Written by Don Byrd
A Torrence County Commission meeting in New Mexico last night drew news cameras and a crowd for a discussion of their tradition of opening each meeting with prayer. While it sounds like the Commission is proceeding cautiously, some residents are just unhappy….and missing the point.
“Why do you want to silence us?” asked one resident. “You have a choice, if you don’t want to pray–don’t.”
“Sometimes I personally need a prayer to have that moment,” said another resident.
When it comes to government action, Commissioners have an obligation to represent all resident. When your government representative offers an official prayer on your behalf, you really don’t have a choice, do you? Who is the “us” being “silenced”?
As for the other resident, nothing stops individuals from praying on their own. Nothing stops Commissioners from praying prior to the meeting in their individual capacities. But as official representatives of the government, and of all residents, there is something that should stop them: the First Amendment. Government meetings are for addressing the public’s business.
