OH, GOD! PART 2 Playing God, George Burns (though the Facebook suggestion of George Vartanian would be a close second [has to be older than the hills ;-) ]) Playing David Madore, John Denver Court ruling on prayer means county practice can continue By Tyler Graf and Stephanie Rice Published: May 5, 2014, 9:21 PM The Board of Clark County Commissioners wont have to stop praying before public meetings thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court decision. The high courts 5-4 decision Monday upheld a local governments authority to start public meetings with a prayer. Thats divine news for the board of commissioners, where religious invocations have commonly kicked off meetings since March 2013. Republican Commissioner David Madore lauded the courts decision in a post on Facebook. We need Gods help and wisdom and we ought to thank Him for His help, blessings and protection, Madore wrote. He directed people to read the courts majority opinion, saying it was very clear about praying in Jesus name. The board is the only local governing body that regularly starts meetings with a prayer. Republican Commissioner Tom Mielke introduced the idea in March 2013 and, at the time, said he wanted to invite a diverse collection of religious leaders to participate. The city of Washougal also briefly discussed the idea last year, but it didnt go beyond the public discussion stage. Not all of the countys invocations have been strictly Christian. Prayers have come from a Bahai chairperson, a Messianic Jewish pastor, a Jewish rabbi and others. The Supreme Courts decision likely wont change how meetings begin in Clark Countys largest city. Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt said hes never been approached by a member of the public or the council about adding prayer to the weekly meeting agenda. City officials dont make a point of avoiding saying prayers while in their official capacity, he said. For example, last week the city hosted a National Day of Prayer event. But if the idea of a pre-meeting prayer was broached, Leavitt said he wouldnt support it. columbian/news/2014/may/05/court-ruling-prayer-county-practice-continue/
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 18:02:16 +0000
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