How would you handle this?

[andromedaslove]

I am so tired of hearing "that's just the way the South is". I was born and raised in Florida, attended a Baptist Church as a child, and I still have a profound belief in God. However, I don't attend church any longer, and neither do my children. We teach them about the bible the way we feel it is appropriate, and if I enrolled my child in little league and the coach was doing this I would make a huge stink. It isn't a little league coaches responsibility to be preaching to my children, he is supposed to be teaching them to play ball.

 

[Buckalew11]

I appreciate everyone's responses.

I didn't go to the coach first because I feel I can't change him. As other's have said, he has the right to put in his e-mails what he wants. I don't know if his religious statements bother others, but because it does me, I felt it best to just remove ourselves from his world.

I guess what bothers me most is, there is a thing called separation of church and state and this is crossing that line. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to discuss bible verses at a Little League game. I also feel wether you agree with his views or mine, somethings just aren't meant for public forums. I don't care what this man does in his home, with his family, with his friends etc., but when you agree to coach a group (outside of a church setting) you have to keep your beliefs to yourself. I don't put in my e-mails what I believe in, forcing it on others. That's very "in your face" in my opinion.

As someone else has stated, it's the area we've moved into and I should just except it. Many times I have, I run into somone/something religious almost everyday. I think the times and the area are changing, and this area is becoming a bit more diverse. I think it's time that people realize not everyone is as into religion as they are.

I guess what irratates me the most is the fact they won't let me move my son off the team. They say the rosters are "frozen". Ridiculous, I say, he's just become a free agent, let him out of his contract!! LOL!

Thanks for listening. I feel better just getting it all out there.

Honestly, I see your POV and I hope your situation improves and that the coach handles it gracefully although I won't be surprised to come back and read that he didn't.

But really, my Christianity defines who I am. It means everything to me. It is very hard to separate that part of my life from everything I do or am involved with. I realize people think it is a personal thing but for many of us, it isn't viewed as just that...it is who we are. And I talk about it freely on this board but don't throw it in people's faces in RL. But the subject can and does come up. I can't apologize for that. But it certainly isn't meant to bother anyone.

 

[kdibattista]

But if the parents LIKE this then it doesn't make it WRONG! We live in a smaller town and kids can still sing Christmas Carols at school because people LIKE that and it isn't wrong. Again, the point you missed was the the league does not have a rule about this and quite frankly many, many towns in the south are VERY religious orientated and if the LARGE majority of the town is that way people that move in are either going to have to ignore these kinds of things or move because people in those towns have just as much right to promote their religion as you do to not like it.

Actually, I don't think they have the right to promote anything to my child at a county run baseball league.

 

[Beth76]

OP, I agree with you. I probably wouldn't have a problem with him ending the emails with "God Bless", but I would definitely have a problem with the bible verses. Even on a religious team. A sports team is not the place for that. I wouldn't have a problem with praying before games though (on a church team). But seeing how this is not a church team, but a county team--completely inappropriate.

I wonder whose opinon of this would change if we were talking about a public school teacher or coach?

 

[golfgal]

As for the separation of church/state ,that was originally meant that the state could not tell you what religion you HAVE to practice. It has been twisted around to say that you can't have any religion associated with anything to do with anything that looks like a government entity and that just is not quite right but that is the way things are moving. A school can allow time for prayer but they can't force kids to participate (supreme court ruling), that is a good interpretation of that law.

Again, it comes down to the minority of the team doesn't agree with it and why should your rights supersede his rights? Your rights stop where someone elses start and we would all do well to remember that. If you don't like his religious message the answer is to ignore them or take your son off the team, NOT to force him to stop because by forcing him to stop you are infringing on HIS right to do that. You can remove yourself from the situation to protect your rights but you really can't tell someone else how to behave.

 

[golfgal]

Actually, I don't think they have the right to promote anything to my child at a county run baseball league.

That is fine that you don't want your child exposed to that then the answer is that you don't join the baseball league NOT that you have to deny everyone else in the league to have their Bible study if everyone else in the league wants that and you are the only or one of the few that don't like it.

 

[Beth76]

So the OP's kids shouldn't play baseball so that everyone else can kill two birds with one stone. No. If they want bible study, they should form a bible study not mesh it with baseball. Again, what if this was a public school?

 

[mtemm]

I think it is absolutely bizarre that he would want to discuss bible verses during Little League. I can't imagine a teacher during an adult's exercise class saying, "and now, while we're doing our step workout, we'll discuss the 23rd psalm and what it means to us. Mary, Jane, why don't you two start?"

