Freedom From Religion Foundation Turns Sights Upon Huntsville

We live in a country with hundreds of millions of people, all of divergent views on matters of religion and politics. In communities large and small, the tradition of prayers or invocations before citizen-based meetings, town halls, sporting events and graduation has been a staple of local civic life. Perhaps for some, over time, these brief moments have become more symbolic than substantive. But for years upon years in these communities, those who don't consider themselves religious demonstrated a healthy tolerance or respect for the tradition. Until recent decades, that is. Indeed, while I would wager that the vast majority would not get their feathers in a ruffle over the matter of a short prayer or invocation before civic events, there is a tiny, anonymous minority whose intolerance of such expressions (symbolic or otherwise) creates a firestorm of controversy that ensures their victory by mere intimidation.

This minority has now brought the battle to my area. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, an organization based in Wisconsin, is bringing its mission to destroy expressions of faith in civic life against the long-standing tradition of opening prayers at the Huntsville City Council. From The Huntsville Times:

In a Feb. 16 letter to Council President Mark Russell, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation argued that prayer at government meetings is "unnecessary, inappropriate and divisive" and should be stopped.
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The letter infers that the group will sue Huntsville in federal court if the policy is not changed.

The city, of course, is taking the threat seriously. In an era of tight fiscal budgets, no local government or agency can afford to spend taxpayer money to fight such cases in court. The remarkable thing is, the city might stand a decent chance to win in court. But the cost is prohibitive, so it is more likely that the city will lay down without a fight. Oh, they'll revert to a moment of silence or the like. Because that would be the politically correct, tolerant thing to do in the face of virulent, antagonistic intolerance.

I have not been to a Huntsville City Council meeting, so I cannot speak with authority as to the typical nature of the invocation. But at various events where an opening prayer is offered, it strikes me that they are often 30-45 seconds in length, and focused more on the appeal to providence rather than proselytization. From the paper:

"The prayers currently invoked at Council meetings impermissibly advance Christianity," Schmitt wrote, "and lead a reasonable observer to believe that the Council is endorsing not only religion over non-religion, but also Christianity over other faiths."

Unidentified Freedom From Religion Foundation members who live in Huntsville complained to the national office about the City Council prayers. The group says it has more than 17,500 members nationwide, including about 150 in Alabama.

This is part that bothers me the most. Out 150, how many members of this foundation actually live in Huntsville? Suppose it is 10%. Of those 15, how many would bother to attend a city council meeting? In all likelihood, less than 5, and that may even be too high an estimate (it's not like the council meeting is heavily attended by the public). So a couple of "unidentified" local citizens decide to hide behind the skirts of a Wisconsin-based organization that operates on the basis of intimidation to tear down a local civic tradition. We'll never know who the accusers are, because this will never go to court, and the FFRF will protect the privacy and the intolerance of its members. All over the matter of an invocation or prayer that lasts less than a minute.

I want to be charitable to those with opinions that differ from mine, even on a topic like this. But I really can only shake my head in wonder at the ongoing surrender to the tyranny of the minority in our civic life.