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Prayer Before Government Meetings Under Attack |
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Prayer-Soldier writes "On 6 Jan 10, the Smoky Mountain News reported that a federal magistrate has recommended limits on ;; prayer before government meetings in Forsyth County, North Carolina. ;; According to the report, “Magistrate Judge Trevor Sharp determined that Forsyth County commissioners failed to remain religiously neutral. Even though they invited outside clergy of different denominations to deliver invocations before meetings, their prayers overwhelmingly referred to Jesus Christ...”
The report related that the lawsuit was brought by two Forsyth County residents “who said they felt coerced to stand for the prayer, alienated as county residents, and less inclined to attend county meetings.”
While the issue awaits a judge's ruling in North Carolina, a Wisconsin based non-profit organization is seeking to end the practice of prayer at Tampa Bay, Florida, City Council Meetings. On 1 Jan 10, Ledger.com reported that Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, wrote Mayor Pam Iorio and council members of the Tampa Bay City Council and stated, “Government prayer is unnecessary, inappropriate and divisive." She also related that requiring people to rise and pray, is coercive and embarrassing.
On 3 Jan 10, the Herald Tribune reported that the Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent letters to various government institutions threatening lawsuits over prayer at official events. The report related, “In some instances, the threat of legal action has prompted changes by local governments. This month, the school board in Akron, Ohio, removed the words 'belief in God' from its mission statement after the group warned that it would file a legal challenge.”
The Tampa Bay controversy apparently arose as the result of a 10 Sep 09 meeting where Council member Linda Saul-Sena, who is Jewish, criticized a speaker for ending a prayer with a request that the City Council be blessed in the name of Jesus Christ. Ledger.com reported that Saul-Sena suggested “that future speakers consult a brochure on how best to give a public prayer in a diverse society.”
As the issue simmers in the east over prayer, in the west, an Issaquah, Washington resident has petitioned the City Council to stop reciting the pledge of allegiance before county meetings. According to a 5 Jan 10 Issaquah Press report, “longtime Issaquah Highlands resident Matt Barry said the pledge should be eliminated because the oath is offensive to atheists and irrelevant to city business.” The report quoted Barry as saying, “I don’t think anyone would conclude that the city is doing its best to treat atheists with dignity and respect by asking them to stand and contradict their personally held beliefs.”
Numerous law suits over the issue of prayer have been raised over the years in relation to the First Amendment which states in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;...” Religious freedom was the vision of our national founders, yet, the very effort to codify that freedom is the same that is being used to restrict it.
If the vision of the founding fathers was to prevent prayer at government events, then it seems odd that the practice was not restricted from the beginning. The First Congress opened its sessions with prayer. The Constitution restricts Congress from legislating religion, but it does not impose upon government the requirement for the total suppression of religion. In the same amendment, Congress is prohibited from imposing any law that restricts religious freedom. It seems that the courts, however, are not faced with the same prohibition.
The traditions of a government body does not constitute legislation. There is no requirement that anyone attending such an event must join in the prayer that may be offered. While atheists may find prayer unnecessary, they should should be no more offended by it than any other form of tradition. Judicial imposition of the suppression of religion as the remedy to enforce the Constitutional restriction from legislation which establishes religion seems to be excessive and contradictory to the Constitutional protection of religious freedom.
Cited Articles and Posts
Smoky Mountain News (6 Jan 10)
http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/01_10/01_06_10/fr_latest_prayer.html
Issaquah Press (5 Jan 10)
http://www.issaquahpress.com/2010/01/05/resident-who-asked-issaquah-school-board-to-drop-pledge-asks-city-council-to-follow-suit/
Tampabay.com (4 Jan 10)
http://blogs.tampabay.com/baybuzz/2010/01/atheists-weigh-in-on-prayer-at-tampa-council-meetings.html
Herald Tribune (3 Jan 10)
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100103/ARTICLE/1031040/-1/NEWSSITEMAP?tc=ar
The Ledger (1 Jan 10)
http://www.theledger.com/article/20100101/NEWS/1015029/1134?Title=Prayer-Under-Fire-Wisconsin-Group-Opposes-Praying-Before-City-Meetings&tc=ar"
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Posted on Wednesday, January 06 @ 22:21:49 MST by admin
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