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Phoenix attorney Dianne Post was "utterly shocked" when a Maricopa County Board of Supervisors meeting opened with a Christian prayer.
After researching a year of meetings and discovering that prayer was routinely offered, Post filed a complaint in July with the help of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, saying the prayer is unconstitutional. Post and the Wisconsin-based foundation then filed a similar complaint in August against the Phoenix City Council. She is working on a similar complaint against the Scottsdale City Council.
The Grove City [Pa.] Area School District Board of School Directors voted Sept. 10 "to eliminate prayer" at meetings, according to a Sept. 13 letter to the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
School Solicitor Timothy McNickle was responding to a July 10 letter of complaint from FFRF and a Sept. 5 follow-up letter about the illegal prayers.
The board voted in June against changing the prayer to a moment of silence, which led to FFRF Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert's first letter. In it, she reminded the board of numerous court rulings that said scheduled prayer at school board meetings is unconstitutional.
McNickle and Superintendent Richard Mextorf then told the board that it was unlikely that the prayer would meet legal scrutiny and recommended a moment of silence instead.
Grove City is the second Pennsylvania board to recently drop prayer after getting an FFRF letter. Big Spring [Newville, Pa.] Board President Wilbur Wolf announced Aug. 28 that “prayer will be removed from future meeting agendas to avoid the potential cost of legal action against the board and Big Spring School District.”
The Foundation also sent letters in August to three other Pennsylvania school boards. Octorara Area School Board in Atglen suspended its usual recitation of the Lord’s Prayer until further review of FFRF’s request. Greencastle-Antrim School Board in Greencastle has gone to a moment of silence for the moment. FFRF is awaiting word from Eastern Lancaster County School Board in New Holland.
"Courts look askance at the imposition of religious ritual by public school boards," said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "Students are often represented on boards or attend meetings. They must be afforded the same protections of freedom of conscience as in the classroom."
I see it going on in my life. I will say though that where I see it happening the community is very homogeneous.
I suspect it will continue at meetings, etc. until someone objects and then they have no choice but to end it.
Until then, if that's what the people want in their community I say let them continue it.
If there is only one God, then He is the God of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and all other religions, and is merely called by different names. If there are multiple gods, you may get bad results if you pray to the wrong one. Or you may get no results whatever from petitioning a deity.
Offering a distinctly Christian prayer is in direct opposition to Separation of Church and State, because the government entity is then in a position of promoting Christianity over other religions.
If there is only one God, then He is the God of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and all other religions, and is merely called by different names. If there are multiple gods, you may get bad results if you pray to the wrong one. Or you may get no results whatever from petitioning a deity.
Offering a distinctly Christian prayer is in direct opposition to Separation of Church and State, because the government entity is then in a position of promoting Christianity over other religions.
It would be the people doing it. If the community is Christian and no one objects then what is the harm ?
It is among themselves.
It would be the people doing it. If the community is Christian and no one objects then what is the harm ?
It is among themselves.
If the community is Muslim then it's okay? Where the outrage was white hot if a Senator took an oath on a Quran vs. a Bible even though that was a false story...but this is okay? If the community supports racial segregation then it's okay? If the community supports marriage of a 52-yr-old man to a 12 year old...that's okay? It's among themselves!
That's why we have the rule of law, that applies across the board to ALL for the one & simple rule is that we are all equal UNDER THE LAW, if and only if we follow the law.
If the community is Muslim then it's okay? Where the outrage was white hot if a Senator took an oath on a Quran vs. a Bible even though that was a false story...but this is okay? If the community supports racial segregation then it's okay? If the community supports marriage of a 52-yr-old man to a 12 year old...that's okay? It's among themselves!
That's why we have the rule of law, that applies across the board to ALL for the one & simple rule is that we are all equal UNDER THE LAW, if and only if we follow the law.
At the local level you have a more homogenous group. How do we know today what goes on in local communities ? We don't until someone objects and brings it to the press.
There's a difference between saying a prayer and under age marriage or do you not realize that ?
Are you saying that a group of like minded individuals saying a prayer before a meeting is as bad as allowing under age marriage ?
And if you don't live there and attend meetings then you have no idea what is going on regarding a prayer before meetings. So what's it to YOU, personally ?
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