Written by Don Byrd
The Supreme Court’s decision in Galloway v. Town of Greece was a disappointment to be sure. The Court ruled that government invocations opening local council meetings need not be nonsectarian. For cities like Greece lacking in congregations of minority faiths, that means all Christian prayers most all the time, so long as they are not demeaning to the faith of others.
One good thing to result, however, from the ruling and the attention it brought to the issue: more and more governments are having to come to terms with demands for inclusivity and equal access.
The LATimes reports that Greece recently opened their meeting with an invocation from an atheist:
There was no mention of God or Jesus, and the word “holy” was not uttered. One man stood silently in back holding a sign reading “Jesus Saves, Ye Must Be Born Again,” but he remained silent as Courtney spoke before an attentive crowd inside the red-brick Town Hall. There were no walkouts or rolling of eyes, and when Courtney had finished, the board moved onto local business.
Supporters of Galloway and Stephens, though, say that the moment was historic and that even though the nation’s highest court ruled against them, it sent a message that lawmakers cannot trumpet Christianity at the expense of other beliefs.
“The silver lining here is that the Supreme Court made clear if local governments are going to start their meetings with prayers, they must be inclusive,” said Gregory Lipper, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which filed suit against Greece.
Read the whole thing.
