Right to Pray in the Name of Jesus Restored in North Carolina
Printed From: OpenHeaven.com Forum Name: TOP NEWS - Worldwide Kingdom/Revival NEWS Forum Discription: Daily News of What God is Doing Worldwide - Read and Comment URL: http://archive.openheaven.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=48760 Printed Date: 01/17/2017 at 8:18pm
Topic: Right to Pray in the Name of Jesus Restored in North Carolina Posted By: News Room Subject: Right to Pray in the Name of Jesus Restored in North Carolina Date Posted: 11/28/2014 at 5:25am
Right to Pray in the Name of Jesus Restored in North Carolina
A federal district court lifted its order against the prayer policy of Forsyth County, North Carolina, Thursday in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision affirming prayer before public meetings in Town of Greece v. Galloway.
"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."
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. Although the Supreme Court declined to review the case, it upheld a similar policy from the town of Greece, New York, on May 5 and affirmed that Americans are free to pray according to their own beliefs at public meetings. That cleared the way for uncensored prayers to resume in Forsyth County.
In March 2007, the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued the Forsyth County Commission on behalf of three individuals because they claimed to be offended by simply hearing the invited speakers deliver prayers that included a reference to Jesus Christ or any other named deity. They demanded the county discourage or prohibit invited speakers "from including references to Jesus Christ, or any other sectarian deity, as part of their prayers."
In its opinion in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the Supreme Court rejected the argument "that legislative prayer may be addressed only to a generic God" and warned that attempts to limit the way people pray are unconstitutional.
"Our tradition assumes that adult citizens, firm in their own beliefs, can tolerate and perhaps appreciate a ceremonial prayer delivered by a person of a different faith," the court wrote.