>>A divided Supreme Court blessed prayer in government meetings yesterday in a landmark ruling that had some Bay State politicians praising the vote — and one overjoyed councilor declaring he’ll recite his Hail Marys louder now.
Somerville Alderman Dennis Sullivan said the ruling will inspire him to be more open in prayer, “but probably not loud-loud” so not to be overbearing.
“We have aldermen who are Jewish and I wouldn’t want to impress my views,” Sullivan added. “But personally I think it’s good. We can use all the help we can get.”
Boston City Councilor Stephen J. Murphy said the high court’s decision is all-American to the core.
“It’s an important part of who we are as a country,” he told the Herald last night. “It’s something that should not be attacked and too often is in modern USA. It preserves the principles we were founded on. It’s our identity. It’s who we are. I think it’s important that it was reaffirmed in the highest court of the land.”
In a 5-4 vote the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a town board in Greece, N.Y., did not violate the First Amendment when it recited a Christian prayer prior to meetings. The content of the prayers is not significant as long as they do not denigrate non-Christians or try to win converts, the court said.
Justice Anthony Kennedy said forcing clergy to scrub the prayers of references to Jesus Christ and other sectarian religious figures would turn officials into censors. Instead, Kennedy said, the prayers should be seen as ceremonial and in keeping with the nation’s traditions.
“The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers,” Kennedy said.
But not everybody was counting their blessings.
Cambridge City Councilor Timothy J. Toomey Jr. said they have no prayer prior to their meetings, just a moment of silence. He said he hopes that remains the case.
“We salute the flag and have a moment of silence. If people want to pray, pray privately. That’s what I do,” he said. “I would keep it private. ... That way if people want to they can pray to whatever deity or non-deity they choose.”
Somerville Clerk John Long said he’s never received any feedback, positive or negative, about opening meetings with a nondenominational prayer by the city clerk since the 1980s.
Long said he has the prayer memorized — and now the nation’s highest court ruled he can keep reciting it for years to come.
I would say that this town is WRONG according to yesterday's opinion of Kennedy. He specifically rejected prayers that were scrubbed as being an example of censorship.
‘Don’t want to impress my views.’ Does anyone realize that someone can pray without forcing someone else to believe in their god? Just like someone can have an opinion without destroying another person’s belief or HURTING feelings. What a nation of thin-skinnned ninnies we have become.