This essay was published in Christian Democracy Magazine (which is affiliated with the American Solidarity Party).
The Supreme Court is currently hearing the case of Town of Greece vs. Galloway, where a Court of Appeals ruled that opening town board meetings with Christian prayers violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. According to the Los Angeles Times, this case “could lead to a significant shift in law separating church and state.”
The Supreme Court is currently hearing the case of Town of Greece vs. Galloway, where a Court of Appeals ruled that opening town board meetings with Christian prayers violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. According to the Los Angeles Times, this case “could lead to a significant shift in law separating church and state.”
As
I first became acquainted with this case, my initial gut reaction was that
reciting prayers in public institutions is, indeed, blatantly unconstitutional.
Yet after giving the matter some careful thought, I surprisingly found myself
in agreement – although, perhaps, for different reasons - with those who hope
that the Supreme Court will come to the defense of legislative prayer. The case I wish to
briefly defend isn’t motivated by any form of religious bigotry, but is
predicated on a culture’s right to self-preservation.
Culture
is defined as “the sum of attitudes, customs, and beliefs that distinguishes
one group from another. Culture is transmitted, through language, material
objects, ritual, institutions, and art, from one generation to the next.”
Culturally-defining beliefs could be understood as being either secular or
religious, as this definition - and all others I’m aware of – makes no
distinction between the two. Therefore, American culture is definable in part
by its relatively strong adherence
to religious beliefs. While the
percentage of Christians appears to be on the decline, they comprise as much as
73% of the population (adherents of other faiths make up
another 6%). Contrast this with a country like France, where no more than a fifth of the population describes itself as religious.
Fortunately, we have come to value cultural diversity and honor a culture’s right
to self-preservation. According to Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(which the U.S. has ratified), “all peoples have the right of
self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their
political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural
development.”
Historically,
the American people have pursued their cultural development through private and
public means. From preserving local historical sites to organizing musical
events and art exhibitions, government institutions are routinely used to
promote culture. There’s nothing scandalous about this. To my knowledge, no one
has urged the courts to stop the city government of Richmond, Kentucky from
organizing clog dancing classes. I see nothing natural - or constitutional -
about excluding religious rituals like prayer as admissible expressions of
culture in the public square, especially in a town like Greece, New York, where
at least 85% of the people adheres to some form of Christianity.
I don’t seek to portray
opponents of legislative prayer as waging a “war on religion” or staging a
“cultural genocide” against Americans. And I’m not of the view that a decision to
uphold the lower court’s ruling would sound the death knell for religion in the
U.S. But I have come to believe that such
a decision would constitute an act of injustice – however small – against a
uniquely religious culture.
