Yesterday, in a split (5-4) decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that government functions can begin with prayers, including prayers specific to a single religion (usually, but not necessarily, Christian) as long as no religion is advanced or disparaged, and residents aren\’t coerced.
That, to me, is ridiculous.
I certainly support freedom of religion. And I certainly support the freedom of anyone, in or out of government, to pray to any God they believe in, any way they choose.
But it is a contradiction in terms to claim that, at a non-religious meeting which might include people of different religious faiths, or no faith at all, a specific religion\’s prayer (whether Christian, or Jewish, Muslim or any other), does not advance that religion. Nor does it make sense that invoking a prayer for one religion alone (i.e. this one is in, those other ones are out), is not disparaging to the other religions.
And while not specifically being coerced, people who decline to engage in such a mass prayer session are going to be noticed and singled out for their lack of participation – even people who believe in the religion that prayer comes from but don\’t feel it is proper to be made in a non-religious forum.
Bottom line: this is a bad decision. It does not celebrate religious tolerance at all. It is far more likely to generate religious intolerance. I\’m very sorry it was made.
