Georgia Officials Face ACLU Lawsuit After Praying in Christ's Name
by Allie Martin
August 26, 2005
(AgapePress) - A Georgia county is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union over its pre-meeting prayers. The suit claims one prayer at a recent Cobb County Commissioners' meeting ended "in the name of Jesus our Savior," which phrase, according to the ACLU puts the invocation in violation of the Constitution of the United States.However, attorney Steve Crampton of the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy, protests that the Cobb County officials' prayers are entirely legal, and the commission members have the right to open meetings with prayers acknowledging Jesus if they so choose.
But unfortunately, the pro-family lawyer notes, "This is one of those areas where our separation of church and state fanatics have really made headway over the last several years with the argument that praying in Jesus' name before, in this case, a county commission meeting constitutes the establishment of religion, prohibited under the First Amendment."
Still, Crampton, a constitutional law specialist, points out that there is historical as well as legal precedent for this kind of prayer. "Of course, the reality of the matter is that this is a practice that has been honored throughout the history of our nation, from the first days of the Continental Congress till today," he says.
And as far as the courts are concerned, the AFA attorney adds, the highest court in the land has also weighed in. "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1983 in the Marsh v. Chambers case that legislative prayers with a historical background are perfectly constitutional -- that we are a people that has long recognized the obedience and role of our government as being under God," he says.
The ACLU's suit claims the Cobb County Commissioners' prayers are offensive to five county residents. However, a spokesman for Cobb County is arguing that the officials' prayers are legal because they take place before the meetings and are entirely voluntary.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
