sluc+f1972 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 am i missing something? here we were, 8,000 strong on the campus of slu, playing another Catholic college, in the overwhelmingly Catholic-attended chaifetz the other evening, and we're asked to stand before the national anthem and roster announcements, 'to pay tribute' to beloved coach charlie spoonhour by 'observing a moment of silence'!? what is this, a public school? a town hall meeting? a planned parenthood convention? no, it was an athletic event sponsored by our Jesuit and Roman Catholic alma mater. so why weren't we led in a prayer, say, the Hail Mary, and a petition for the repose of spoon's eternal soul and his eternal salvation? had i a couple of more schlafly pale ale's in my gut than i already did, i might have belted out a memorial prayer myself. next time, i just might. as a matter of fact, what ever happened to slu's practice of having a pre-game prayer for all of the crowd to join, or not? what a grand opportuniity it would have been to see someone, anyone, to emerge onto the floor the other night and lead the crowd in a prayer for our departed coach anf friend charlie spoonhour. are we Catholics growing more complacent, less devout, even embarrassed or ashamed of our faith? from the tone set by the athletic department the other evening, i'd say 'yes'. let's work on this, and request more leadership from our university's athletic department, any any other branch at slu, when the opportunity arises. go bills! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I'm probably as religious as anyone registered here, but I don't think that had to have been a requirement. No one prevents you from praying on your own, but I don't think a forced sectarian prayer is appropriate at the basketball game. Do you need the school to dictate to you to pray for the man and his family for you to do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I'm probably as religious as anyone registered here, but I don't think that had to have been a requirement. No one prevents you from praying on your own, but I don't think a forced sectarian prayer is appropriate at the basketball game. Do you need the school to dictate to you to pray for the man and his family for you to do so?Prayer used to be a staple before all basketball games. I was upset when they took that away. We are a Catholic school, why not say a quick prayer? We are Americans and say the National Anthem. When the US plays a Canadian team they sing both countries anthems. I know many are split on the issue, but I am all for the prayer. Again, we are a Catholic school. If it offends anyone - too bad. They are supporting the basketball team of a Catholic school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yo, signguy. IP check, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccarthyirish7 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 am i missing something? here we were, 8,000 strong on the campus of slu, playing another Catholic college, in the overwhelmingly Catholic-attended chaifetz the other evening, and we're asked to stand before the national anthem and roster announcements, 'to pay tribute' to beloved coach charlie spoonhour by 'observing a moment of silence'!? what is this, a public school? a town hall meeting? a planned parenthood convention? no, it was an athletic event sponsored by our Jesuit and Roman Catholic alma mater. so why weren't we led in a prayer, say, the Hail Mary, and a petition for the repose of spoon's eternal soul and his eternal salvation? had i a couple of more schlafly pale ale's in my gut than i already did, i might have belted out a memorial prayer myself. next time, i just might. as a matter of fact, what ever happened to slu's practice of having a pre-game prayer for all of the crowd to join, or not? what a grand opportuniity it would have been to see someone, anyone, to emerge onto the floor the other night and lead the crowd in a prayer for our departed coach anf friend charlie spoonhour. are we Catholics growing more complacent, less devout, even embarrassed or ashamed of our faith? from the tone set by the athletic department the other evening, i'd say 'yes'. let's work on this, and request more leadership from our university's athletic department, any any other branch at slu, when the opportunity arises. go bills! I agree. It's a Catholic/Jesuit private school. It would have been very appropriate to say a prayer for Spoon. It would have even been a good opportunity for Biondi to get out there and say it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yo, signguy. IP check, please.I thought that too when I read the initial post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Box and Won Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 There's a really nice building at Grand and Lindell for anyone who would like to pray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 am i missing something? here we were, 8,000 strong on the campus of slu, playing another Catholic college, in the overwhelmingly Catholic-attended chaifetz the other evening, and we're asked to stand before the national anthem and roster announcements, 'to pay tribute' to beloved coach charlie spoonhour by 'observing a moment of silence'!? what is this, a public school? a town hall meeting? a planned parenthood convention? no, it was an athletic event sponsored by our Jesuit and Roman Catholic alma mater. so why weren't we led in a prayer, say, the Hail Mary, and a petition for the repose of spoon's eternal soul and his eternal salvation? had i a couple of more schlafly pale ale's in my gut than i already did, i might have belted out a memorial prayer myself. next time, i