I mean, its just not the place for it. I understand including christianity or judaism or whatever into your everyday life. It is part of a person's self, after all. But express it by living by your chosen religion's code. Turn the other cheek. Show sportsmanship. But don't turn a baseball practice or game into a bible class.

By all means, if the rest of the team is interested, feel free to start a separate bible study. But why then?

 

[golfgal]

So the OP's kids shouldn't play baseball so that everyone else can kill two birds with one stone. No. If they want bible study, they should form a bible study not mesh it with baseball. Again, what if this was a public school?

What if this had nothing to do with religion at all and the coaches were asking everyone to wear a clean, new yellow shirt every day at practice. What if you didn't own anything yellow, what if you didn't like yellow would you just put up with it or would you email the league saying you want your child to be moved to a new team because you don't like yellow? Would you just ignore the fact that you don't like yellow and just get your kid some yellow shirts so they can play basketball? What if you get moved to a different team and find out that the other team is worse and they want you to wear PINK and you hate pink more then yellow?

 

[Beth76]

Golfgal, . Seriously.

 

[kdibattista]

What if this had nothing to do with religion at all and the coaches were asking everyone to wear a clean, new yellow shirt every day at practice. What if you didn't own anything yellow, what if you didn't like yellow would you just put up with it or would you email the league saying you want your child to be moved to a new team because you don't like yellow? Would you just ignore the fact that you don't like yellow and just get your kid some yellow shirts so they can play basketball? What if you get moved to a different team and find out that the other team is worse and they want you to wear PINK and you hate pink more then yellow?

OK... then let's assume that we are not talking about religion and the coach was a member of the KKK? Would you ignore that fact and go along with it so they could play baseball?

 

[clutter]

What if the coach was Muslim? Sorry, the 'majority' doesn't apply. Kids should be able to play Little League, not 'Little League with bible study'. I'd be furious if I'd paid for league play (and our league is NOT cheap) and got bible study as a side dish, christian or not. And a prayer before a game, that's agreed upon by the entire team, is NOT the same as bible study.

 

[golfgal]

Golfgal, . Seriously.

Yes, seriously. As soon as you say "religion" everyone gets all up at arms about it. You can't have a logical discussion about religion. We don't know what this town is like, we don't know what the make up of the team is.

Let's say that there are 20 boys on this team. 19 of these boys go to the same church and they have to know so many Bible passages by the end of the year. Their coach also goes to this church and since he spends so much time with the boys, he has them work on Bible passages along with playing baseball. Now, this 1 boy doesn't go to church, his parent don't like the team doing Bible passages, but he doesn't have to do them because of that. The coach sends out a few emails that say God Bless You and mom wants him off the team yet the league says they can't move kids around. What do you do, make everyone stop because ONE mom doesn't like this (the rest of the moms are jumping up and down happy because someone is helping their boy with their Bible passages)? How about the one boy is just excused from this part of practice. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense in this case?

 

[rileyroosmom]

That is fine that you don't want your child exposed to that then the answer is that you don't join the baseball league NOT that you have to deny everyone else in the league to have their Bible study if everyone else in the league wants that and you are the only or one of the few that don't like it.

Keep in mind this is a county run league. When I sign my son up for baseball, it's to learn the game, not the bible. There are many church run leagues here that I chose not to enroll my son in. I chose not to on purpose because I knew there would religious talk in the league. Right now I feel MY rights have been taken away. I'm not annoyed any longer at this coach. I understand that his religion is part of who he is. I am annoyed at the league who is forcing me (I say that because if I don't stay on this team, I don't play) to be in an uncomfortable situation. I am a paying customer, and the customer is always right.....so I thought. If my bank teller greeted me with a religious statement, I'd use another teller, same for the checkout girt, I'd find another. Why am I not allowed to find another coach? I'm not demanding this man stop his religious banter, I'm demanding that myself and my son don't have to be exposed to it. I'm not looking for the minority to outweigh the majority, as someone else has stated, just asking that my beliefs and rights be acknowldeged as well.

 

[golfgal]

OK... then let's assume that we are not talking about religion and the coach was a member of the KKK? Would you ignore that fact and go along with it so they could play baseball?

