Christian prayers popular despite lawsuit from atheist group

By Janet Parshall

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week on a case that takes up the role of prayer in a public setting, specifically opening prayers at town meetings. Given the current makeup of the court, it is nearly impossible to predict the outcome.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, the High Court will examine the issue of religious liberty, and when you think about it, that is a rather frightening idea. The case comes from the town of Greece, New York. Like many towns all across America, it was common practice to open the town meetings with prayer.

The policy that allowed for prayer was completely inclusive, allowing representatives from any and all faiths. But not surprisingly, Christian prayers were the most popular, as evidenced by the fact that out of 127 invocations, only four were offered by non-Christian groups.

Enter Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens who decided that the prayers made them feel excluded so they contacted Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who filed suit against the town.