Freedom from Religion seeking end to prayers at Toledo City Council Meetings
In 2007 under the threat of a lawsuit by Americans United for Separation of Church and State the City of Akron stopped the practice of beginning each Council meeting with the Lord’s Prayer. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Shelby City Council was considering:
Ordinance No. 27-2009, to allow “a wide variety of individual participation from Shelby churches of all faiths, Shelby clergy of all faiths, and Shelby community and civic organizations by offering invocations, readings or thoughts at City Council meetings.”
The City of Toledo was referenced:
“Every session of the US Congress is opened with prayer,” Schag (Councilman-at-large Steve Schag) said. “As you can see with the information before you, every session of the Ohio Senate and every session of the Ohio House of Representatives is opened with an invocation and the pledge of allegiance. There are scores of municipalities across Ohio, large and small, that open their meetings with invocations – Canton, Toledo, Westerville and Mansfield.
Today, The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent letter to the Mayor of Toledo and to Council President Joe McNamara, taking issue with prayers being said that were not non-denominational or non-sectarian. It’s also stated that it does not appear there are rules governing the prayers, that is accurate there is no procedure in the Rules of Council that reference the prayer, the pledge of allegiance or the singing of the national anthem.
The argument that is being made is that the presence of a prayer at the beginning of a Council meeting:
…these Christian prayers inappropriately alienate non-Christians and non-believers in Toledo. Their efforts to participate in public meeings are adversely affected by these prayers, which turn non-believers and non-Christians into political outsiders of their own community and government. The constitutional rights of citizens to participate in government meetings such as the City Council meetings should not be predicated upon being subjected to Christian-based prayers.
They are seeking either the complete elimination of a prayer before a Toledo City Council meeting or that if the prayers are to continue that they be non-denominational or non-sectarian.
I see no reason whatsoever that city council can’t pray on their own time, and not on taxpayer time.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:12 amPay no attention to them. Most people want the prayer.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:24 pmCouncil needs as much help as they can get, but maybe they could just have a “moment of silence” where a person could have a personal prayer instead of a group one.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:27 pmIt seems it is okay to show intolerance when it comes to religion. We take God out of schools, out of our council meetings and out of society, then we wonder where he is when tragedy happens.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:35 pmI’d like to point out that with even with all the praying going on at Toledo City Council, the city is still a mess.
Since praying isn’t working, I say we try sacrificing a chicken or goat at every council meeting for the next few months and see if we can turn things around.
If that doesn’t work we could always try some good old fashion pagan sex ritual in the middle of chambers.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pmI agree with Pink. They can meet in the hall afterwards and pray there.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:37 pmPink Slip, respectfully we are in a time of budget stress, sacrificing a chicken or a goat would create a scenario where the overtime budget for cleaning Council chambers would sky rocket. Not to mention the fact that it would offend the PETA supporters in Toledo, further complicating the scenario. As to the suggestion of pagan sex rituals…Not to be too mean but I’m not sure we as a public would want to see certain Toledo City Council members engaging in sex, these meetings are after all video taped…Think of the children…
Meeting in the hall to pray would still be having prayer take place in a government building. I’d suggest trying to find a Pastafarian to come in to negotiate some type of a desired outcome.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:49 pmI wish I could claim credit for those ideas Lisa, but Sensor beat me to it. I was going to suggest getting out the ouija board. The Reagans were big on astrology (explains a lot!)–maybe that’s an option. Or Maybe council decisions could be based on the magic 8 ball. “All signs point to yes”
August 28th, 2009 at 3:59 pmSorry Pink you are 100% correct that was Sensor.
August 28th, 2009 at 4:15 pmA prayer to God takes only seconds. But it’s reward lasts forever.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:15 pmJesus criticizes public prayer such as this in Matthew 6.
It is appropriate that the council pray if indeed they actually have any intention of the Lord’s blessing upon their meeting. Nonetheless, the poster who said to have private prayer in the hallway or the other who suggested a moment of silence seem to me to be on the money.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:48 pmLOL SensorG!
August 29th, 2009 at 9:24 amMaybe someone needs to say prayers each
August 29th, 2009 at 11:28 pmday for the people with the group
that is with and sent the letter!