Wednesday, October 9, 2002

[Editor's note: The following was sent to members of the Peachtree City Council by former mayoral candidate Gary Rower.]

Subject: Meeting prayer.

I am thrilled that you intend to start your council meetings with a prayer. This time-honored practice reminds us all of our place in the universe. Thank you.

Having said that, I wish to bring to your attention some information that might impact how you implement this new practice as the legal community has been through this many, many times.

The following excerpt is from an ACLU press release.

"Although the Establishment Clause generally bars government from engaging in official religious observance, the United States Supreme Court has recognized a narrow exception to this rule for prayers offered at the commencement of legislative sessions. Marsh v. Chambers, 463 U.S. 783 (1983). To be permissible under this narrow exception, however, legislative prayers must be nonsectarian. As the Court noted in County of Allegheny v. ACLU, 492 U.S. 573, 603 (1989), "however history may affect the constitutionality of nonsectarian references to religion by the government, history cannot legitimate practices that demonstrate the government's allegiance to a particular sect or creed." The Court in Allegheny carefully distinguished between nonsectarian prayers, which did not align government with any one particular religion or creed, and sectarian prayers, such as those that refer to Jesus Christ ...."

Folks, please keep your prayers nonsectarian.

Many of you do not like my politics. Too bad. I am a citizen of Peachtree City. I am a citizen of Fayette County. I am a citizen of Georgia and a citizen of the United States of America. I am also a Jew. I attend council meetings as a citizen and as a member of the press. I am not the only non-christian [sic] who attends your meetings.

I applaud your intent. Now please comply with the law.

The following link directs you to the ACLU press release from June 2000. Please review it before implementing your practice: http://www.aclu.org/news/2000/n062900c.html.

Thank you for your commitment.

Gary Rower

Peachtree City