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On Monday’s edition of ABC's show "The View," “Fuller House” star Candace Cameron Bure defended Joe Kennedy, a public high school football coach in Bremerton, Washington. Kennedy prays on the field after games, and his players have the option to join him. Citing the separation of church and state, the Bremerton school district has told Kennedy to stop. The coach is defying the order and the two sides are currently negotiating.
Coach Kennedy was the "Hot Topic" on Monday's "The View." Co-host Paula Faris asked, "Isn't he violating the federal law that bans prayer in schools?"
"No," Bure said, "because in our Constitution, separation of church and state, does not mean that we cannot pray publicly. It actually guarantees our free exercise of religion so that, if it is voluntary, we are allowed to pray wherever we would like to."
Raven-Symoné, another co-host, asked, "So, why did they take prayer out of the beginning of school and now it is just silence to recognize the other types of [faiths or lack of faith]?"
"I don't know, but I wish they wouldn't have," Bure replied.
"That's not fair to somebody who doesn't pray,” Symoné said. “I shouldn't have to pray."
Bure told Symoné that those who don't want to pray don't have to because prayer is voluntary.
"If people would actually put more effort into prayer than to fight prayer, you would see a whole difference in this country to see the power of prayer," Bure said.