In Hartville, Ohio, some citizens and members of the village council want to start council meetings with prayers - not generic prayers, but explicitly Christian and Jewish prayers, thus excluding all other religions. Mayor Beverly Green has the sense to recognize how much trouble this will cause, but the others don't care and are fighting her to get their way.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Mayor Beverly Green shot it down, based on her belief that it’s messing with the separation of church and state, and would open the village to litigation. [T]he part-time mayor has been spammed with critical e-mail, some calling her anti-God. Even her son has been questioned about the family’s beliefs, resulting in her being defensive about the subject. “I’ve got more important issues than worrying about this,” said Green, a Catholic who says she prays daily and attends church.

Notice how anyone who opposes a political effort to inject religion into politics has their personal religious beliefs questioned. Green, and others like her, aren’t taking a religious stand — they are taking a political stand. Because the issue is an attempt to blend religion and politics, however, the political becomes religious and thus a political disagreement becomes a religious disagreement — and, in such a case, disagreement is equated with heresy or apostasy.

This is one of the reasons why such blending of religion and politics shouldn’t be allowed to happen. How long will it be before people in Hartville start accusing each other of being unChristian or irreligious because of disagreements about other local political issues, like zoning rules?

As a Christian, [Scot] Bohaychyk and some other council members see nothing wrong with asking for guidance from God before council meetings. “ believe that most members of council want it,” Bohaychyk said. “And most members of the village would want it.”

Perhaps someone should tell Bohaychyk that, when he is acting as a village councilman, he must act on behalf of all citizens of Hartville, regardless of religion, He shouldn’t act on behalf of his personal religious beliefs — that is an abuse of his power and position.

They want to invite pastors or rabbis from Hartville churches or churches where village residents worship to say the prayer. [Councilman Thomas Hough, a pastor at Sixteen St. John’s Church] said he would like it limited to Judeo-Christian religions.

In other words, they want to discriminate in favor of Christianity and against other religions. Does the government have the authority to do this? No. Such discrimination would be illegal and unethical — and it’s also part of the point of such prayers.

If all they wanted was a chance to prayer before meetings, they could do it on their own time or they would be happy with a moment of silence during which they could silent say their own prayers. That’s never been satisfactory, however, because mere prayer has never been the only goal.

It’s not simply that such people want to seek guidance from their god, but that they want to seek favoritism and approval from the government for their religious beliefs — favoritism and approval which they want to explicitly and publicly deny to other religions. Why? Why do they need a seal of approval from the government in order to feel special?

Green is firm in her belief that such a move would lead to problems. ... Hartville also couldn’t prevent Wiccans or others from seeking equal time, she added. “My luck is I’ll have someone coming in doing satanic things and then I’m the anti-Christ and a devil worshipper,” she said. “I don’t see how I can win.”

She probably can’t win. She’s a devout Christian, but will be tarred as anti-Christian. She can offer a compromise, but the people she’s dealing with are uninterested in compromise — they want everything on behalf of an oppressive religious and political agenda. I feel sorry for the people in Hartville — they have a great mayor, but lousy representation on the village council.

 

Separation of Church & State:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Secularism 101
• What is the Separation of Church and State?
• Religion's Place in the Public Square
• Myths About Church/State Separation
• Church and State News
• Church & State Polls

 

Secularism & Secularization:

• What is Secularism?
• Religious Origins of Secularism
• Secularism as Philosophy
• Secularism as a Political & Social Movement
• Secularism vs. Secularization
• Religion in a Secular Society
• Critiques of Secularism

 

Christian & Religious Privilege:

• Religious Privilege
• Christian Privilege
• Hidden Christian Privileges
• Christian Supremacy