Weekly Poll: Should City Council Meetings Open with Prayers?
Weekly Poll: Should City Council Meetings Open with Prayers? Thursday September 13, 2007 Many different communities in America have problems with government organizations trying to inject religion into official business. By far the most popular means is to recite a prayer, preferably a specifically Christian prayer, at the start of meetings council meetings, school board meetings, etc. This isn’t even a uniquely American problem because some communities in Canada are enduring the same things. In America, popular defense of this ritual is the First Amendment free speech and freedom of religion but the First Amendment only applies to the actions of private individuals acting as individuals, not people acting as government officials an on behalf of the government. I can go knocking on doors to hand out religious literature, but a police officer cant give you Bible tracts with your speeding ticket. Devout Christians who enter public service, like serving on town councils, are sometimes una
