Opinion

‘Tebowing’ for trouble?

The Issue: Whether the emulation of Tim Tebow’s prayer gesture should be allowed in public schools.

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It’s amazing that two brothers were suspended for a week from a public school for praying or at least being on one knee (“Special-Kneed Kids,” Dec. 17).

I guess the Riverhead Board of Education thought to punish them for setting a good example. No wonder most families send their kids to private school as soon as they can afford that route.

Gary Cella

Greenwich, Conn.

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Depending on how you look at it, the students who were “Tebowing” were engaging in harmless fun or paying tribute to someone who is worthy of the term “role model.”

The bottom line is that these kids were warned by the school administration not to do it anymore. Whether school officials were motivated by safety concerns, as they say, or other reasons does not matter.

The kids didn’t listen and should be reprimanded.

P. Kelly

Hazlet, NJ

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The spectacle of Tim Tebow thanking Jesus Christ every time he completes a pass or runs for a touchdown is jarring.

I’m watching football, not a religious service. By any standard, this is self-indulgent public prayer and Tebow should know better.

Jesus was not in favor of public prayer.

He felt that those who prayed wanting to be heard by others reeked of hypocrisy.

In Matthew 6:5, Jesus said, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.”

If Tebow’s as pious as he claims, he should pay attention to these teachings.

Larry Shapiro

Rancho Mirage, Calif.

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The principal’s reasoning is seriously flawed.

The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

J. Iorio

Redlands, Calif.