The ACLU has finally noticed my little county of Missouri and threatened to sue if they don't stop praying before the start of comissioner meetings (I guess they know we're too small to afford the court costs and hope we'll back down without a fight). There have been a number of letters to the editor being printed on both sides of the issue. Someone wrote the editor of our local paper saying the Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves that prayer would take place in "government." Since this falls into the category of "Things never taught in schools" I thought I would educate my fellow citizen. Here's my response:
Northernrepublican [author of the letter to which I was responding] should do a little research before speculating the Founding Fathers would be “rolling in their graves” at prayer at a public meeting.
The first act of the first session of the Continental Congress was to pass the following resolution—
Northernrepublican [author of the letter to which I was responding] should do a little research before speculating the Founding Fathers would be “rolling in their graves” at prayer at a public meeting.
The first act of the first session of the Continental Congress was to pass the following resolution—
Tuesday, September 6, 1774.—Resolved, That the Rev. Mr. Duche be desired to open Congress tomorrow morning with prayer, at Carpenter’s Hall, at nine o’clock.
At the Constitutional Convention (June 28th, 1787) Benjamin Franklin rose to say:
"I therefore beg leave that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.”
In the first session of the first Congress under the Constitution the following was passed:
September 25, 1789—Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States, to request that he recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceable to establish a constitution of government for their safety and happiness.
As you can see by public records, the Founding Fathers were quite comfortable with the idea of praying in official meetings of the government, no matter what the ACLU has to say.
2 comments:
I sooo agree with you... Actually the Founding Father's would probably roll over in their graves to know the courts and government in America are trying to take away our rights to pray!!! That is the separation of Church and State! Keep the State out of our churches and keep the State from making rules about religion! Christians need to get involved. We need to VOTE our consciences. We Need to pray for our government, our current leaders, and our future.
I could have really knocked that guys socks off if I told him Thomas Jefferson of the so often quoted "Separation of Church and State" fame actually attended church regularly in the U.S. Capitol building (because the city was so new, they hadn't built churches yet), but I was limited to 250 words.
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