Preserving The Sanctity Of Prayer

It was good news when Ashland city councilors voted Jan. 10 to end prayer invocations at the beginnings of Ashland City Council meetings and to instead have a moment of silence.

The vote occurred during the most recent Committee of the Whole meeting, so we have yet to see a formal city council vote ending the practice, but the councilors' intent is clear, and it is a good step toward preserving the sanctity of prayer in our community and allowing governmental meetings to be more inclusive.

Prayer only became a regular part of council meetings after Mayor Bill Whalen's election in 2010. Before that, the Ashland City Council had incorporated a moment of silence into its proceedings. The Ashland Current published an investigation in June 2011 about the use of prayer before Ashland City Council meetings since Whalen took office. In July 2011, the Freedom From Religion Foundation asked Whalen to stop the practice of prayers before council meetings due to a focus on Christianity, which the organization called unconstitutional.

A poll of Ashland Current readers in November 2011 urged an end to the practice, with those voting in favor of ending the prayer practice outnumbering those who did not. Mayoral candidates who ran against Whalen in the recall election last year also called for an end to the use of prayer at council meetings.

Though the prayers Whalen wanted when he took office in 2010 may have very well begun with good intent, their evolution over time seems to have taken a different tack, with at least one city councilor, Joyce Kabasa, leaving the council chambers on account of viewing the practice as being overly political.

Councilors are right to say that doing away with governmental prayer would allow for meeting preparations without prompting controversy. With follow-through by the Ashland City Council on the recent Committee of the Whole vote, people will be able to do what they will to sanctify that pre-meeting moment – in silence.