Posted on 10/11/2005 5:23:40 PM PDT by wagglebee
A practicing witch who sought to have her prayers heard at government meetings in a Richmond, Va., suburb had no magic before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Justices rejected an appeal by Cyndi Simpson, a Wiccan priestess and member of the Broom Riders Association, who wanted to offer a generalized prayer to the "creator of the universe" in Chesterfield County, Va.
"I wasn't going to talk about the goddess," Simpson said previous to today's decision. "I was going to call the elements, maybe offer up an invocation to the highest being."
Simpson had argued that Christians and members of other faiths were allowed to provide invocations before county meetings, but she was being excluded because of her pagan, polytheistic beliefs.
Wicca is regarded as a natural religion, "grounded in the earth." Followers of its many different forms generally believe all living things, as well as stars, planets and rocks, have a spirit.
American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Rebecca Glenberg said the county "issues invitations to deliver prayers to all Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders in the country. It refuses to issue invitations to Native Americans, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Wiccans or members of any other religion."
Some 235 congregations, the bulk of which are Christian, were on the county's approved list in 2003. The Islamic Center of Virginia is also on the list, and its imams have been involved in giving prayers occasionally.
In a letter of explanation to Simpson, County Attorney Steven L. Micas said, "Chesterfield's nonsectarian invocations are traditionally made to a divinity that is consistent with the Judeo-Christian tradition."
With help from the ACLU, which ironically often opposes most expressions of prayer at government events, Simpson sued and initially won before a federal court judge who ruled the county board violated Simpson's constitutional right of equal and free expression of her religious beliefs.
But at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, she lost when jurists found Chesterfield County had amended its policy and directed clerics to avoid any mention of Jesus Christ.
The legal precedent covering most government assemblies is the 1983 Supreme Court case of Marsh v. Chambers, where justices noted:
In light of the unambiguous and unbroken history of more than 200 years, there can be no doubt that the practice of opening legislative sessions with prayer has become part of the fabric of our society. To invoke Divine guidance on a public body entrusted with making the laws is not, in these circumstances, an "establishment" of religion or a step toward establishment; it is simply a tolerable acknowledgment of beliefs widely held among the people of this country. As Justice Douglas observed, "[w]e are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being."
It's a fun read for anyone interested in the history of the West, although determining what portions Mr. Clemens wrote were true, what were exaggerated, and what were completely made up are a mystery to many general readers.
Chapter 24, the account of the "Mexican Plug", is considered to be one of the finest pieces of humor he wrote.
Download available from Gutenberg.
Twain is one of my favorites!
Have ya ever seen Hal Holbrook do his impersonation of him?
"Does a communal prayer, given up from a body of people who do not necessarily believe, move or please God?"
I believe that it probably would. If there is only one true believer among the group and that person's prayer is sincere and righteous, then I believe that God would be pleased. Additionally, if the group prayer causes even just one person to begin to question and seek the Truth, then I think that would also please God.
I understand your point about communal prayers offered at the start of meetings or events. However I disagree with your views. A communal prayer most often reflects a common belief held by the majority of the community. In our society (America), that would be a belief in God. The act of joining together in prayer makes the bonds of community stronger and enhances working towards a common goal. Those who do not join in the prayer, because they do not believe in God, object, IMO, partly (and unconsciously) because they can't experience that bonding. IMO, they unconsciously sense the void in their hearts and don't really connect as well to the group, thus unconsciously experiencing a feeling of aloneness or separation.
Unfortunately, many institutions feel the need to be PC and have religious leaders from all different faiths take turns in conducting an opening or closing prayer. This is more likely to alienate instead of bond. Having a Muslim conduct a prayer in a predominately Christian setting would be as wrong as having a Christian conduct a prayer in a predominately Muslim setting and doing either is an insult to the predominate members and culture of that group or community.
Amen to that.
I finally heard about this case this morning on local talk radio. I can only guess there are some Christians out there who think this is a good ruling. But, it's wrong in so many ways. It really got me to thinking.
In my opinion, the initial court's ruling was fine. She should be allowed to give the invocation when it's her turn. If Muslims, why not Wiccans? For all I care, you can open your public meeting with a prayer to Darwin. I just won't say 'Amen' when you finish praying to your false god.
But, instead, the county has requested the name of Jesus Christ shall not be uttered by any 'cleric' invited to pray. That should outrage every Christian; in who's name shall we pray? Seems to me the book of Acts has something to say about our proper response when a government says we cannot preach Christ.
Note that the Court's opinion states this: "The [invitation] letter [to the clergy] now directs clerics to avoid invoking the name of Jesus Christ, a custom to which Christian clergy often had adhered when closing their invocations in the past." In other words, it's already customary for the so-called Christians to avoid the "J-word" when they pray in public. So, what's the point of praying? Didn't He advise us to pray in His name? (If He will say, "I never knew you" to certain people who did things in His name, I wonder what He might say to these clerics who avoid His name.)
At any rate, other people's prayers to false gods pose no threat to me, because Truth wins in the end. If I believe that, why should I mind if the witch wants to pray?
Exactly. This sad trend has been underway for some time now, of course. As we both well know, that mythical "separation of church and state" has never ever been the goal; it's a "separation of CHRISTIAN church and state." Like the song says, there's just something about that name. You and I love it. Others fear it.
It's why generic mentions of God and "higher powers" and "supreme beings" and on and on and on, don't ever bother them. It's the name of JESUS that freaks them out. That too is easily understood once you view the situation as it is: It's Satan at the core of everything that attempts to keep people from hearing The Name, and it's perfectly logical that the slug only fears ONE name.
MM
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