The Supreme Court has ruled that the Town of Greece, New
York does not violate the separation clause.
My dear friend Tom pointed us to Matthew 6:6:
When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray
privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in
private. He will reward you.
Since I was planning to write on this aspect of prayer
anyway it seems appropriate that I approach it from this angle. There is a place for public prayer. An honest reading of the Bible shows that
invocations are a good and common practice.
The verse that Tom points us to is, however, vital.
Public prayer is not the time to preach, teach, or
manipulate. It is the time to ask for
God’s wisdom and blessing. It is a time
to ask for God to lead and guide. It is
not the time to press my religious views on others.
On the issue of a town meeting being opened in prayer, I think
that God has both no place in government and every place in it. The Bible also makes it clear that all government
is under the authority of God and is chosen by him.
We are to respect the rule of law. For now the courts have said that we can open
town meetings in prayer. We must assure
that we do not do so in a way that alienates or excludes others. Instead of arguing with those who disagree
perhaps we could use the opportunity to bring others together. It is an opportunity to show the love and
acceptance that Jesus wishes us to show.
Jesus makes his comment about public prayer because of the
pride and corruption of the religious leaders of his time. As Christ followers we must not repeat the
error. Everyone should feel loved by us
when we pray in public.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store."
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