The Wichita City Council rejected a request from church-state advocates to end the practice of opening official meetings with prayer.
"Any member of the city council or staff can freely pray any time of the day or may come together as a group in private before conducting city business," [AU's Vickie] Stangl told the council.
She's right. Members of the Council are not being asked to stop praying, and prayer would not be outlawed in City Hall, of course. They can pray all day – and probably should – both privately and in groups. The only issue is whether prayer should be a part of official government business, which is conducted on behalf of all constituents.
