More about the book, Dog Whistle Politics, next time. For now I just have to say a word about this week’s Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the right of the Greece, NY town council to open its meetings with prayer.
This is not a decision any person of faith should like, for several reasons.
(1) Civic prayers have no religious value. So what’s the point? To ask God to bless decisions made that often have terrible consequences? Ask God to give guidance to decision makers who are paying no attention to God’s will? Really?
(2) Civic prayers are examples of religiosity, that is, having the appearance of being religious without being. They do not arise from the people present. They do not even represent everyone present. They invoke the name of God for an event that is not religious in nature. They are at best ritualistic without having an appropriate religious context.
(3) They don’t express our nation’s religious heritage. That’s because we don’t have one. Ours is a religiously neutral government. Religious beliefs influenced our founders, but not from any single faith tradition. The most we can say is they made references to God in speeches and writings, but that is different from affirming a particular religious heritage or any at all.
(4) They take the Lord’s name in vain. That means God’s name is being used without God being taken seriously. As Annie Dillard once said, if we were serious about invoking the name of God in church, we would all be trembling in our boots. How much more would that be the case for a town council meeting, or a legislature, or the Congress?
As you can see, I am not a fan of civic prayers.
That doesn’t mean I believe law suits against such acts are warranted. I don’t. Honestly, I find them largely silly and inane.
More than that, such fights are much ado about nothing.
Which has me thinking that atheists who bring such suits may actually be doing people of faith a favor.
After all, Jesus did call praying in public hypocritical, and said that people of faith should pray in private (Matthew 6:6).
Is it possible that without knowing it atheists are attending to the words of Jesus while Christians insisting on the right to pray in public are not?
Wow. Who would’ve thunk? By trying to stop civic prayers, atheists may be helping Christians be more faithful to the teachings of Jesus.
Now that is what you call genuine irony!
linnposts.com 
NICE!
Wow.
Your article reinforces why I have some ambivalent feelings on sports prayers. I have a tennis team mate who wants to huddle for prayer before a match. This takes place right on the open court and I won’t go into what the prayer consists of. 😦
Thank you Jan!
Conversation with God, prayer, is a spirit to spirit communication available to everyone at any time; it is deeply personal. Those are the conversations, the questions and needs asked of the Creator, which most often are answered; though often not as exactly or quickly as we would design. This is how I have interpreted your referenced message offered by Christ in Mt. 6:6 since a youth. Thank you for this reminder of that which is a subject of spiritual attunement; and who belongs to who!