Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
On January 13th 2015, the city of Sparks NV, opened their city council meeting with a Hindu prayer.
The Secular Student Alliance deems it inappropriate for public officials in a tax paid position to open a meeting concerningall residentsof Sparks NV with a prayer. Government officials are free to pray in their own homes if they choose. However, these officials have all taken oaths to uphold a secular constitution in this government and thus prayer in government in any capacity is inappropriate.
This action of prayer at Spark City Council meeting is also discriminatory to non-believers. Government officials are paid for by taxes brought in from all residents including those of no faith. These officials are paid to spend their time working for all residents regardless of their religious belief. When a city council lends its valuable time and resources to committing to prayer, it amounts to an endorsement of a religious viewpoint and exclude more than one-fifth of the population of theUnited States. Beginning a city council meeting with prayer excludeshundredsof Sparks residents from the affair and alienates them from their local government.
This is also true of non-believing Sparks officials at this meeting. While their have been no reports of coercion to pray, one must not be put in a position that by choosing to exclude oneself from a prayer due to a private belief may lead to negative viewpoints from fellow officials and the alienation of that official from the open proceedings of a city council meeting.
Observing a strict separation of church and state will offend no one and include all citizens.
http://www.spyghana.com/rajan-zed-open-sparks-city-council-meeting/
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4 Comments
Let’s keep religion out of government and government out of religion. The Sparks City Council should focus on the business of Sparks. Those who wish to pray should do it on their own time.
As we have recently seen in Florida, it's the little things that snowball into larger ones. The seperation of church and state is part of the bedrock of the US, and needs to stay that way. It doesn't matter if it's a full on prayer, or even a "swear on the bible", this needs stop happening in association with governmental proceedings.
Separation of Church and State!
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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.
Final supporters
On January 13th 2015, the city of Sparks NV, opened their city council meeting with a Hindu prayer.
The Secular Student Alliance deems it inappropriate for public officials in a tax paid position to open a meeting concerningall residentsof Sparks NV with a prayer. Government officials are free to pray in their own homes if they choose. However, these officials have all taken oaths to uphold a secular constitution in this government and thus prayer in government in any capacity is inappropriate.
This action of prayer at Spark City Council meeting is also discriminatory to non-believers. Government officials are paid for by taxes brought in from all residents including those of no faith. These officials are paid to spend their time working for all residents regardless of their religious belief. When a city council lends its valuable time and resources to committing to prayer, it amounts to an endorsement of a religious viewpoint and exclude more than one-fifth of the population of theUnited States. Beginning a city council meeting with prayer excludeshundredsof Sparks residents from the affair and alienates them from their local government.
This is also true of non-believing Sparks officials at this meeting. While their have been no reports of coercion to pray, one must not be put in a position that by choosing to exclude oneself from a prayer due to a private belief may lead to negative viewpoints from fellow officials and the alienation of that official from the open proceedings of a city council meeting.
Observing a strict separation of church and state will offend no one and include all citizens.
http://www.spyghana.com/rajan-zed-open-sparks-city-council-meeting/
4 Comments
As an established (supposedly) secular government, it is the job of every level of the United States government to uphold the separation of church and state. While I may not be personally offended in any way by this action, it is a small action with larger implications which violate the concept of the secular government. While I would love to be able to let small things like this slide, I cannot without feeling hypocritical, and as such must take the stance against such violations of the secular government.
Let’s keep religion out of government and government out of religion. The Sparks City Council should focus on the business of Sparks. Those who wish to pray should do it on their own time.
As we have recently seen in Florida, it's the little things that snowball into larger ones. The seperation of church and state is part of the bedrock of the US, and needs to stay that way. It doesn't matter if it's a full on prayer, or even a "swear on the bible", this needs stop happening in association with governmental proceedings.
Separation of Church and State!
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As an established (supposedly) secular government, it is the job of every level of the United States government to uphold the separation of church and state. While I may not be personally offended in any way by this action, it is a small action with larger implications which violate the concept of the secular government. While I would love to be able to let small things like this slide, I cannot without feeling hypocritical, and as such must take the stance against such violations of the secular government.