-4th Circuit Ruling Stands: Prayers in Jesus Name Are Out

by Dr. D ~ January 17th, 2012

Today (Tuesday 1/17) the US Supreme Court declined to hear a case coming from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Appeals Court had ruled in a 2-1 panel decision last October in Joyner v. Forsyth County (North Carolina) that public legislative meetings could not begin with prayers in the “name of Jesus.” Therefore, the ruling stands within the jurisdiction of the 4th circuit.

Here’s a link to our post on the original case: -U.S. Circuit Court: Prayers ‘In Jesus Name’ are Unconstitutional

Response: It is a real disappointment that SCOTUS did not pick up this case and make a definitive ruling. This leaves the country legally divided over this prayer issue.

Meanwhile, Christian prayers are now limited in public forums within the jurisdiction of the 4th circuit which includes the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The rest of the country should not be affected by this unfortunate ruling.

Congress is Constitutionally forbidden from making laws concerning religion but the 4th Circuit has in effect made a new law by putting the government in charge of deciding what prayers are acceptable and which ones aren’t –what is ‘sectarian’ and therefore offensive and what is not.

If a Muslim Imam was invited to say a prayer before a public legislative meeting in the 4th Circuit area would he be free to address his prayers to ‘Allah’ rather than God? The keepers of ‘political correctness’ would probably rule in the affirmative since ‘Allah’ is merely the Arabic form of God. Yet such a prayer would be just as sectarian as Christian prayers in Jesus name and offensive to many more for sure.

What government agency will now be in charge of determining what names for God are acceptable and which ones aren’t? So far only Christian prayers in ‘Jesus name’ have specifically been referenced in the ruling for censorship. *Top