Town Councils Debate Public Prayer After Great Falls Ruling

January 23, 2006

Source: WCNC.com

http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/stories/wcnc-ad-1_23_06-prayer.3144c8ab.html

On January 23, 2006 WCNC.com reported, "The York County Council will discuss the issue of referring to God in prayers at the start of public meetings. This comes months after the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a case involving prayer at public meetings and the battle over keeping those prayers continues. Ironically, Monday night’s meeting will open with a prayer and then council members will hear complaints about that prayer. In a noon meeting Monday the council chair opened and closed the meeting with a prayer. The state supreme court ordered the Great Falls town council to stop using words like 'In Jesus name' in council prayers back in July of 2004. The ruling came after a lawsuit which said the meetings unfairly promoted Christianity at the prayers. Darla Wynn who practices Wicca [won] the lawsuit and some counties have stopped using prayers at their meeting. York County stopped a few months ago, Lancaster continues to use prayers... 6NEWS asked Lancaster County council members why they refused to change the language in their prayers, they declined to comment."