On Monday, May 5, the United States Supreme Court ruled that opening a town meeting with a prayer does not violate the United States Constitution.
The Supreme Court reversed lower court rulings that the town of Greece, New York’s practice of having a prayer said as they opened town meetings, violated the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution, which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion …"
A 1983 Supreme Court decision allowed prayers at the start of legislative sessions but did not extend to more grassroots political bodies like town halls, school boards or county boards.
Judge Anthony M. Kennedy, who wrote for the majority, stated that the prayers said in Greece, New York, were ceremonial and "served to signal the solemnity of the occasion."
I agree with the Supreme Court’s decision. Allowing prayers at the beginning such meetings does no serious harm to anyone attending. I have always been confused as to how the words "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" would mean no manger scenes in front of the courthouse or a prayer at a public meeting.
Often we hear that people might be offended by such prayers. The parties that sued in Greece, New York, said the prayers made them feel excluded from the proceedings.
"Legislative bodies do not engage in impermissible coercion merely by exposing constituents to prayer they would rather not hear and in which they need not participate," said Justice Kennedy in his majority decision.
Sometimes I think we put way too much thought into hurting someone’s feelings; especially when that is not the intent.
A few years ago, I attended a funeral at an Annandale church, and part of the service included the serving of communion. My personal Christian beliefs does not include putting significance on the bread being the body of Christ and the wine, his blood.
When it came to that part of the service, I did not get up and partake in the bread and wine. Annandale, being a small town, that takes church seriously, it worried me as I sat alone in the pew that people may think I was not a Christian. I might have felt somewhat uncomfortable, but it did not occur to me that I should dishonestly take the communion in order to not draw attention to myself. I would not want the church to stop offering communion in order not to offend a few people that came to a funeral.
I also believe that if an elected body does not wish to open their meetings in prayer, it is so permitted not to do so. I would strongly object if the U.S. Congress enacted a law that said each government body across the U.S. must open all meetings with a prayer; Christian, Muslim or Wiccan.
What’s next?
I would predict, that sometime in the coming year, we will see some members of our community ask that a prayer open our city council meetings and school board meetings.
It has been easy up until now for these bodies to not have to deal with a request for prayers. The understanding has been that such prayers would be unconstitutional due to the separation of church and state.
It does not bother me that they may decide to open every meeting with a prayer and they may very well get pressure from those in the community that feel strongly about the need for more prayer.
It would not surprise me if in our school board elections next November, candidates will be asked if they would vote to require a prayer before each meeting. Would a candidate have the guts to say he or she did not support saying a prayer before each meeting?
Twenty-five years ago in the South Washington County School District, one of the school board members pushed to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited before each school board meeting. When it came up for a vote, it was 7-0 requiring the pledge be recited by the board at each meeting. I was not a part of the board at the time, but talking with members after the vote, I learned that some felt voting "no" would label them as unpatriotic.
While I have no objection to the school board or city council deciding a prayer was the best thing to start their meetings, I would vigorously oppose them telling a classroom teacher they must open their class each day with a prayer. That crosses the line.
In the schools, I do not object to student groups praying together. There has always been something special about a football or basketball team saying a prayer before a game. But such a prayer should be initiated by the students or athletes, not the coach or the school administration.