Councilman Not Allowed to Pray in the 'Name of Jesus' at City Meetings
Via Jim Bowden over at Bacon's Rebellion, it seems as if even the local press hasn't picked up on this story: The vigil will be held on Tuesday, May 23, at 7:00 P.M., in front of the Fredericksburg, Virginia, City Hall building. The location is 715 Princess Anne Street.
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Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments, “We are gathering in support of the Rev. Hashmeal Turner’s right to pray according to his own faith tradition. No one should be told how they are to pray by civil authorities. The First Amendment affords every American the right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience and faith practice. By denying Councilman Turner the right to pray in the ‘Name of Jesus,’ the City of Fredericksburg is crushing the principles of religious freedom and liberty. Both are cornerstones of a free and open society." If I can make it, I'll be there tomorrow.
Who's with me?
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Shaun Kenney 
1 Comments:
So yes, in theory if one held any faith whatsoever, you could pray before Fredericksburg City Council meetings.
Most of this is politically motivated payback. Traditional politics don't apply in Fredericksburg, so you have a faction opposed to one developer in particular (Carl Silver) and another faction willing to be very hands-off with Celebrate Virginia. No Republicans, no Democrats. Mix-and-match with some unlikely alliances.
If Turner were not a supporter of Celebrate Virginia and Carl Silver, I would imagine this would not be an issue and it would melt away. It's poorly motivated IMHO.
That having been said, a person should be allowed to invoke a prayer before a public meeting -- and even be specific about whom they are praying to, provided there is a clear separation between public business and private prayer. Prayer during a meeting could be considered coercive (though such prayer is consistently held before Congress every day), while prayer before a meeting is voluntary and in perfect accord with Fredericksburg tradition.
Fredericksburg is the home of Jefferson's Declaration of Religious Freedom, after all. But I'm just bragging on my hometown now... :)
Religious beliefs are a part of one's character, and we shouldn't be expected to check them at the courthouse door in order to be good public servants.
But that's my take.
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