School Paints Over Cross on Football Field, So Locals Show Up to Game with Their Own
It has become patently obvious to many Americans of faith that Christianity is under concerted attack by the non-religious portion of the political left, who falsely use legal arguments based on the notion of “separation of church and state” to force the removal of references to the Christian faith from the public square.
The latest example of the leftist assault on Christianity came to a high school football field in Louisiana, but while the haters of Christianity may have thought they’d claimed a victory, the community’s response suggested that their faith and spirit was undeterred and, in fact, had been strengthened.
According to the Shreveport Times, the football field end zone advertisements of a local Christian-owned fitness center in nearby Bossier City named Christ Fit Gym was ordered to be painted over by Benton High School on the advice of attorneys for the Bossier Parish School District. The advertisement featured the name of the business, a logo in the shape of a cross and references to a Bible verse.
The district is currently dealing with a federal lawsuit filed against them over allegations of improper endorsement of religion by a group known as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, ostensibly on behalf of offended parents and students. The painting over of the Christian advertisement was ordered proactively, even as the outcome of the lawsuit remains in question.
According to KSLA, the owner of Christ Fit Gym, Billy Weatherall, filed for and received a court-ordered injunction against the school’s decision to prevent the painting over of the end zone advertisements — for which he had paid $3,500 this year, and who has without incident paid for advertising at the stadium for several years. The school proceeded to paint over it regardless.
“If I stand down, where does it stop,” Weatherall said to KSLA, in regard to his legal fight. “Where does it literally stop at?”
Weatherall’s reference to being told to “stand down” on the matter can be seen in this short Facebook video where Weatherall discussed his perspective on what had happened:
KSLA noted that some students had reportedly been ordered by the school to paint over the advertisement, but had refused to do so. Christ Fit Gym’s attorney, Ryan Gatti, explained, “It’s a battle over the mind of a child.” Gatti added, “Just let that sink in. They were told to spray paint over the name of Christ.”
But if the folks who filed the initial lawsuit against the school district and the cowardly district attorneys who bowed to their demands thought they’d achieved a victory for secularism, the good people of Benton High School displayed otherwise when fans showed up for the homecoming game en masse wearing Christ Fit Gym T-shirts, each of which featured the cross logo and a different verse of scripture.
In KSLA’s report on the developments, they showed the absurdity of it all, as despite the uproar over the end zone advertisements being painted over because of their religious nature, other advertisements for churches and Christian-owned businesses — some of which featured Bible verses and other religious symbology — were still prominently featured all over the stadium in other areas.
Furthermore, local football fan and gym supporter Brittany Reeve — who was one of those who donned a Christ Fit Gym shirt for the game — told KSLA, “Christianity is under full attack right now, and you can’t respond with, like, anger, or retaliate. However, you do have to stand up for your beliefs, you know, you can’t just back down.”
“I mean, this community is so blessed and Christ Fit does so much for so many people, so I mean it’s super disappointing to see him have to do that,” she added.
It remains to be seen what the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit against the school district will be, or if the district will get in any trouble for ordering the preemptive painting over of the advertisements in spite of a court-ordered injunction preventing such action.
One thing that is certain is the Christians of this Louisiana community stand proud in their faith and in support of their Christian-owned local businesses, and no leftist-instigated legal fight will do anything to dampen their spirit. On the contrary, it has only made them prouder and more outspoken in regard to their faith.
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