KCCI.com, IA
05-31-07
ACLU Asks ISU To Reject Chaplain Plan
Group Says Role Is 'Religious Chaperone'
DES MOINES, Iowa -- A proposal to create a chaplain for Iowa State
University's football team is creating a stir.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa submitted a letter Thursday to the university's president requesting that he reject a proposal to have a chaplain for the school's football team.
The ACLU's Executive Director Ben Stone said in the letter that religious advice should be left to the sectarian community.
He said the chaplain job is essentially the role of a "religious chaperone."
"Student athletes at a public university should not be subjected to either actual or perceived pressure from teammates or coaches to accept counseling and advice from a religious advisor. Nor should a public school embark on a mission of providing or sanctioning religious advice," Stone said in his letter.
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