Sunday, October 14, 2007

The saga of New Jersey high school football coach Marcus Borden ["Case Tests Boundaries of Prayer in Sports," news story, Oct. 7] raises some difficult questions about the meaning of prayer. Before a game, Borden invites his players to kneel and bow their heads, a practice that most people would conclude is prayer. Borden, in a lawsuit against his employer, argues that this practice is purely secular.

In a huge number of faith traditions, worshipers kneel or bow their heads to engage in prayer. If the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit agrees with Borden's position, the court will seriously undermine the sanctity of prayer, stripping it of religious meaning.

The Court of Appeals should call this practice what it really is: prayer.

And when public school coaches or teachers lead their students in prayer, it demolishes the wall between church and state. The United States is the most religiously diverse country in the world. The only way to ensure that all of our faith traditions are respected is to forbid the government from imposing one religion on all of us.

C. WELTON GADDY

President

Interfaith Alliance

Washington

The Interfaith Alliance submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in this case.