A group of Carroll County residents has asked a federal judge to find county commissioners in contempt and to fine them $30,000 for allowing explicit prayers to be said at government meetings.
The residents and the American Humanist Association filed the request with a U.S. District Court in Maryland on Tuesday, a week after a judge from that court ordered the five-member commission to halt sectarian prayers while a case over the issue proceeds.
A group of residents has challenged the commissioners since they were all elected in 2010 and shortly afterward established a policy of saying prayers before their twice-weekly meetings. The residents filed a lawsuit last year, and last week Judge William Quarles Jr. called for the halt, saying that prayers at government meetings that use specific deity names are exploitative.
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21 comments:
The American Humanist Association?
Sounds more like the American Communist Association!
I guess they'll ask the treasury to remove IN GOD WE TRUST from our currency next.
Until they do, keep praying if you want.
Tough crap if it offends anyone.
The weak minded individuals are enough to make you throw up (on them!) What's offensive is people like them who are offended at the drop of a hat and the country would best be served if they put a gun to their heads and blow their brains out if they are that miserable that a prayer offends them. People like them serve no purpose. Personally I could care less if they said every kind of prayer under the sun, including Muslim, Jewish, wiccan voodoo-it doesn't matter.
What part of ". . . or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." do these folk not understand.
Sand Box John
Carroll County is one of the last conservative strongholds in the Peoples Republic of Maryland.No wonder these goofballs are making an issue here.
The freedom to pray is as much theirs as the freedom to object is yours. So shut up about it already!
You don't like it, don't listen!
@ almost all previous posts.
No ones freedom to exercise anything has been inhibited.
What is happening is that people are not being allowed to hold other people hostage, in a government setting i.e. public setting, and force them to participate in religious rituals which would favor a particular religion... thus violating the establishment clause of the Constitution.
At the person mentioning "IN GOD WE TRUST" on the currency. This was added in the 1950's during the Red Scare to differentiate us from the communists... with much debate. The currency used to read "Mind your business".
This is about forcing other people to participate. They have no "opt out" or "not listen" option. They are being forced to participate. Essentially, being held hostage. In doing so, the Government is violating the establishment clause and the "wall of separation between church and state" as defined by Thomas Jefferson in explaination of the amendment.
AT NO TIME is someones ability to pray being taken away. You can't go to a movie, and in the middle stand up and say a prayer, and when you are hauled out for interrupting the movie say that your religious rights are being violated. This is similar to holding people hostage to participate in a Religious prayer at a public government meeting.
You can pray at home, in the streets, at a park, in a church, on a bus... you can do it ANYWHERE. No one is being told they cant. Where it STOPS is when you try and FORCE it upon other people. At that point you are not exercising your rights, you are violating other peoples.
@9:25-You are one of sheeple who either is enjoying the destruction of my country, or just plain blinded by your liberal stupidity and can't see what is happening. Whatever the case-you and people like you should move to Iran or Russia if you hate the American culture so much. That is the only way you can get away from us crazy Christians. Anywhere is fine with me, just find a place where there are no Christians and then you can be happy.
It is disturbing that someone (9:25) would equate someone who doesn't really at all have to listen to a prayer as a hostage. I'm sure those girls that were recently rescued after being held for years against their will and sexually abused would have gladly traded in being held a "hostage" and listening to a prayer.
@9:25...Umm-ditto 9:51 We (true Americans) have had enough of the antics by people like you and are starting to turn. Prime example is whats going on in Carroll county. If you want a country different then ours, move there. Don't try to change ours.
9:25 Here.
It's odd that anyone would consider what was written by me as "liberal" or "Un-American". I'm actually Conservative, more Libertarian really... and when did supporting the defense of the Constitution's establishment clause "wall of separtation between church and state" become Un-American?
When did standing up for peoples rights and defending the Constitution become "Un-American". When did free speech become "Un-American"?
What is "Un-American" is forcing people to participate in Religious Functions. Last time I checked I had the freedom to practice my religious beliefs with out them being infringed upon by someone forcing their religious practice upon me... isn't THAT protected by the Constitution?
Tell me, why is it SO important that you FORCE the prayer during these meetings? You are free to meet before the meeting and hold a prayer. Or even after... please, someone tell me, for what purpose is insisting that the prayer is held where people are FORCED to participate in it. Why is this so important? Or, is it really NOT about the prayer at all... is it?
You people really understand NOTHING about the concept of freedom of religion. There is a separation of church and state-no state/national religion. AND the US is NOT a "christian" country as you all believe (wish). If these people were saying a muslim prayer, you would be all up in arms about that. Well, it's the same concept. Not everyone is christian and no one wants to be subjected to someone else's religion . Go to church if you want to pray. It has NO place in any goverment actions! OK, go ahead and flame me now-how christian of you!
@9:25-thanks for being the voice of reason. It was the truth and logical, so no one believes it.
Foxhole atheists.
@5:53
Yep. There are indeed lots of atheists in foxholes. Atheists in foxholes defending peoples Constitutional rights to practice their brand of religiosity as they see fit. Ironic, isn't it? Atheists defending your religious freedom.
Anyone who tells you there are no atheists in foxholes, is a deceptive, dishonest liar.
925. these people weren't forced to do anything. charges are against them because they prayed publicly. no one forced them to pray. no one was forced to listen or witness any prayers.
separation of church & state means the state cannot force you to practice any specific religion. PERIOD! (establish this clause!)
When one can be sued for prayers said, aloud in public, I'd say it's prohibitive.
11:11 here...yeah, the atheist or whatever they want to call themselves today are out in full force. Yes this country is still a christian based country and you will never lead us away. You were never forced to do anything. Simply ignore the prayer or step outside for 30 seconds would be the logical thing to do but no you just have to create a statement here. You are not understanding or grasping the scope of this issue and I don't think you ever will.
This is the result of misguided people who haven't a clue as to the wall of separation between church and state. Some where along the line the meaning has been bastardized and uninformed individuals fall in lockstep.
The separation of church and state means a government cannot create a religion/church and force it's citizens to worship in that fashion. That's it that's all.
It wasn't intended to prohibit people from praying in a government owned building which is really owned by the citizens.
If it were. the founders themselves wouldn't have prayed each and every time before they met. It's really not rocket science but it's nearly impossible to convince those that are so naïve they believe the propaganda.
9:25 is assuming the plaintiff's are regular attendees of the meetings. They aren't. They are plants from the Humanists who make a career out of seeking out this sort of thing.
So 9:25 they are not being held "hostage" and FYI and to educate you, they went on their own free will, for one purpose only.
That's the whole problem with those like 9:25. They aren't honest. They don't tell the whole story. Liberals-they learned to lie as children from their parents, their irresponsibly parents didn't correct them because they lie themselves and through the years became proficient at lying.
This Humanist Association needs to really get on the high schools that are predominately African American. I've been to several high school graduations (most recently Frederick Douglas HS in PG county) with a friend who mentors, and if you didn't know any better you would think you were at a prayer service.
To use Thomas Jefferson in all the efforts of atheists to eliminate God are dead wrong. Throughout his public career, including two terms as President, Jefferson pursued policies incompatible with the "high and impregnable" wall the modern Supreme Court has erroneously attributed to him. For example, he endorsed the use of federal funds to build churches and to support Christian missionaries working among the Indians. The absurd conclusion that countless courts and commentators would have us reach is that Jefferson routinely pursued policies that violated his own "wall of separation."
Jefferson's wall, as a matter of federalism, was erected between the national and state governments on matters pertaining to religion and not, more generally, between the church and all civil government. In other words, Jefferson placed the federal government on one side of his wall and state governments and churches on the other.
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