A federal judge will soon rule in a North Carolina case on prayer in government meetings.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against Forsyth County, North Carolina, two years ago for opening Commissioner meetings with prayer. Greensboro television station WFMY spoke with Katy Parker of the North Carolina ACLU, who points the suit to one incident. Of this specific prayer, Parker says, "It was in Jesus' [name]. They talked about the virgin birth. They talked about Jesus dying for all of us on the cross on Calvary." Parker says, "It was sectarian throughout the entire prayer." One of the plaintiffs in the suit, Janet Joyner, finds that offering prayers in a sectarian manner "denies the individual the right to pray to whomever they want to pray or to however they address their transcendent understandings." County Commissioner Gloria Whisenhut argues that the county policy is not sectarian as it involves all faiths. "We have Mormons [and] Jewish. We've had an array of different faiths," she establishes. Don Baity, pastor of Berean Baptist Church, disagrees with the suit. "It just seems that we're concerned about the minority that's offended," he contends. "I'm offended as a Christian when they tell me that I can't pray in Jesus' name and they take my First Amendment right away from me when everything in this country works by majority rule." As the county residents await the federal court decision, Mike Johnson of the Alliance Defense Fund says the stakes are high. He reports that this case is one of three which the ACLU has filed around the country in attempt to wipe out sectarian references in public invocations. (Listen to audio report) "This is really a battle over whether or not someone can pray in Jesus' name -- and if the courts do not agree with us, then that will change more than 230 years of American history where we have recorded incidents of public prayer in public settings specifically to Jesus' name," says Johnson. "They claim it's unconstitutional, and of course we completely disagree." Johnson further argues that the Board of Commissioners in Forsyth County permits people of other faiths to pray. "They do," he begins. "They have an open door policy where they literally send out an invitation letter annually to every religious leader in the community that's served, so that's an open-door policy. It's not an endorsement of Christianity." The ACLU currently represents two individuals who say they feel they are in enemy territory when someone prays in the name of Jesus. A decision is expected in a few weeks.
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