just might. as a matter of fact, what ever happened to slu's practice of having a pre-game prayer for all of the crowd to join, or not? what a grand opportuniity it would have been to see someone, anyone, to emerge onto the floor the other night and lead the crowd in a prayer for our departed coach anf friend charlie spoonhour. are we Catholics growing more complacent, less devout, even embarrassed or ashamed of our faith? from the tone set by the athletic department the other evening, i'd say 'yes'. let's work on this, and request more leadership from our university's athletic department, any any other branch at slu, when the opportunity arises. go bills! So, let me get this straight. Your thought is that if you were drunk enough, then you would have been able to properly honor the memory of Coach Spoonhour by getting up and leading everyone in a forced prayer? And that next time someone dies, you will make sure to have enough beer in you to make sure that happens. Sounds like a good idea there, buddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Pelican Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I always assumed that a "moment of silence" was so folks who wanted to say a prayer could do so. I think they did everything that was appropriate at a public athletic event. I am uncomfortable with a forced prayer among a general audience unless at a religious service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Majerus Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Was Spoon Catholic? I find public prayer offensive. You can go to your house of worship, your home, or anywhere within yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMDG Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 There's a really nice building at Grand and Lindell for anyone who would like to pray.well said. by the way, slu has gone out of its way to state that it is not a religious instiution, but an institution in the jesuit/catholic tradition run by a lay board. if you want more prayer, might i suggest byu or liberty university. I think most of us are fine with our basketball games not becoming some kind of tent revival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 am i missing something? here we were, 8,000 strong on the campus of slu, playing another Catholic college, in the overwhelmingly Catholic-attended chaifetz the other evening, and we're asked to stand before the national anthem and roster announcements, 'to pay tribute' to beloved coach charlie spoonhour by 'observing a moment of silence'!? what is this, a public school? a town hall meeting? a planned parenthood convention? no, it was an athletic event sponsored by our Jesuit and Roman Catholic alma mater. so why weren't we led in a prayer, say, the Hail Mary, and a petition for the repose of spoon's eternal soul and his eternal salvation? had i a couple of more schlafly pale ale's in my gut than i already did, i might have belted out a memorial prayer myself. next time, i just might. as a matter of fact, what ever happened to slu's practice of having a pre-game prayer for all of the crowd to join, or not? what a grand opportuniity it would have been to see someone, anyone, to emerge onto the floor the other night and lead the crowd in a prayer for our departed coach anf friend charlie spoonhour. are we Catholics growing more complacent, less devout, even embarrassed or ashamed of our faith? from the tone set by the athletic department the other evening, i'd say 'yes'. let's work on this, and request more leadership from our university's athletic department, any any other branch at slu, when the opportunity arises. go bills! Just curious... do they have a pregame prayer at BYU or Oral Roberts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Watch this! I'm going to synthesize multiple threads over many days into a single (Friday) post: Troll, troll, troll in zhe hay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyJumpUp Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I always assumed that a "moment of silence" was so folks who wanted to say a prayer could do so. I think they did everything that was appropriate at a public athletic event. I am uncomfortable with a forced prayer among a general audience unless at a religious service. Exactly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Pine Jim Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I always assumed that a "moment of silence" was so folks who wanted to say a prayer could do so. I think they did everything that was appropriate at a public athletic event. I am uncomfortable with a forced prayer among a general audience unless at a religious service.I agree. Not every Bill fan is a Catholic who would say an organized prayer or feel comfortable hearing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I agree. Not every Bill fan is a Catholic who would say an organized prayer or feel comfortable hearing one.You're right, they aren't. But, they all made a decision to support a Catholic team. Whether they like it or not, SLU is a Catholic school. If they are uncomfortable hearing a prayer at a Catholic school, then I suggest they either refrain from coming to the games or stand in the concourse till the prayer is over. That would be a very simple solution. We're talking about a 20 - 30 sec. prayer prior to a home game held ON the campus of a Catholic school being played by a Catholic team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMDG Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 You're right, they aren't. But, they all made a decision to support a Catholic team. Whether they like it or not, SLU is a Catholic school. If they are uncomfortable hearing a prayer at a Catholic school, then I suggest they either refrain from coming to the games or stand in the concourse till the prayer is over. That would be a very simple solution. We're talking about a 20 - 30 sec. prayer prior to a home game held ON the campus of a Catholic school being played by a Catholic team. this is not a catholic team. If it was, everyone on the team would be a catholic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicCityBilliken Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Maybe we could have done a moment of silence. When I attended SLU, prior to the game we had a prayer for peace. It was during the Vietnam War. