Nuvo on ICLU suit against Prayer Sings as Official State Business

In an article linked at Kemplog I see that Nuvo has an article on the ICLU suit against sectarian prayer as part of the official business of the Indiana House of Representatives. I’ve gone on about this here among other places. I particularly liked this passage

Dr. Clark Williamson, Indiana professor of Christian thought, emeritus, Christian Theological Seminary, is one of several local Christian theologians who criticize the Indiana House practice. “Ever since the first Baptist was imprisoned for contravening the dictates of the then-established church in Massachusetts, Christians in America have understood the importance of letting the state be the state and the church be the church,” Williamson says.

“That the Indiana House of Representatives allows sectarian prayers and hymn-sings in its sessions turns the state of Indiana into a theologian, something it is ill-equipped to be.”

Dr. Edgar Towne, a Presbyterian minister and professor emeritus of theology at Christian Theological Seminary, agrees. “Christians ought to be courteous enough to respect other people’s faiths, especially since the Doctrine of the Trinity completely authorizes non-sectarian prayer,” Towne says.

Hinrichs explains that historic precedent has led to the concerns inspiring him to file suit. “During previous periods of our history, brands of Christianity also held strong sway in the halls of the Statehouse,” he says.

“In the 1920s, it represented a potent blend of anti-Semitism, anti-Catholicism and racism, in a time when Christians wore hoods to hide their shame. In the 1950s and ’60s, our state’s Christian legislators resisted integration and civil rights.

“In hindsight, those periods embodied some of the ugliest stains on our religious landscape, yet in their day had broad public support as majority opinion,” Hinrichs says. “Things change slowly, yet dramatically, while good people either aren’t paying attention or are too satisfied or intimidated to raise their voices. As a Quaker, I believe it is my moral duty to take a stand upholding religious liberty and inclusiveness to all.”

As per usual, I was less than impressed by Speaker Bosma’s refusal to understand the issue: “The day the Indiana Civil Liberties Union dictates free speech on the floor of the Indiana House is the day that democracy begins to decline.” Right. Because if you can’t have prayer-sings as part of the official business of the House of Representatives, the terrorists have won. Got it.