Blogtrek

Board Can't Have Sectarian Prayers

Today was a big day today! Two important decisions that will improve the worth of livin gin this country happened. The more important of them was the decision by US District Court judge Dennis Dohnal that the refusal of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors to allow Wiccan Cyndi Simpson to give an invocation to the Board earlier this year violated the principle of separation of church and state and was discriminatory as well. Specifically, he said that "prohibition against utilizing prayer to proselytize or advance any particular religion by sanctioning a preference for a particular set of beliefs. She was presumptively excluded because of a stated governmental preference for a different set of religious beliefs and viewpoint, albeit the beliefs of a large segment--if not the majority--of the population".

This means either the Board must eliminate prayer or invocations altogether, or it must allow anyone to give the prayer or invocation. This was the correct decision, in my opinion. The Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors is a public institution. It is answerable to the people. It is not a private club (despite what one newly elected Board member says) for the supervisors by themselves. Therefore, invocations to this Board are public acts, and therefore the Constitution prevails.

I now only hope that the Board adheres to this decision and not try to challenge it in the courts.