Thursday, November 7, 2013

EOC Week 6: Supreme Court Prayer

"Part of what we are trying to do here is to maintain a multi-religious society in a peaceful and harmonious way. And every time the court gets involved in something like this, it seems to make the problem worse rather than better." - Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan

The issue at hand is the Supreme Court's examination of proper guidelines for prayer in public meetings. The dispute rose from two Greece, NY residents complaining that having to sit through predominantly Christian prayers during Town Board meetings violated their 1st amendment rights to religious freedom.

Oddly enough a case this sensitive and complex is something I consider that is pretty simple. In my opinion I feel that though you can’t control the religion of others, I believe that you shouldn’t be forced to participate in the religious acts of others in a public setting. Town Board meetings are already tense as they serve as the place where community issues are being disputed and debated. I think having secular religious prayers that specifically indicate one religion is off-putting to those who don’t share the same beliefs, therefore should never be considered to be a part of public forums.

"What troubles me about this case is that here a citizen is going to a local community board … and is immediately being asked, being forced to identify whether she believes in the things that most of the people in the room believe in, and it strikes me that this might be inconsistent with this understanding that when we relate to our government, we all do so as Americans, and not as Jews and not as Christians and not as nonbelievers." – Kagan

In all essence there are many things to consider, including the consideration of whether ministers and religious leaders should be policed. But in grand scheme of things, a public meeting isn’t about isolating others and focusing on one secular belief. It’s about bringing a diverse crowd together; and ironically, prayers no longer do that in this ever evolving world we live in.