Recently, an individual in Wilson County, North Carolina, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), brought charges against the City of Wilson, demanding that our City Council cease from praying in the name of Jesus Christ before their regular sessions.

This local issue, which is the focus of this petition, points to a broader issue in our state (and nation): Religious liberty is under attack. For instance, the ACLU has silenced prayer in Forsyth and Lenoir counties and is now warning other North Carolina counties not to allow Christian prayers (Source: www.kinston.com/articles/days-79851-irene-winter.html). And now, the North Carolina state chapter of the ACLU has promised to do all they can to stop the state General Assembly from saying predominately Christian prayers at the opening of every day’s session (Source: http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/aclu_warns_general_assembly_on_prayer#storylink=cpy).

As many of you know, Wilson, which sits in the Bible Belt, is a town founded on long-held traditions. Our City Council has prayed in the name of Jesus for hundreds of years, and we will not allow any person or organization to overturn this tradition.

Moreover, most North Carolinians support the nature of this petition. According to a recent poll by Civitas, 79% of North Carolinians do not "object to a member of an elected body or a citizen offering an opening prayer ending with the words 'In Jesus or Christ’s name' at a meeting of a government body" (Source: www.nccivitas.org/2012/february-2012-poll-results). It is time for us to make our voices heard. Sign this petition TODAY!

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