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 this is not a catholic team. If it was, everyone on the team would be a catholic.You're right, I guess. I guess we can argue semantics. They may not each be a Catholic, but they definitely play on a Catholic school team. Hence, the priest that sits at the end of the bench of every game and has for many, many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Maybe we could have done a moment of silence. When I attended SLU, prior to the game we had a prayer for peace. It was during the Vietnam War.You did! How dare you! Did it offend the sensitivites of many? After all - getting drunk, obscenities, scantilly clad women, making fun of trains, sexual innuendos, yelling degrading things at refs and opposing players - none of that phases the thick skin of our fan base, but a 20 second prayer prior to a game at a Catholic school on a Catholic campus - oh the horror! * Disclaimer - not that there is anything wrong wrong with that in bold either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills16 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 My wife teaches at a Catholic High School and before the start of the girls basketball game (girls/boys doubleheader) they have a prayer that lasts 20 to 30 seconds. It's short and sweet and to the point. They've been doing this for about the last 4 years. It would be interesting to know if they've had any negative feedback over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 this really has digressed into an OT thread and that is my fault...guess I fell for the bait of the initial post. should have known better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Socal STH Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I cannot ever remember a public prayer before the basketball games (although the team used to have a team prayer with the priest courtside before the game) and I go back to when Rich Grawer was the new coach. I think a short tribute and the moment of silence suffices for a public venue that is not a religious service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBills Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I don't have a problem with a prayer. It's a Jesuit school and it's not like it's gonna hurt anybody. A few extra prayers can only help. SLU is supposed to be a place where you can be comfortable praying without offending anyone - and not just if you're Catholic, I'm talking Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, etc. all should feel comfortable exercising some religious freedom for a coach who I've heard was a really good and deserving guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbizzle09 Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 I don't have a problem with a prayer. It's a Jesuit school and it's not like it's gonna hurt anybody. A few extra prayers can only help. SLU is supposed to be a place where you can be comfortable praying without offending anyone - and not just if you're Catholic, I'm talking Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, etc. all should feel comfortable exercising some religious freedom for a coach who I've heard was a really good and deserving guy. Thus, the moment of silence, and why it was totally appropriate. In my opinion, when a public event ends up being subjugated by one dominate opinion, whether political, social or religious, it ends up being defined by that. Say you decide that you need to have a Catholic prayer said before every game, if only to appease those Catholic members of your audience? Then you've allowed yourself to become defined as being a solely Catholic organization. You might as well tell everyone that if you don't indentify with our religion then you cannot be part of us. Best to bow your head and accept it all. And that is fine and all if you are in a church or other place of worship. However, my belief is that SLU has made it quite clear that while they were founded on Jesuit beliefs, it is not a requirement that you believe in any of it. From the last count, less than 50% of the student body identifies themselves as Catholic. Also, the school is trying to get the city as a whole to identify the basketball team as its own, not just the school's. How will it play when you push your religion on an arena full of people who are there merely to see a basketball game? The thing is, it is easy to say 'what's the big deal?' about prayer or any other religious act when you are part of said religion. It doesn't offend the person who can't be offended, as they only see the righteousness of it all. However, when dealing with other people's beliefs in a public forum, it isn't quite that easy. Basketball games are a public event. Forcing one type of religion during a public event will only tend to isolate those who don't feel the same way. And, quite frankly, there are a lot of people who attend these games, are alums, or current students, who do not feel that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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