Formation Toolbox: Offensive Cheerleaders
Somebody complained about the cheerleaders again. Only this time it wasn’t just an +18 half-time show, or skimpy uniforms. And it wasn’t just the girls. The guys were doing it too.
They were doing God. And they got caught.
That’s what the LSU Painted Posse has in common with Kountze High School cheerleaders. The Painted Posse had their crosses photoshopped right off their chests until public outcry brought the crosses back to LSU’s Facebook page. The Texas cheerleaders’ Gospel banners were shut down until a court order allowed them back on the field.
Both have become test cases for the right to preach with pompoms. Neither wanted to preach. They were just cheering their teams on. Just being who they are: believers. And someone was offended.
What’s interesting is this: the complaint that the superintendent of Kountze High School received was from the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In other words, the people who complained weren’t offended by the messages, but rather by religion itself. And they complained in the name of tolerance.
Today tolerance is often a cover for intolerance. Instead of rejecting something offensive, people like the Freedom From Religion Foundation go after anything they’re offended by, anything they don’t like, anyone they disagree with.
That’s not freedom. It’s tyranny. The tyranny of one person’s view over another’s. A swastika is one thing—it’s offensive because it stands for hatred and violence. But a cross is different. You may not believe in the cross, but you can’t say that its message of self-giving love is offensive.
When you simply silence those you disagree with, everyone loses out. We need others and their opinions. The chance to compare notes and hammer out differences is key to our quest for truth. And religious freedom, not freedom from religion, is what makes that possible.
Religion isn’t something you do. It’s part of who you are. It’s part of Painted Posse and the Kountze High School cheerleaders. When you preach who you are, religion included—whether it’s with a cross, pompoms, or just a smile—we all benefit. Religious freedom is about being yourself.
That’s not freedom. It’s tyranny. The tyranny of one person’s view over another’s. A swastika is one thing—it’s offensive because it stands for hatred and violence. But a cross is different. You may not believe in the cross, but you can’t say that its message of self-giving love is offensive.
When you simply silence those you disagree with, everyone loses out. We need others and their opinions. The chance to compare notes and hammer out differences is key to our quest for truth. And religious freedom, not freedom from religion, is what makes that possible.
Religion isn’t something you do. It’s part of who you are. It’s part of Painted Posse and the Kountze High School cheerleaders. When you preach who you are, religion included—whether it’s with a cross, pompoms, or just a smile—we all benefit. Religious freedom is about being yourself.
