Rensselaer council rejects prayer box at City Hall

[douglas9]

RENSSELAER, Ind. (AP) — Rensselaer City Council members have rejected a request by local pastors to install a prayer box in City Hall.

The Rev. Garry Wickert says the boxes would allow people to leave anonymous notes with requests for prayers. He says similar boxes are at businesses in the city about 40 miles north of Lafayette.

Council members say they like the idea, but voted no Monday because of legal concerns. The city attorney says the prayer box could lead to a lawsuit.

Mayor Herbert Arihood says council members would have approved the prayer boxes "in a heartbeat," but they have to honor the law.

In the 1990s, a lawsuit stopped a long-standing tradition of distributing Bibles to fifth-graders in Rensselaer public schools.

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http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20081223&Category=News01&ArtNo=812230222&SectionCat=News&Template=printart

[YOY]

1. Is there a problem with the pastors having such prayerboxes at their own churches?

Why did they claim to need one at city hall?

Prayerboxes...yeah...adorable.

[lonestarnot]

2. Prayer box. What a fucking concept.

Now I need a box to pray? :rofl: Are they now capitalizing on prayer and intend to make sure the prayers do not get to their destination? :rofl: My prayer doesn't need a fucking box!

[YOY]

3. What was Jesus' line about people who pray in public places?

F***ing hypocrites.

[lonestarnot]

4. Get "ye" back into your closet!

[YOY]

5. I'm not gay. Little tough for me to do that. Oh wait...you're talking about the latter part!

Matthew chapter 6, verses 5-6,

"When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

[lonestarnot]

7. Is this Sunday school on Tuesday?

[YOY]

8. I never really read the second part!

Thanks for pointing it out. I guess we are having Sunday School on Tuesday...or at least one lesson some churches will never teach.

[lonestarnot]

9. Whever a group of 1 or more gathered in his name.

[saltpoint]

6. I'm guessing there are any number of worship venues in that town in

northwest central Indiana AND that the pastors/rabbis/ministers/etc of each of those venues would sanction prayer within their walls.

If someone there wants to pray, the town hall doesn't need to be an official destination. Separation of church and state is a pretty good idea.

Good for the city council.