ROSSVILLE, Ga. (WordNews.org) Aug. 27, 2012 – An atheist activist group is threatening a Georgia school district for allowing churches to provide lunches to high school football teams.
Liberty Counsel is now offering free legal defense to Walker County Public School in response to the threat from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
FFRF states in its letter to the school board that “taking public school football teams to church, even for a meal, is unconstitutional.”
Liberty Counsel said traditionally, 10 churches in Rossville, Georgia, take turns feeding the Ridgeland Panthers football team before games. Coach Mark Mariakis is a brain cancer survivor and is entering his ninth season at Ridgeland with a 52-36 record.
“This atheist group continues to lick stamps and send frivolous letters with militant zeal designed to hurt communities because of its anti-Christian fixation,” said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “Nothing in the Constitution requires communities to abandon common sense and create zones hostile to religion.”
The first meal and game of the season will be on August 31, 2012, unless the FFRF has its way, Liberty Counsel said.
“A church has as much right as any other local civic organization to provide pregame meals to members and guests, even if they are a part of the local high school football team,” said Richard Mast, a Liberty Counsel attorney, in his letter to the school board.