You would think that those religious people who insist on inserting religion into government would have been satisfied with the US Supreme Court’s verdict in the Greece v. Galloway case that said that it was not unconstitutional for governmental entities to open their meetings with prayers.
But the court said that such prayer policies must be neutral and not sectarian and be open to all manner of religious viewpoints. Some atheist groups have decided to test this openness requirement by applying to deliver the opening invocation. The town of Greece did allow it but the county commissioners in Brevard County in Florida voted unanimously to deny atheists the opportunity to do so and sent a letter to the Central Florida Freethought Community why they would not be allowed to participate, saying ” “The prayer is delivered during the ceremonial portion of the county’s meeting, and typically invokes guidance for the County Commission from the highest spiritual authority, a higher authority which a substantial body of Brevard constituents believe to exist.”
This was easy to predict. For some religious people, diversity is not the goal, exclusivity is. They will not be content until only their sectarian view is dominant.
Brevard County will very likely be sued and their decision reversed by a federal judge because the Supreme Court was fairly clear about what the policy should be for acceptance. The commissioners may be hoping that the Supreme Court will take their case but I highly doubt it.
Privileged people are always very interested in protecting their privilege. That is why whenever women’s rights are being discussed someone will quickly express fear that men are being neglected, or if equality for dark-skinned people is the subject, some white person will point out the risk of “reverse racism”. It also explains why the Koch brothers work so hard to keep their taxes low, even though they have more money than they could spend in twenty lifetimes. Thus, whenever some one tries to get a little consideration for non-Christians, all the Christian martyrs are immediately out there telling the world how they suffer for their faith.
Ironically, the government at the center of this dreadful ruling, after allowing an atheist to give an invocation, is now backsliding. Betcha didn’t see that coming. Christian privilege strikes again.