Stripped to its essence, Fiona Morgan's argument calls the Supreme Court's ruling banning student-led prayer at football games wrong on the grounds that people in Texas really, really, really want to pray at football games.

She claims that the ban is a "slap in the face to the culture of Texas." So what? Ending slavery was a slap in the face to the South. Feminist gains are a slap in the face to the Good Ol' Boys. Implementing pollution controls is a slap in the face to industrialists. Sometimes, you need to slap some faces because it's the only way to get the message through.

-- Walt Roberts

The commentary on the recent Supreme Court decision regarding school prayer omitted one key fact: It was a Catholic and a Mormon who raised complaints about the prayers, as they were Southern Baptist prayers, not merely mainstream Christian or "nondenominational" prayers.

I'm not sure that religion or football are well-served when the two are commingled. After all, it was only the founder of Christianity who recommend private over public prayer.

-- Frank Cuffman

I played high school football in San Angelo, Texas, and whether you liked it or not, you were to say the Lord's Prayer when it was your turn. Now I know I could have refused, but rather than risking constant hazing by my peers, I subjugated myself to something I didn't believe in and said the prayer when it was my turn. I'm glad the Supreme Court did what they did, and wish I could have had the guts to say no when it was my turn to pray to some god I didn't believe in.

-- Andy Claremont

Fiona Morgan does a splendid job in stating the case of religious Texans who revel in prayer before high school football games. However, she does an even better job of stating the court's case in not allowing this prayer to continue.

In her article, Morgan claims, "Was prayer optional at those football games? No, it wasn't. (Not unless you were to put your hands over your ears and brave some prodding from your peers, I guess.)" This is the very reason activities like this need to be banned from public school activities. Those of different religions, or even (gasp!) no religion at all, are forced to be subject to this ancient ritual just for attending a public sporting event.

While Morgan is careful in building the bubble that is the Texas football community, she is reckless in her interpretation of other religions and secular organizations that may have a problem with having to listen to religious garble when all they want to do is attend a football game. The separation of church and state is a protection against alienation of those who have different views than others. To run school prayer over a P.A. system before public school sporting events is a blatant disregard of this protection and is only one of so many examples where not only is the church influencing the state, but running it as well.

-- Brian Ploskina

As a Texan, I take umbrage at the author's assertion that "compulsory" football game attendance and pre-game prayer are good and glorious things.

Nonsense. The primacy of football, which sucks time, energy and money from schools that can't afford decent art or music programs (besides Sousa-playing bands), is a serious problem in Texas. To add religious oppression on top of that is adding insult to injury.

I am a Christian, and proud of that fact. But I remember cringing all through those compulsory prayers, feeling uncomfortable that my friends (which included agnostics, atheists, Jews and Muslims) were feeling angry and marginalized. Like the rabbi in Sherman, maybe they didn't sue; but maybe they should have.

There are many reasons the Texas educational system ranks near the bottom nationwide. I think I'm right in suspecting that narrow-minded attitudes like this author's can't help but contribute.

-- Janell Broyles

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