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WASHINGTON — When Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, and Linda Stephens, an atheist, complained about the Christian prayers at town board meetings in Greece, N.Y., they were told they could "leave the room or just not listen," Galloway said.
"We felt like outcasts," Galloway said. "We are not Christians, but we wanted to be at the meetings. When the minister was at the podium, it felt like a pulpit."
On Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal of a lower court decision in their favor in a case that could lead to a significant shift in law separating church and state and free city councils to open their meetings with explicitly Christian prayers.
In the past, the court has upheld traditional opening invocations that call for God's blessing. "To invoke divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making laws is not an 'establishment' of religion," Chief Justice Warren Burger said in a 1983 decision upholding the invocations before the Nebraska Legislature. The justices could hardly rule otherwise, since their public meetings begin with a marshal proclaiming: "God save the United States and this honorable court."
But it has been much disputed across the country whether town councils or county boards can regularly invite Christian ministers to open their public meetings with prayers to Jesus Christ.
In Greece, a suburb of Rochester, the board for more than seven years had begun its monthly meetings with a prayer led by one of the town's Christian pastors. Sometimes, the dozen or so attendees were asked to stand and bow their heads.
Lawyers for the town said the court should adopt a hands-off approach and free cities and counties from second-guessing by judges. Courts have no business acting as "theological censors, deciding whether particular prayers are too religious or too 'sectarian,'" they said. The Obama administration's lawyers largely agreed and filed a brief on the town's side.
Invocations of specific deities, saints, prophets, etc., such as Jesus Christ, Allah, Yahweh, Jehovah, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Buddha, Krishna, Isis, etc.
Invocation of a specific faith's deities to the near or total exclusion of other faiths' deities, i.e., your state legislature quotes only biblical scripture and invokes only Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, but never invokes deities or entities representing other faiths or denominations.
Prayer leaders are clergy members or religious leaders, who represent only one particular faith, to the near or total exclusion of other faiths, i.e., your city council's prayer leaders are all Catholic priests.
Prayer content includes disparaging and denigrating remarks about certain faiths, beliefs or non-beliefs.
Prayer content includes indications of preference for one particular faith or belief over another or others.
Prayer content encourages listeners (government body members, visitors, and/or citizens) to follow the tenets of a specific or any faith or belief.
Prayer content indicates that our government (local, state, and/or federal) and/or laws should be subject to religious laws and principles.
The prayer leaders, be they clergy or government officials, address and refer to visitors attending the government body meeting and/or citizens (whether local, state or federal), especially if requesting visitors and citizens to participate in the prayers or calling upon visitors and citizens to behave in a certain manner as a response to the prayers. Additionally, any public broadcasts of the prayers, including, but not limited to, television, cable, radio, and internet broadcasts, may provide further indication that a legislative body is religiously exhorting citizens.
Government body members, officials, administrators, and staff, as well as visitors and anyone else who might be present at the public meeting, are denied the opportunity not to participate or be absent during the prayer.
Prayer leaders, be they clergy or government officials, are paid for leading the prayer, including such reimbursement as stipends, per diems, mileage allowances, parking spaces, as well as publicity and promotion.
Prayers at Government Meetings - Freedom From Religion Foundation
Supreme Court to hear case on separating church and state - latimes.com
WASHINGTON When Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, and Linda Stephens, an atheist, complained about the Christian prayers at town board meetings in Greece, N.Y., they were told they could "leave the room or just not listen," Galloway said.
"We felt like outcasts," Galloway said. "We are not Christians, but we wanted to be at the meetings. When the minister was at the podium, it felt like a pulpit."
On Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal of a lower court decision in their favor in a case that could lead to a significant shift in law separating church and state and free city councils to open their meetings with explicitly Christian prayers.
In the past, the court has upheld traditional opening invocations that call for God's blessing. "To invoke divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making laws is not an 'establishment' of religion," Chief Justice Warren Burger said in a 1983 decision upholding the invocations before the Nebraska Legislature. The justices could hardly rule otherwise, since their public meetings begin with a marshal proclaiming: "God save the United States and this honorable court."
But it has been much disputed across the country whether town councils or county boards can regularly invite Christian ministers to open their public meetings with prayers to Jesus Christ.
In Greece, a suburb of Rochester, the board for more than seven years had begun its monthly meetings with a prayer led by one of the town's Christian pastors. Sometimes, the dozen or so attendees were asked to stand and bow their heads.
Additionally;
Lawyers for the town said the court should adopt a hands-off approach and free cities and counties from second-guessing by judges. Courts have no business acting as "theological censors, deciding whether particular prayers are too religious or too 'sectarian,'" they said. The Obama administration's lawyers largely agreed and filed a brief on the town's side.
I'm guessing he forgot he's a Muslim.
This is going to be a landmark decision, I would think.
Supreme Court to hear case on separating church and state - latimes.com
WASHINGTON When Susan Galloway, who is Jewish, and Linda Stephens, an atheist, complained about the Christian prayers at town board meetings in Greece, N.Y., they were told they could "leave the room or just not listen," Galloway said.
"We felt like outcasts," Galloway said. "We are not Christians, but we wanted to be at the meetings. When the minister was at the podium, it felt like a pulpit."
On Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal of a lower court decision in their favor in a case that could lead to a significant shift in law separating church and state and free city councils to open their meetings with explicitly Christian prayers.
In the past, the court has upheld traditional opening invocations that call for God's blessing. "To invoke divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making laws is not an 'establishment' of religion," Chief Justice Warren Burger said in a 1983 decision upholding the invocations before the Nebraska Legislature. The justices could hardly rule otherwise, since their public meetings begin with a marshal proclaiming: "God save the United States and this honorable court."
But it has been much disputed across the country whether town councils or county boards can regularly invite Christian ministers to open their public meetings with prayers to Jesus Christ.
In Greece, a suburb of Rochester, the board for more than seven years had begun its monthly meetings with a prayer led by one of the town's Christian pastors. Sometimes, the dozen or so attendees were asked to stand and bow their heads.
Additionally;
Lawyers for the town said the court should adopt a hands-off approach and free cities and counties from second-guessing by judges. Courts have no business acting as "theological censors, deciding whether particular prayers are too religious or too 'sectarian,'" they said. The Obama administration's lawyers largely agreed and filed a brief on the town's side.
I'm guessing he forgot he's a Muslim.
This is going to be a landmark decision, I would think.
It's being done by low level peons, so obama has no idea this is going on.
If he does, his other claims of ignorance are......
If it were imam's leading prayers of islam you can bet the reaction would be different.
Christians have slaughtered scores of millions in the name of Jesus Christ during the two millennia since His birth.
Christians have slaughtered scores of millions in the name of Jesus Christ during the two millennia since His birth.
Christians have slaughtered scores of millions in the name of Jesus Christ during the two millennia since His birth.
No reply would have been a better choice.
we are at war with islam, try to grasp that.
If it were imam's leading prayers of islam you can bet the reaction would be different.
How many christians have brought down towers in the name of christ or god?
What does that have to do with a SCOTUS SCS ruling?
Christians have slaughtered scores of millions in the name of Jesus Christ during the two millennia since His birth.
And of course Islam has not slaughtered Christians since they began either right? But more to the point since about 1700 which religion has killed more of the other over religion?
