Council members in Greece, New York lower their heads in prayer during a meeting. (Fox News)
Nestled along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the town of Greece, N.Y., with its population of 96,095 people and median household income of $53,541, would appear to be everything the town boasts of being in its promotional literature: namely, “a great place to live, work, and play.”
It is also a great test case — in what is shaping up as the most important church-state litigation to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in three decades, with the Obama administration taking what is perhaps a surprising stance on the matter.
As far back as 1997, local officials in Greece opened the town’s monthly council meetings with a prayer, usually delivered by a Christian clergyman who responded to the town’s invitation to do so. “Grant these servants of yours the help they need to guide our community wisely,” intoned a priest from the Holy Name of Jesus parish to kick off the meeting of July 21, 2009.
But not all of the opening prayers were so ecumenical. “We celebrate your son, Jesus,” said a pastor from Lakeshore Community Church that December. “We ask all this through Christ, our Lord,” said another pastor, closing his prayer with the ritual “Amen.”
In February 2008, two residents — one Jewish, the other an atheist — sued the town, claiming that the nearly exclusive reservation of the opening prayer for Christian clergy violated the First Amendment’s prohibition on laws respecting an establishment of religion. However, to the surprise of many, the Justice Department filed an amicus brief earlier this month siding with Greece by arguing that the prayers do not violate the Constitution.
Read more at Fox News.