Prayer ruling upheld

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Linda Hill of Portales told the crowd of nearly 150 at Tuesday's Portales City Council meeting, that she was a proud Christian. She opposed the exclusion of coach-led prayer in city league sports.

Micah Thompson told community members at Tuesday's Portales City Council meeting that it is time to draw the line at the exclusion of coach-led prayer in Portales City League Sports.

As a Christian and a mother of children participating in those leagues, she feels her religious rights are being taken away.

"It's time to say no more," Thompson said, her words met with "amens" from the audience. "How many steps are we away from completely giving in?"

Thompson was one of nearly 150 community members who attended Tuesday night's council meeting. She was one of 27 who voiced her opinion on the issue, which was open to discussion in a public forum yet no action was taken.

Mayor Sharon King said that although she herself is a Christian, legally there is nothing the city can do to overturn the decision because it's a decision that has been made by the Supreme Court.

"We were elected to these offices to respect all beliefs," King told the crowd.

The decision to eliminate coach-led prayer made by league sports Director Mike Doerr at the advice of the city attorney's office caused quite a stir when he announced it at last week's coaches meeting.

Doerr and councilors said the decision has been made to avoid possible legal issues.

City Attorney Randy Knudson told the audience and council that prayer in city sports cannot be coercive, especially with younger children involved, according to the law.

Linda Utarro, retired educator, said the decision was fair. She asked that the crowd to see her point of view because she felt that if a coach was any religion other than Christian, they would have been at the meeting for a different reason.

"I'm a Jew and proud of it," she told the audience. "Prayer is a conversation between me and my God. As a Jew, I cannot agree with a coach telling my child how to pray."

Councilors agreed that the decision, regardless of what was said in the discussion, would remain.

Councilors Leo Lovett and Keith Thomas offered solutions to assuage concerned parents such as praying with their children before and after the game or having players lead in prayer.

Local musician Andy Mason told the audience that he was in support of Doerr's decision and the council's duties of upholding the U.S. Constitution.

Though Mason supported Doerr, councilor Matt Hunton and King said they were disappointed in the way Doerr was treated after he announced his decision.

"It was not Christian," Hunton said. "I coached Little League for six years and I never saw (coach-led prayer). Now that they said we can't, we want to. Let us be people and humans."

Others including community member John Goins made it a point to use this issue as an example for why people should vote in the upcoming November election.

"No man is free until all men are free," said Goins, quoting Martin Luther King Jr. "America is becoming anti-God and anti-christ."