Completely and totally unconstitutional for the feds to interfere with the free exercise of religion. USSC is way off on this one.
We have a conservative SC now? Only 2 judges dissented from the opinion that the case shouldn’t be heard?
“We conclude that the Constitution does not allow what happened in Rowan County,” the court’s opinion said. “The prayer practice served to identify the government with Christianity and risked conveying to citizens of minority faiths a message of exclusion.”
The Constitution forbids the government from indention with a religion? Even allowing that lie, the fact is that the committee could allow other faiths to pray before the meeting, and the claim that the gov ‘excluded’ anyone would be invalidated
Just pledge the flag. That will drive the haters just as nuts. Pray yourselves.
Town Meetings Can Have Prayer, Justices Decide
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, wrote that NY had not violated the constitution by holding prayer initiated by a clergyman
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/nyregion/supreme-court-allows-prayers-at-town-meetings.html
Hilarious.
So the “Supreme Court” - an institution created by Christians - now deigns to tell us what we can say.
Probably a good ruling from the Supreme Court there. I grew up in an era when prayers were said in all public schools, including mine. And I was better for it.
But it’s a different world today. Suppose some Muslim-American elected official wants to launch into an Islamic prayer right before a meeting. Would that be OK?
I think not. Better to say your prayers before you leave your house, and leave it at that.
Neither the SCOTUS nor the ACLU have any say in the matter.
Our Constitution guarantees Freedom OF Religion
The ACLU has twisted this Primary Freedom to be
180 Degrees Opposite of the intended purpose .
The Constitution does not establish freedom “FROM” religion
Prayer is not a religion , Prayer is speaking to GOD.
The SCOTUS can not refuse anyone from the Right To Pray.
North Carolina is being deprived of civil rights
[[In Monday’s closely divided decision, the court said a prayer could violate the Constitution if there was an attempt to intimidate, coerce or convert nonbelievers. ]]
The above statement is true- the constitution forbids punishment for not joining in prayer- but simply holding prayer before a meeting is NOT punishing anyone for not participating
Our constitution does NOT prevent our government from preferring one religion over another- it DOES however prevent our government from enacting laws to punish those who don’t subscribe to a particular religion the government deems acceptable-
The left have deceitfully declared that people of other faiths are ‘excluded, therefore they are punished’- But if this is the case- then Christians should declare that NOT holding prayer before meetings punishes them because they hold that God is vital to governing this country effectively
This the same supreme court that has the ten commandments on it’s front doors and is part of the Federal Government where Congress opens with a prayer and swears in the president on a bible?
Flip em the finger and do it anyway. They have no moral authority.
The one thing fedzilla fears more than anything else is widespread disobedience. They count on fear based compliance to their hypocritical orders.
Actually, it conveys to citizens of minority faiths that the USA was founded and built overwhelmingly by Christians and that such prayers have been said to open government meetings since the founders. It also tells those of minority faiths that they are comparative recent arrivals and they chose to come to a Christian majority nation.
It's now a matter of some trying to make unconstitutional practices that have been common since the beginning of the USA and before.
Does the ACLU ever go after muslims?
So ...that also applies for areas that force the Muslim call to prayer through loud speakers..right ??
I worked for a city that had prayer at the start of each meeting. They always rotated the prayer between the various pastors/preachers regardless of their professed faiths. When I bowed my head I said my prayers to the 1 true God and His son, Jesus Christ. Most them were praying to some other deity.
I just went to a wedding that was non-denominational and they said the prayer to God (father or mother), or “fill in the blank” god (both genders). It was sad...
Keep praying, folks.
The Constitution is pretty clear. Congress shall make no law . . .
Well, 3% of our nation’s population are atheists. In N.Carolina, I would guess that atheists there are in the less than 1%. Those who dont want to use this time for prayer can use it for “reflection.” That is how this was treated when I went to public schools when we still advocated both Pledge of Allegiance and morning prayer in home room.
These cases should be so easy to overturn...
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
So, did Congress make a law in this case? No?
Then the first amendment does not apply as a prohibition.
Have courage the board should say their prayer, we still have freedom of speech.
4th Circuit Court of Appeals judges for the ban on prayer:
J. Harvie Wilkinson III (Regan appointee)
Roger L. Gregory (Clinton and George W. Bush appointee)
Diana Gribbon Motz (Clinton appointee)
Robert Bruce King (Clinton appointee)
Allyson Kay Duncan (George W. Bush appointee)
James A. Wynn Jr. (Obama appointee)
Henry Franklin Floyd (Obama appointee)
Stephanie Thacker (Obama appointee)
Pamela Harris (Obama appointee)
Barbara Milano Keenan (Obama appointee)
Judges against the ban:
Paul V. Niemeyer (George W. Bush appointee)
Dennis Shedd (George W. Bush appointee)
G. Steven Agee (George W. Bush appointee)
William Byrd Traxler Jr. (Clinton appointee)
Albert Diaz (Obama appointee)
For the transcript of the ruling go here:
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca4/15-1591/15-1591-2017-07-14.html