When Pastor Gerry Stoltzfoos was invited to open the Pennsylvania State House session with an invocation, he was shocked – shocked, I say! – to learn that the legislative body's guidelines prohibit sectarian prayer, in keeping with Supreme Court rulings protecting the religious liberty of all citizens (and to keep the good people of the Keystone State from having to fork over barrels of tax money to lawyers). Refusing to edit his prayer to remove specifically Christian references though, Stoltzfoos was given another option: pray at the State Senate, which has yet to enact similar protections.
[S]tate Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Chambersburg, invited Stoltzfoos — a man he's never met — to offer a prayer before the Senate opens session on July 29. . . .
The senator said he was "shocked" by the House policy and checked into whether the Senate has similar rules. After finding that the Senate does not enforce the same guidelines, Alloway said he extended the invitation to Stoltzfoos.
"I was a little disappointed when I saw what the House's policy was," Alloway said. "This government should not be antagonistic toward any religion."
Time and again, courts have ruled that legislative invocations constitute government speech and as such should not be used to promote a particular faith. Ceremonial prayers understandably raise eyebrows of people of faith. I certainly don't begrudge any member of the clergy who refuses to go along with government-sponsored, generic prayers. In fact it's entirely appropriate to decline such an invitation if you ask me.
But if we are going to have public meetings opened with prayer, the Constitution requires a compromise of sorts, to retain the appearance of government neutrality toward religion, and out of respect for the religious freedoms of the rich diversity of beliefs elected officials represent.
Alloway shouldn't be "shocked" that his cohorts in the House have sought to protect the taxpayer from the costly litigation that results from the violation of First Amendment freedoms. Constituents have a right to expect both their money and their liberties to be more competently ensured by elected officials. Here's hoping that by July 29, Stoltzfoos and Alloway have a change of heart, for the sake of taxpaying Pennsylvanians of all faiths.
