A Stitch in Haste

Fascinating case study in theocratic majoritarianism versus secular libertarianism:

In a 7-1 majority vote Monday night the Charles Town [West Virginia] City Council decided to institute a moment of silent prayer, thus abolishing the decades-long tradition of reciting the Christian-specific Lord’s prayer before the beginning of each meeting.
…
Charles Town Mayor Peggy Smith, who did not vote on the issue, said she was disappointed in the council’s decision but understood why it was made. “I understand why they did what they did after listening to legal advice. We cannot place the citizens in jeopardy with a lawsuit. So I do understand their vote but it doesn’t make me happy about it,” Smith said.
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[Geraldine] Willingham, who cast the dissenting vote [and] described Charles Town as a “Christian town” at the council’s last meeting, was not pleased by the council’s decision to do away with the recitation of the Lord’s prayer.

“I think it’s a sad day for Charles Town where we cannot start our council meetings off with the Lord’s prayer all because of one negative person. That’s my comment,” Willingham said after Monday’s meeting.

Some hasty stitches:

–The “one negative person” was a Jew, not an atheist. Of course, to most hillbilly Christians like Willingham, there’s little point in distinguishing between Jews, atheists, agnostics, whatever — they’re all equally un-American and all equally devoid of First Amendment protection (not to mention equally hellbound). Stated differently, there are still people — elected leaders — who actually believe, in the Twenty-First Century, that there can be such a thing as a “Christian town” in what was once known as the “land of the free.”

–Based on the media account, it appears that the theocrats couldn’t even be bothered to engage in the wink-wink of calling their new invocation a “moment of silence” rather than a “silent prayer.” The simple, uncomplicated First Amendment notion that maybe, just maybe, a city council chamber ought not be used as a church is simply incomprehensible to these “dedicated public servants.”

–Speaking of which, note that these theocrats did not stop their flagrantly unconstitutional* practice out of any moral epiphany. They stopped the practice because their lawyers told them to. That’s better than nothing, I suppose, but it’s hardly praiseworthy.

(Via Religion Clause.)

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Elsewhere:

Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word “evangelical” has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars.

The statement, called “An Evangelical Manifesto,” condemns Christians on the right and left for using faith to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
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Richard Land, head of the public policy arm for the Southern Baptist Convention, said through a spokeswoman that he has not seen the document and was not asked to sign it.

James Dobson, the influential founder of Focus on the Family, a Christian group in Colorado Springs, Colorado, did not sign the document, said Gary Schneeberger, a Dobson spokesman.

This is similar to the observation that too many secular Muslims in the U.S. and Europe and not doing enough to “take back Islam” from extremists who spawn terrorism and violent intolerance in the name of a supposed “Religion of Peace.”

To the extent that these non-political Evangelical leaders make noise against the radical anti-Christians in their midst — especially Dobson (who, recall, is not a credentialed cleric in any church) — I can only say, “praise be unto them.”

(Via Wall of Separation.)

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*Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983) (Inapplicability of First Amendment to opening a legislative session with a prayer presupposes that “there is no indication that the prayer opportunity has been exploited to proselytize or advance any one, or to disparage any other, faith or belief.”) Note that I of course consider Marsh wrongly decided in that all legislative prayer sessions ought to be deemed facially unconstitutional, and not just those that are both openly and notoriously sectarian and unambiguously hostile to non-Christians — as the Lord’s Prayer unarguably is.)