Me, personally, no I would not let my child play baseball for someone that is in the KKK but I also have no right telling that person, as much as I detest the whole premise of the KKK, that they can't do that. I would pull my child off the team. What if the rest of the team were from families of other KKK members, I still don't have the right to tell them to stop being who they are for my one child.

 

[kdibattista]

Yes, seriously. As soon as you say "religion" everyone gets all up at arms about it. You can't have a logical discussion about religion. We don't know what this town is like, we don't know what the make up of the team is.

Let's say that there are 20 boys on this team. 19 of these boys go to the same church and they have to know so many Bible passages by the end of the year. Their coach also goes to this church and since he spends so much time with the boys, he has them work on Bible passages along with playing baseball. Now, this 1 boy doesn't go to church, his parent don't like the team doing Bible passages, but he doesn't have to do them because of that. The coach sends out a few emails that say God Bless You and mom wants him off the team yet the league says they can't move kids around. What do you do, make everyone stop because ONE mom doesn't like this (the rest of the moms are jumping up and down happy because someone is helping their boy with their Bible passages)? How about the one boy is just excused from this part of practice. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense in this case?

Let's say that there are 20 boys on this team. 19 of these boys go to KKK meetings and they have to know so many KKK reading by the end of the year. Their coach also goes to these meetings and since he spends so much time with the boys, he has them work on the readings along with playing baseball. Now, this 1 boy doesn't go to the meeting, his parent don't like the team doing readings, but he doesn't have to do them because of that. The coach sends out a few emails that say "Hate Non White People" and mom wants him off the team yet the league says they can't move kids around. What do you do, make everyone stop because ONE mom doesn't like this (the rest of the moms are jumping up and down happy because someone is helping their boy with their readings)? How about the one boy is just excused from this part of practice. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense in this case?

 

[golfgal]

What if the coach was Muslim? Sorry, the 'majority' doesn't apply. Kids should be able to play Little League, not 'Little League with bible study'. I'd be furious if I'd paid for league play (and our league is NOT cheap) and got bible study as a side dish, christian or not. And a prayer before a game, that's agreed upon by the entire team, is NOT the same as bible study.

If the coach were Muslim and 99% of the team was Muslim, then yes, they can still have their study and I can choose to participate or not. If the coach was the ONLY one on the team that wanted this and the majority of the parent did not, then YES something has to be done about the coach. If the majority of the team does want the study, then the one player that doesn't has the right to choose to be a part of that team or not.

 

[spoon full of sugar]

golfgal it's nice to see that there are a few of us left that have actually read the contitution and don't just swollow what ever the lawyers tell us our founding fathers "really meant".

I am not religous, but I wouldn't have a problem with my son being tought Christian thought. Would this still offend you if they were discussing Jewish beliefs? Hindu? Buddist? Muslim? Why does everyone have such a knee jerk reaction to Christianity? Oh yeah, I forgot, it comes from the destain of the old dead white man culture. Those people that gave us electricity, antibiotics, indoor plumbing, and the bill of rights. Those *******s.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Since when does Little League teach religion? Did the information on the league's website indicate religious education was an added bonus for the team players? Will the team study the Koran and Torah (sp?) as well as the Bible? OP--I'd be upset about this proselytizing during Little League time. Would those who see nothing wrong with this be okay (as others have suggested) if the Coach were Jewish? Unitarian? an Atheist? a member of Wiccan?
Let's leave Little League for baseball instruction, and religious education for Bible study.
I sympathize with you, OP. You're stirring up a pot in your new hometown. Good luck.

And to borrow from Tom Hanks--"There's no Bible in baseball!"

 

[golfgal]

Let's say that there are 20 boys on this team. 19 of these boys go to KKK meetings and they have to know so many KKK reading by the end of the year. Their coach also goes to these meetings and since he spends so much time with the boys, he has them work on the readings along with playing baseball. Now, this 1 boy doesn't go to the meeting, his parent don't like the team doing readings, but he doesn't have to do them because of that. The coach sends out a few emails that say "Hate Non White People" and mom wants him off the team yet the league says they can't move kids around. What do you do, make everyone stop because ONE mom doesn't like this (the rest of the moms are jumping up and down happy because someone is helping their boy with their readings)? How about the one boy is just excused from this part of practice. Wouldn't that make a lot more sense in this case?

OR the mom could chose NOT to have her son play. What if the league did move the child and that coach was worse????? What do you do then.

Like the OP said, our's is a diverse country and if you can only accept those that think like you then you really are narrow minded and prejudiced against all others just like the KKK.