Supreme Court OKs prayer before town board meetings

[Dick Whitman]

A truly landmark First Amendment development. It makes me wonder if this sets the stage for prayer in public school. I suspect he desperately would love to find a path to it.

Terrible decision, by the way.

www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/nyregion/supreme-court-allows-prayers-at-town-meetings.html?hp&_r=0

 

[93Devil]

There already is a moment of silence in Virginia. I sort of like that instead of having religious beliefs shoved in everyone's faces.

Pray in private unless you are at church where you can publicly pray.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I can't wait until Satanists want to offer their prayer.

 

[Boom_70]

"You cannot petition The Lord with prayer." / Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 

[MisterCreosote]

Separation, schmeparation.

 

[Big Circus]

"You cannot petition The Lord with prayer." / Ruth Bader Ginsburg Jim Morrison

 

[YankeeFan]

A truly landmark First Amendment development. It makes me wonder if this sets the stage for prayer in public school. I suspect he desperately would love to find a path to it.

Terrible decision, by the way.

www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/nyregion/supreme-court-allows-prayers-at-town-meetings.html?hp&_r=0

Who's he? Roberts? Scalia?

Certainly you're not referring to Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion.

 

[Boom_70]

A truly landmark First Amendment development. It makes me wonder if this sets the stage for prayer in public school. I suspect he desperately would love to find a path to it.

Terrible decision, by the way.

www.nytimes.com/2014/05/06/nyregion/supreme-court-allows-prayers-at-town-meetings.html?hp&_r=0

Who's he? Roberts? Scalia?

Certainly you're not referring to Kennedy, who wrote the majority opinion.

I figured that he meant God. What other he could there be?

 

[YankeeFan]

Separation, schmeparation.

You properly point out when people misunderstand "free speech" issues, and think they run afoul of the 1st Amendment.

You should also know that the "separation" is not a Constitutional phrase, or requirement.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Roberts.

 

[MisterCreosote]

Separation, schmeparation.

You properly point out when people misunderstand "free speech" issues, and think they run afoul of the 1st Amendment.

You should also know that the "separation" is not a Constitutional phrase, or requirement.

Quite true. We've been over the fact that the phrase "separation of church and state" doesn't appear in the Constitution.

We've also been over the fact that the wording that is used was absolutely intended to do just that, per one of the Constitution's principle architects.

It all hinges on whether this or any pro-religion law can reasonably be considered "endorsement." It's a bull**** threshold used by the Christian majority for its benefit and no one else's.

 

[Big Circus]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

 

[Boom_70]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

Think that The Obamacare and DOMA rulings has bought The Court a lot of good will
amongst conservative groups.

 

[MisterCreosote]

I should note that I also think Kagan's dissent, specifically the part that says prayer is OK as long there's a requirement to include all religions, is bull****, too.

 

[Bob Cook]

As a Christian, I find the majority ruling written in a way that devalues religion -- and speaks to why these prayers should be dropped. The justices keep referring to "tradition" and "ceremonial" prayers, basically trying to argue they mean nothing spiritually. So the power of prayer, which comes from an intimate, personal or intense conversation with God (as a group or individually), is reduced to empty words, legally speaking. Why bother?

Interesting, too, that the Supreme Court has consistently ruled that anything that smacks of leading prayer in schools is verboten, such as student-led prayer over the PA before football games, or coach-approved prayer in the locker room. Yet when it comes to legislative bodies, it's a-OK. I don't get that.

Me, I'd eliminate everything up to and including the White House Prayer Breakfast. That doesn't stop you from personally bringing your religion wherever you want. It does stop you from forcing others to participate in it.

 

[YankeeFan]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

Oh please. Religion is invoked in public all the time, by folks on both sides of the aisle.

Which Justice just included this biblical quotation from the Book of John in their decision in another case: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth”?

I always love this statement too, who said it?

They ask me all the time what is your favorite this, what is your favorite that, what is your favorite that. And at one time what is your favorite word. And I said, my favorite word, that is really easy. My favorite word is the word, is the word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the word.

We have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the word. Fill it in with anything you want but, of course, we know it means the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

The reason no one freaks out about Dems invoking religion is because no one believes them.

 

[Big Circus]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

Oh please. Religion is invoked in public all the time, by folks on both sides of the aisle.

Which Justice just included this biblical quotation from the Book of John in their decision in another case: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth”?

I always love this statement too, who said it?

They ask me all the time what is your favorite this, what is your favorite that, what is your favorite that. And at one time what is your favorite word. And I said, my favorite word, that is really easy. My favorite word is the word, is the word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the word.

We have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the word. Fill it in with anything you want but, of course, we know it means the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

The reason no one freaks out about Dems invoking religion is because no one believes them.

That didn't address my post at all, but OK.

 

[Dick Whitman]

"No one."

 

[YankeeFan]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

Oh please. Religion is invoked in public all the time, by folks on both sides of the aisle.

Which Justice just included this biblical quotation from the Book of John in their decision in another case: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth”?

I always love this statement too, who said it?

They ask me all the time what is your favorite this, what is your favorite that, what is your favorite that. And at one time what is your favorite word. And I said, my favorite word, that is really easy. My favorite word is the word, is the word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the word.

We have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the word. Fill it in with anything you want but, of course, we know it means the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

The reason no one freaks out about Dems invoking religion is because no one believes them.

That didn't address my post at all, but OK.

Sure it did. Dems, including the President, invoke religion, religious prayer, religious concepts, and Biblical quotes, regularly.

And, there is no rending of garments.

 

[Bob Cook]

One tidbit I found interesting that in the majority opinion, Kennedy said the prayers were largely ceremonial.

I'm struck by the lack of religious outrage at this point. Imagine the wailing and rending of garments if the determination that prayers don't convey a religious point came from another source...the President, for example.

Oh please. Religion is invoked in public all the time, by folks on both sides of the aisle.

Which Justice just included this biblical quotation from the Book of John in their decision in another case: “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth”?

I always love this statement too, who said it?

They ask me all the time what is your favorite this, what is your favorite that, what is your favorite that. And at one time what is your favorite word. And I said, my favorite word, that is really easy. My favorite word is the word, is the word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the word.

We have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the word. Fill it in with anything you want but, of course, we know it means the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.

The reason no one freaks out about Dems invoking religion is because no one believes them.

There is a difference between using religion as a guide to your own life and your moral compass to help others, and using it a hammer to condemn others, and demand fealty to a specific way of life and worship.