A 'christian' Right Mob demands just Christian prayers at council meetings in South Carolina

[ck4829]

Asserting that Oconee County is "a Christian community," an amen-shouting crowd on Monday drew a line in the sand and dared the American Civil Liberties Union to step across it. "I say that it stops here," the Rev. Wayne Morton said of the ACLU's nationwide push for governmental bodies to stick to the type of nonsectarian "legislative prayer" that the founding fathers used. "It stops in Oconee County."

Morton submitted a proposed ordinance that calls for the county to compile a database of "monotheistic religious congregations with an established presence in the local community of Oconee County," and invite each congregation to send a member of its clergy to offer prayer before council meetings.

But since there are no Islamic mosques or Jewish synagogues in the county, it would effectively invite only Christian ministers, Morton said.

The county's attorney, Brad Norton, advised the council that if it chooses to allow prayer by different individuals on a rotating basis it should send the letter to Jewish and Islamic groups in Greenville, since some adherents of those faiths live in Oconee -- a suggestion Morton mocked.

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS01/701090377

[GOPBasher]

1. Theocracy is coming.

These people are so fucking crazy. I don't know what the fuck they have against the great American value of religious freedom, but they're going to take it away pretty soon.

[dogday]

2. This is bible belt country---Bob Jones and all

I moved away from this area because of the crazy way they act and I am talking about my own relatives, etc who live in Greenville....

[rodeodance]

3. umm. maybe a Wiccan congregation will step forward?

[SheilaT]

4. I don't understand

why prayers should ever be a part of any governmental meeting. Or any public gathering whatsoever outside of a church/mosque/synagogue/place of worship. Or done privately. For one thing, I never get to recite a Hail Mary at such public gathering, and anytime the "Lord's Prayer" is said they add that extra phrase at the end that we Catholics know doesn't belong there. (sarcasm now off)

"Non-sectarian" prayers are only non-sectarian in a very limited way: they don't distinguish very well which Protestant sect those saying it are from. The same way with hymns. I was raised Catholic, and trust me, most of the hymns out there sung in public are nothing like those I sang while growing up.

[Bridget Burke]

10. Hey, I still remember some Latin hymns...

That would really confound the Fundies. Although they're probably already working on an "English only" law.

[magellan]

5. How just the prayers are depends on who's uttering them

Sorry, couldn't stop myself from a little pointed word play with the subject line. :) The fundies continue to oppose freedom of religion, quelle surprise.

[tanyev]

6. Oconee? Sounds Native American to me.

They'd better look into renaming themselves Praise Jesus County.

[Burma Jones]

7. We should allow South Carolina to seceed, if they want to try again

I've heard there's a group that wants to turn it into an American Theocracy, ala the Taliban. I say go ahead....They just have to compensate anyone that wants to leave, and declare Charleston an "open city".....

[GreenZoneLT]

8. Definition of South Carolina:

Too small for a nation, too large for an insane asylum.

[LostinVA]

9. Having lived in NC very close to the SC border -- this definition is dead on

Man, there are some lunatics down there.

[donheld]

11. Let's not wait for them to seceed

Let's expell them.

[dubykc]

12. I am unfamiliar with the geography of SC, but, my daughter...

lives in Charleston, she is a Christian, but she recognizes and embraces the fact that I am a Pagan. I got an e-mail from her this morning with a subject line that read "Check out what these whackos are doing down here" with a link to this story.

Fortunately she'll be moving to Michigan, my home state, in early March.

Whenever I read a story like this it reminds me of the classic Ghandi quote "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ"

[sinkingfeeling]

13. I'm willing to let them turn the USA into a theocracy. All of our intellects,

scientists, creative artists, financial wizards, etc. are already beginning to move to other countries where they have more freedom to express themselves. American will be living in the Dark Ages again within 50 years.