After Supreme Court ruling, do religious minorities have a prayer?

[Madison Hoover]

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2014/05/05/supreme-court-religious-mi...

In this article, it it is "Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's advice for atheists and others who object to sectarian prayers before government meetings." In New York they are now starting to pray before meetings. They ruled this by majority rule and have started to do this. They say most of the members who voted are Christians, and they are some other religious people who have voted against it. "The prayer united the mostly Christian Founding Fathers, and the rest is history, Kennedy writes" I also believe what Kennedy does, that prayer can change significant things. It is crazy how much the Lord works in little ways. Can you imagine what politics would be like if the Lord was guiding it? This article was really interesting and may be the start of something.

[Georgia Craven]

     I think it is interesting that people from other religions are mad and are claiming to be treated unfairly. I am sure if they wanted to pray or participate in whatever practice their religion calls for they would be allowed to as well. From what I gathered from the article, the decision made did not declare that only Christian prayers were allowed. It seems to me that people who are not Christians want Christians to have limited rights even though our Constitution specifically declares freedom of religion.

     The Bible calls to us to bold and stand up for our faith, so I think it is great that people are fighting for the right to pray before government meetings. People are not always going to approve of these types of actions, but Jesus warned His followers that persecution would come. This story reminds me of Daniel and how he boldly prayed to God despite Nebuchadnezzer's laws against it. In the end, God protected Him and blessed him for doing the right thing. I think the same goes for us today. Despite trials and persecution, we have to hold onto our rights and be bold.

[Emily Greetham]

The separation between Church and State is always going to be an issue for the United States. In the 5-4 ruling this past week, the Supreme Court is has decided to continue to allow prayer before monthly town board meetings in Greece, New York. The argument against this was initially brought up by an atheist and a Jewish citizen who believe that the "benedictions are almost always explicitly Christian." Although the evidence is not always as easy to see as it should be, America is a Christian country founded upon Christian beliefs and it is frustrating that something as simple and honorable as prayer should have to be constantly fought upon. All other religions are respected in general, and the beliefs of other religions are not compromised by having prayer at the beginning of the town board meeting. The attendees are by no means forced to participate in the prayer, therefore not truly offending or harming the beliefs of other religions or no religion at all. I believe the prayer is a great attempt to keep Christianity alive in the government of America without hurting the beliefs of others. It is frustrating that several people continue to still think this prayer is not acceptable.

My address to this problem would be to remind people that they ought to be content with the system the way it is now because there is no suppression of any religion. I think the best thing for the people who feel that several government actions are explicitly Christian is to remind them of the freedom of religion that America upholds and to encourage them to practice their faith in whatever ways are permissible. Although Christianity is basically the founding religion of our country, it does not experience many more freedoms than do other religions. Faith influences my answer because I believe strongly in Jesus Christ and His role as Savior; because of this firm belief, I am an advocate that people should be free to express that in any setting, including during government activities. However, I am not foolish to think no other religion exists and that those believers do not deserve the same freedoms as Christians. As long as there is freedom of religion (which there clearly is), I do not think prayers before a board meeting is a issue to be dealt with at all. 

[Hayden Whisenhunt]

In this article the main problem was that in Greece City, New York a governmental meeting was opened with a prayer.  Two ladies protested this and took it to court.  In the end, it got voted on and it a 5-4 ruling that it was okay to open up the meeting with a prayer.  I agree that this is okay. 

Nobody was forced to say the prayer.  This opening with a prayer is a traditional thing and America should not have to change just because new comers get offended.  I believe that Christians get persecuted against more than any other religion.  If a Muslim had opened up this meeting with a traditional prayer to Allah, it most likely would have been viewed as a beautiful thing that America is so diverse and accepting.  I think that if the two women who complained, or anybody who is unhappy with the prayer for that matter of fact, should just choose not to participate, which was an option, and just take it as a moment of silence to pray to their God or reflect on their own lives. 

[Emily Austin]

I agree that this is a wonderful thing and such an accomplishment. I do think that is teaches us a valuable lesson in tolerance. There are non Christians expressing concerns because they feel repressed, as Christians we should reach out to them and invite them to pray in whatever way their religion dictates. This is a great opportunity for the community to grow together and become aware of each others wants and needs.