Posted on 08/05/2014 8:33:39 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
It’s not uncommon for shopping malls to have rules of conduct. Some places ban saggy pants. Others won’t let you ask people for money. But a mall in Georgia may have one of the most unusual rules -- they won’t let shoppers pray – not even over their meals.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“I will bow my head, and silently pray.”
Why silently?
Take a few believers with you too. Its a mall for shoppers and not a maul on rights of christians.
I can see disallowing disruptive prayers/prayer meetings in the hallways and stores, but I cannot for the life of me see justification for such a blanket ban.
By “disruptive”, I mean loud events where the prayer or meeting diminishes the ability of those not involved to navigate through the mall and conduct their intended business.
IMHO, a private business should have every right to prohibit its customers from praying on its property. At the same time, I have every right not to ever patronize such a business.
The First Amendment prohibits governmental restrictions, not private ones.
They removed prayer from schools and that worked really well for them. I’d find someplace else to shop.
Actually, they did, but then they walked it back:
“In 1968, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a shopping mall was the modern equivalent of main street, the “normal municipal business district.” It concluded that the landowner could not “limit the use of that property by members of the public in a manner that would not be permissible were the property owned by a municipality.” (Amalgamated Foods Employees Union Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza)
But in a subsequent decision the Court retreated from this position, stating that property does not “lose its private character merely because the public is generally invited to use it for designated purposes.” (Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner)
Then, in 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially left the question of access to malls up to the states, holding that the federal Constitution affords no general right to free speech in privately-owned shopping centers. (PruneYard Shopping Center v. Robins)”
http://www.davelippman.com/LawoftheMall.html
Because the atheists are offended, dontcha know.
They want to be free from religion.
Exactly. If we support the right of a Christian baker to refuse to make a cake for a "gay wedding", then we must also support the right for the mall to ban praying on their premises. And we should make their policy very public and encourage everyone of faith to boycott the mall and all of the businesses therein as long as that policy is in place.
Okay....name the Mall and the owner (s).
bring someone else along to document it
They did in Amalgamated Food Employees Union Local 590 v. Logan Valley Plaza, 391 U.S. 308 (1968), but then changed their minds in Lloyd Corp., Ltd. v. Tanner, 407 U.S. 551 (1972).
Of course, you always have to keep in mind that the U.S. Constitution says whatever 5 out of 9 Supreme Court Justices say it says.
even schools are doing that from what I hear
What does tthat mall have to do with this?
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Won’t be a problem. It’s a private business and they can ask you to leave for any reason. They can refuse to allow you to pray, and it’s their right as property owner.
call eric holder. unless they also ordered a bunch of white people to stop praying that day, I see a civil rights violation.
(THAT oughta gum up the works for a while)
The best collective disobedience would be to take your business elsewhere and let the mall die.
This is about the only way a private business can prevent Muslims laying down prayer rugs and chanting in the middle of the mall. Or so their lawyers tell them.
And the ACLU will sue them in a heartbeat if they just refuse Muslim prayer.
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