Live and Let Live

The Fort Oglethorpe debate over cheerleaders’ signs has reached a national level. The cheerleaders put bible verses on their signs. Now eight years down the road, someone has spoken out against it, and the signs have been eliminated.
Let’s start by acknowledging that I am biased. I am a Christian, and that colors my perspective, just like any defining attribute would. However, despite my personal beliefs, I also believe strongly in separation of church and state. Why? Because other people hold their beliefs just as strongly as I do. Their creed is just as important to them as mine is to me.
That is not to say that I believe in relative truth. I believe that truth is simply truth. It is an unbending standard and doesn’t change from person to person. I believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” However, I am willing to respect the beliefs of others, even though I think they are incorrect.
I think that individuals have the right to embrace and express their personal beliefs. I can’t give enough support to the people in the stands holding signs. But there is a problem when government institutions endorse one set of beliefs as the cheerleaders did.
Having said that, let’s not be legalistic. Don’t spoil someone else’s joy just because you have the constitutional right to do it. One woman complained about the signs. Was she really genuinely offended by them? Or was she just being nasty because she knew she would win?
Here’s my policy:
1. Nobody should be a bully—not on either side of any argument.
2. And, as far as it is possible, live and let live.