The newly elected Labour leaders at Enfield Council, north London, made the controversial decision to “support and encourage the arts”. The vast majority of councils choose to start meetings with Christian Prayers while a handful of other local authorities begin with other faiths.
The National Secular Society supported the council.
The atheist group is currently pursuing a legal test case against Bideford Town Council. It has instructed a solicitor to take its battle with the North Devon council to the High CourtIt wants to stop the ”archaic practice” of holding prayers before meetings.
It believes holding prayers before council meetings is ”not appropriate in modern-day Britain”. The litigation came after atheist councillor Clive Bone raised objections to the prayers being integrated into proceedings.
Full story at the Telegraph
What is it with people imposing their faiths on us anyway? My friend would always sign cards saying ‘God bless’ (sometimes after having written ‘Jesus still loves you, even though you’re a sinner’, but that’s another story), I know she was only being nice, but how would she have felt if I sent cards to her saying ‘may Satan, lord of the Dark Arts be with you’, or ‘may Isis grant your loins fertility’ or some other crap?
Why can’t church and state be separate, like in France?
Starting meetings with a prayer does seem fairly pointless (“Oh Lord, please deliver us from our despair, as we listen to these pricks witter on and on and on endlessly, amen”
) but I don’t see it as a massive issue. Provided they’re not going round crossing peoples foreheads with holy water while their eyes are closed, and forcing them to sit on prayer cushions, while the guy at the head of the table wears a dog collar, I wouldn’t really call it ‘imposing your faith on somebody’. That said, I’ve got no objection to them getting rid of it either.
I do not undertsant the fervour with which some atheists appear to pursue their anti-faith agenda. If you have no faith, then frankly why would you care let alone be offended by the saying of a prayer?
Fiona: Because it implies that the meeting will be held in the spirit of the religion of those praying, which seems awfully non-inclusive towards anyone of a different faith or no faith. Prayers belong in religious services, not in meetings of what should be a secular organ (as government should favour no single religion).
Fiona: religion is an exclusive mechanism, i.e. the faith in which the prayers are offered excludes all other religions as well as the non-religious. Rather than having a meeting that is seen to be exclusive to one faith, it would be more inclusive to leave religion at the door and to include all those present and their electorate, no matter what faith, colour or creed.
Fiona, I think you’ll find that the vast majority of atheists pursue an “anti-faith agenda” with an awful lot less fervour than most religious people do the opposite.
I am staggered to find that this goes on in at least one council, let alone in the numbers suggested in the article. If I was attending council meetings, I would have a huge problem with this as well. The reason I care is that I would be offended by the assumption that I believe in this rubbish.
It does seem inappropriate to me… even as a religious person.
I’d object even if the prayers etc at the beginning of the meetings were of my religion (which they wouldn’t be anyway, but that’s beside the point). The council is meant to represent everyone in its area, and the only way to ensure that exclusion of any group is not implied is to omit prayers of any kind altogether.
Religion should not play a part in politics, either at a national or a local level.
I think it is overdue for the world to have a non-religious atheist country.
and where else can it occur but the carribean islands like a small one in the bahamas.
unused otherwise… in the story
time will run back there was at least one island where capitalism was learned
why not have both capitalism and atheist place for a studied atheist society in the bahamas..
the court case is about a society issue..
it could be settled by making such a place ..
those who in their diary are atheists or the like are allowed in.
for those who aren’t their families and friends
there is the hotel atlantis in the bahamas..
They can have a prayer if I can sacrifice a goat. Deal?
Why on earth do they pray? If I was there my offence would be due to others disrepect of my belief. Pot kettle I suppose. Nobody should be insulated so it would be best left for personal time. People have no reason to ask a deity for something as greed is a sin and what exactly can folk be thankful for to a god? Why in a work setting are emotions free to be expressed in a Christian form? Councillors and Mayors etc. should be impartial.