The Colorado Supreme Court upheld
the right of Colorado Governors to issue proclamations calling for state days
of prayer, upholding an earlier ruling by the Colorado District Court, and overturning
a subsequent ruling by the Colorado Court of Appeals.
This case began 6-years ago (in 2008)
against former Governor Bill Ritter by a small group of atheists headquartered
in Madison, WI. Judge Mullins of the
District Court in Denver, CO, originally dismissed the case on October 28,
2010, declaring “ … there is nothing controversial about a restatement of a
right protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution ...
the proclamation [does] not have the force and effect of law, and even if [it]
did, the language does not support the foundation for a state religion, but
only an acknowledgment of the rights of the citizenry as recognized as far back
as the Declaration of Independence.”
“Public officials today should be as
free to issue prayer proclamations as the founders of America and Colorado
were,” said Alliance Defending Freedom
(ADF) Senior Counsel and former U.S.
Attorney for the District of Colorado Michael J. Norton. “State and federal courts nationwide have
repeatedly upheld and recognized prayer proclamations as a deeply rooted part
of American history and tradition.”
Shirley Dobson, Chairman of the
National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force added, “I applaud the decision by the
Colorado Supreme Court. Since the days
of our Founding Fathers, the government has protected and encouraged public
prayer and other expressions of dependence on the Almighty. Prayer is an indispensable part of our
heritage, and as citizens, we must remain faithful in our commitment to
intercede for our states and nation during this pivotal and challenging time.”
In 1952, President Harry Truman
signed into law a joint resolution by Congress to set aside an annual National
Day of Prayer. Congress amended the law
in 1988, which was signed by President Ronald Reagan, specifying that the
annual event would be observed on “the first Thursday in May each year.” In April of this year (2014), members of the
U.S. House of Representatives introduced a resolution “affirming the vital role
that prayer has played throughout the more than 200-year history of our Nation,
strengthening the fabric of our society, and recognizing May 1, 2014, as the
63rd Annual National Day of Prayer.”
John Bornschein, Vice-Chairman for NDP
Task Force commented that, “This is definitely a victory for the free exercise
of religion that our Founding Fathers sought to ensure, and we are thankful for
the outcome. I can't think of a time in
recent memory when it has been more important to pray for wisdom and direction
for our state and its leaders.”
Back East, the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the 4th Circuit upheld the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of
North Carolina’s order in Joyner v.
Forsyth County in 2011. The federal
district court lifted its order against the prayer policy of Forsyth County, NC
in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affirming prayer before public
meetings in Town of Greece [NY] v. Galloway. After winning that lawsuit in May, ADF attorneys representing Forsyth
County asked the district court to lift its order against the county’s prayer
policy. The order required the county to
censor the way people pray to ensure only generic prayers are offered at public
meetings. Now, the way is cleared for
uncensored prayers to resume in Forsyth County … in Jesus’ name.
“All Americans should have the
liberty to pray without being censored, just as the Supreme Court found only a
few months ago, and we are delighted to see this freedom restored in Forsyth
County,” said ADF Senior Counsel
Brett Harvey. “The Supreme Court
affirmed the freedom of Americans to pray according to their consciences before
public meetings. For that reason, the
district court was right to lift its previous order against Forsyth County’s
prayer policy, which is clearly constitutional.”
So there you have it: Americans are
free to pray according to their own beliefs at public meetings without
censorship, and public officials can issue prayer proclamations.
Rev.
Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.
Chaplain
(Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army
Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel
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