Appeals Court Bans Prayer 'in Jesus' name'

[Jean Dudley]

On Jul 24, 2008, at Thu, Jul 24,  2:51 PM, Gordon James  
Klingenschmitt wrote:

> Professors Lund and Essenberg seek the larger question, which I  
> believe seems to involve whether a government can pray, at all.  We  
> all agree individuals can pray, and the First Amendment protects  
> individual speech by private citizens.  But can governments pray?

Ostensibly, one particular form of government can pray;  a  
theocracy.  I suppose a monarchy such as the United Kingdom can pray  
as well, if the monarch is also the head of the state church.   
However, we are a representative democracy, and if *our* government  
prays, the prayer will of necessity be sectarian, and therefore  
exclusionary of other sects, and by default will be endorsing one  
religion over another and thus we have ipso facto a state religion.   
All well and fine it it's *your* religion, but not so fine if its not  
*your* religion.

Perhaps, Mr. Klingenschmitt, your question should be "should  
governments pray?".  To which I would answer a resounding, emphatic,  
"Not just no, but HELL NO!"

Jean Dudley