If the Federal government helps pay for it,
you can't give thanks to God for it (h/t
Say Anything):
Preston Blackwelder proudly showed off a painting of his grandmother that had hung next to the front door of his Port Wentworth home.
She was the woman who led him to God, Blackwelder said Friday.
And with that firm religious footing, Blackwelder said, it would be preposterous to stop praying before meals at Port Wentworth's Ed Young Senior Citizens Center because of a federal guideline.
"She would say pray anyway," Blackwelder said of his grandmother. "She'd say don't listen."
But Senior Citizens Inc. officials said Friday the meals they are contracted by the city to provide to Ed Young visitors are mostly covered with federal money, which ushers in the burden of separating church and state.
Thus, on Thursday, the open prayer at the center was traded in for a moment of silence.
The dilemma is being hashed out by the Port Wentworth city attorney, said Glenn "Pig" Jones, the city's mayor.
Strict guidelines
Tim Rutherford, Senior Citizens Inc. vice president, said some of his staff recently visited the center and noticed people praying shortly before lunch was served. Rutherford said his company provides meals like baked chicken, steak tips and rice and salads at a cost of about $6 a plate. Seniors taking the meals pay 55 cents and federal money foots the rest of the bill, Rutherford said.
"We can't scoff at their rules," he said of federal authorities. "It's a part of the operational guidelines."
Rutherford said the moment of silence was introduced to protect that funding. He said although the change may have been misinterpreted, perhaps his company could have done a better job selling it.
"It's interpreted that we're telling people that they can't pray, but we aren't saying that," he said. "We're asking them to pray to themselves. Have that moment of silence."
'Can't thank God'
Mayor Jones said he was outraged by the change and has promised to find a solution.
"It was one of the hardest things I've ever did as mayor is to look at those people in the eyes and ask them to be patient with me and honor their God in a moment of silence until I can have a resolution to this," Jones said. "For me to look at their eyes and tell them they can't thank God for their food, it's unheard of - I can't take it."
Once again the concept of "separation of church and state", which appears absolutely nowhere in the Constitution, has been stretched and deformed to mean that there can be absolutely no involvement with religion if there is any involvement with the federal government. These people need to challenge this because I think they'd win without any problem. Let's not forget the very first words of the First Amendment which actually does appear in the Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
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3 comments:
The grumbling lies in the phrase..."respecting an establishment"...which in concert with the remainder was to mean that the government was prohibited from creating a national church as was done in England. Thus, allowing prayer or other religious symbolism on government controlled property or communal events has become co-mingled with the actual creation of the national church. This is utter nonsense, however, it is not worth fighting. Silent prayer by individuals is allowed, and unless even that were banned by suddenly ordering all to stand in line and shuffle forward to get their meal, the government is not guilty of banning prayer or personal religion.
Personally, the further government gets from hawking religion the better I like it!
In that moment of silence I would just use standard Sign Language and the heck with the government, they would not HEAR a word, it would all be silent.
I hear ya, Goofy Dick, but ASL can be difficult to do if you have arthritis or other ailments like that. :(
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