Sectarian Prayers do not belong there
Sheesh!
If you watch the video attached to this story you can only shake your head and wonder what is wrong with these people. The judge ruled that sectarian prayers do not belong in the Forsyth County Commissioners meetings. So what do they do? Right after the ruling they have yet another Christian preacher issue the invocation, blatantly and deliberately praying “Father God, I pray in the name of Jesus… ”
She (that pastor) says its an honor to “stand up for what i believe in”. WTF? She believes in violating a court order or judge’s ruling? She believes in flaunting ubiquitous Christian privilege where no privilege should exist?
What is it about Christians that they seem to not realize that the law applies equally to all people, including them? Why do they not understand that sectarian prayers are NOT appropriate in a government function?
I don’t know (or care) when it became common practice to open government meetings with religious prayer, but it’s time for such nonsense to stop. If civic leaders feel unable to exercise diligent leadership without calling on their Invisible Friend(s) for support and guidance, there is a real problem. Government leaders are not there to do the will of their personal god or gods. They are elected into office to serve the people who elected them, and to serve ALL of their constituents, including those who might have voted for someone else.
Whoever wins an election to public office (president, senator, mayor, county commissioner, whatever) HAS to serve ALL the people in their jurisdiction. The ONLY way they can do that effectively is to leave their Invisible Friend(s) at home. You cannot serve the people AND serve your Invisible Friend.
The law allows government meetings to open with generic NON-sectarian prayers, or with NO prayers at all. Clearly, we realize opening prayers aren’t helpful anyway (I assure you, EVERYone at such meetings already has an agenda, and a superstitious prayer to an Invisible Friend isn’t going to change that), and sectarian prayers automatically alienate everyone who isn’t a fan of your particular Invisible Friend. But if you feel you just can’t kick the addiction to superstition, and you just have to pray, you have to pray in such a way that EVERYone can say “amen”.
And I’d be willing to bet all of these selfish and short-sighted bigots in Forsyth would fairly die of apoplexy if an imam wanted to issue the invocation and call upon Allah. So why don’t they understand that publicly praying in a government meeting “In Jesus’ Name” is just as offensive?
