Bob Allen at Associated Baptist Press reports a federal magistrate in North Carolina has ruled Forsyth County's practice of opening board meetings with distinctly Christian prayers unconstitutional. In his decision (pdf), Trevor Sharpe argues that Supreme Court and 4th Circuit precedent is clear: prayers opening government meetings are government speech, and must not advance any one particular faith.
The undisputed record shows that the prayers delivered at the outset of Board meetings… referred to Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ or Savior with overwhelming frequency. . . . These prayers as a whole cannot be considered nonsectarian or civil prayer. They display a preference for Christianity over other religions by the government. The frequent references to Jesus Christ cause the prayers to promote one religion over all others, and thus the effect of these prayers is to affiliate the Board with a specific faith or belief. . . . Defendant's prayer alienates those whose beliefs differ from Christian beliefs, and divides citizens along religious lines.
It is certainly easy to understand why some clergy would not wish to deliver nonsectarian prayer. For many, the specifics of their Christian faith, for example, is central to every invocation. But the solution to that dilemma is not to merely plow ahead with Christian praise at government meetings and force non-Christians to just deal with it. The solution is for government to get out of the business of offering prayers. The Constitution does not demand that solution, but – coupled today's incredible diversity of beliefs – certainly invites it.
