An Argument For Public Prayer

Majority rule is the democratic way

Many American Christians declare they have a right to pray in public. I completely agree. They do, as do all other people of faith. Many of these same Christians declare they also have a right to have prayers in school, at school sporting events, in courtrooms and all other public venues sponsored by or on behalf of government. Many people disagree. But that is not the object of this argument.

My position, for the sake of argument is that public, government-sponsored prayer should be allowed if we can easily solve just one challenge: Make it fair.

How do we make it fair? Well, we need to decide who selects the prayer. I guess that since this is a democratic nation, it should be voted on, and a simple majority wins. Good, fair enough. That way, the majority gets to choose what prayers are said in public settings. And don’t forget that since it’s a majority decision, all are required to comply with it, regardless of their beliefs. It’s only fair.

Here’s three example of how this might work:

-A town in Kansas has a Christian majority that wins the vote. Prayers in school and at ball games and in the courts are Christian prayers.

-A suburb of New York City has Jewish majority, so all prayers in school and at ball games and in the courts are Jewish prayers. Oh, don’t forget head coverings, and separate males from females during prayers.

-A county in northern Michigan has a Muslim majority, so prayers in school and at ball games and in the courts are Muslim prayers. Oh—don’t forget to stop classes several times a day to have all the students—Christians and Jews included—face Mecca for their prayers.

Great. Problem solved. We have school prayer and it’s done in the manner the majority chooses. It’s only fair; it’s the democratic way.

God bless America. You may now pray….