SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Sectarian Prayers in Government Meetings

In a 5-4 decision divided between conservative and liberal justices, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in the case of the Town of Greece, NY vs. Galloway that content is not an issue regarding government-sponsored prayer invocations in public meetings.   The content in question was the pervasiveness of Christian language being used to deliver invocations during the opening of the Greece, NY city council meetings.  The two plaintiffs in the case were a person of non-religion and one of Jewish faith.

In Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion, he states:

“Not only is there no historical support for the proposition that only generic prayer is allowed, but as our country has become more diverse, composing a prayer that is acceptable to all members of the community who hold religious beliefs has become harder and harder. It was one thing to compose a prayer that is acceptable to both Christians and Jews; it is much harder to compose a prayer that is also acceptable to followers of Eastern religions that are now well represented in this country. Many local clergy may find the project daunting, if not impossible, and some may feel that they cannot in good faith deliver such a vague prayer.”

Without realizing it, Justice Alito hit the nail right on the head as to exactly why prayer should not be allowed in government meetings, which are designed to be a platform to give representation to everyone, especially those in the minority.

But once again, the Supreme Court has it all wrong.  This ruling only serves to provide the majority with the say on which religion should be most represented in government meetings.  When in fact, none should be represented at all.

To read the entire transcript of the Court’s opinions, please click here