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Garrett Epps of The
Atlantic clearly fears that the alleged wall of separation between church and state has become nothing more than “an ill-defined grassy verge…”
He cites the recent Supreme Court case concerning Greece, New York - a place where public prayers containing explicitly Christian “doctrine, language, and imagery” are being used to begin town-board meetings.
The Court decided by a majority of 5-4 that the town did not violate the Establishment Clause when it chose to begin its meetings with local clergy asking citizens to “bow their heads, acknowledge the ‘saving sacrifice of Jesus,’ and signify assent by saying ‘amen.’”
Epps contrasts this Court decision with another from only two decades ago which ruled that “sectarian” details like these were “out of order” at government meetings. He emphasizes that the current town-board prayers “are rife with theological claims not only controversial to non-Christians but troubling fort many of the faithful.”
Resources
http://wwrn.org/articles/42361/?&place=north-america
Copyright May 12, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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