Caution urged on city council prayers

Caution urged on city council prayers

Agoura Hills begins its city council meetings with a prayer and Westlake Village might do the same. That’s fine with us, as long as nobody forgets that this is America.

Ours is a diverse nation, populated with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and other religions, including atheists.

Since the First Amendment forbids the establishment of one religion over another, the prayers that act as an invocation in Agoura Hills and Westlake Village must be generic.

The clerics who participate cannot say, "In Jesus name …" for example, or utter any phrase that might be exclusive toward another faith.

And therein lies the danger.

We live in an especially diverse community of Southern California, which is already the melting pot of the melting pot. Any prayer before a public meeting should reflect our sensitivity to all religions.

The other danger comes from atheists, who probably prefer to carry the separation of church and state to another level. To them, the First Amendment is often interpreted to mean freedom from religion.

So far the courts haven’t banned prayers from the U.S. Congress and we think praying before a city council meeting should be given the same acceptance.

But city officials must be cautious that they’re not crossing a line that would alienate one faith against another.

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