Don’t force, don’t ban public prayers

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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A Pew Forum national survey earlier this year found that more than 90 percent of Americans believe in a higher power even though 1 in 5 said they didn't identify with any particular religion. Most of that large majority said they engage in personal prayer, weekly if not daily.

Certainly no one is about to dispute every American's right to believe or not believe, to pray or not to pray.

Now comes a case that has reached the U.S. Supreme Court, testing whether prayers offered at a public meeting are allowed under the Constitution and, if so, what kinds of prayers are acceptable. It focuses on Greece, N.Y., where solely Christian clergy have been prayers to open local government meetings.

The justices clearly struggled with this issue during discussion earlier this month. How the court rules could affect government prayer policies nationwide.

It likely would be simplest to ban all public prayer at public meetings. But we don't think that's necessary or fully respects the First Amendment rights of everyone, nor fairly judges many local practices.

We think it's possible to offer a prayer on behalf of community good without endorsing a specific religion or denigrating any particular religious belief, while also not coercing those who sincerely oppose prayer in government settings. That can be demonstrated by inviting clergy and chaplains from a variety of faiths, as well as lay people and others who agree not to proselytize - similar to what is done, for example, at Cedar Rapids City Council meetings. And perhaps not asking people to stand or adhere to any formal gesture during a prayer also makes sense.

Under such a protocol, properly delivered, do non-believers still have cause to feel threatened or coerced? We can't answer that for everyone, of course.

But we hope the nation's high court allows communities and local jurisdictions to craft public prayer policies that respect everyone's freedom.

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