Ole Miss Football Coach under Fire for Tweeting Bible Verses
- Updated Apr 12, 2017
An atheist group is arguing that a University of Mississippi football coach should be banned from posting Bible verses and other faith-inspired content on social media.
Relevant Magazine reports that Coach Hugh Freeze often tweets out Bible verses and uplifting, faith-filled content, such as this recent tweet:
Whatever commands the love of our hearts also shapes the direction or our lives; what we worship controls our choices, words, and emotions
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) April 6, 2017
Although such tweets may seem harmless, atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a press statement saying that Freeze should not be allowed to post such content as an employee of the University.
A “concerned citizen” apparently notified the FFRF about Freeze’s conduct. “Though we respect Freeze’s right to tweet as a private citizen,” the statement read, “he may not promote his personal religious beliefs while acting in his capacity as a University employee.”
However, the Liberty Institute has told Ole Miss to “ignore the letter” and that Freeze has every right to tweet about faith-based content.
“The First Amendment protects the right of Americans like Coach Freeze to engage in religious expression on their personal Twitter accounts,” said Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at Liberty Institute.
According to Relevant, this is not the first time Freeze’s faith has been the subject of conversation. In 2014, he was one of the coaches featured in a Washington Post article exploring how faith and football tend to be intertwined, particularly in the South.
Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com
Publication date: April 12, 2017
