, 2022
The Supreme Court has already denied Kennedy once. Fox News reported the Justices response:
“The Supreme Court declined in 2019 to hear Kennedy’s appeal after his case was rejected by the Ninth Circuit. As part of the Supreme Court’s initial decision, four conservative justices – Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch – indicated Kennedy’s case could succeed after further litigation. Alito wrote that he concurred with the decision to reject Kennedy’s case, “because denial of certiorari does not signify that the Court necessarily agrees with the decision.” ”
https://twitter.com/try2b2/status/1484218451627552774
In an interview with Fox News, Kennedy had this to say: “The First Amendment really means a lot to me.”He continues,” “It is really terrible today in America that somebody can be fired just for expressing their faith. So I am just fighting so that no one else ever has to go through this and doesn’t have to choose between their job and their faith.”
