As someone who takes church-state separation seriously, I’ve never cared much for the legislative practice of official invocations. If lawmakers are inviting local religious leaders, faith groups are inevitably left out. If the reverend uses a faith-specific prayer, public officials of different faiths are offended. If a pastor uses a watered-down, generic prayer, officials who prefer a faith-specific prayer aren’t satisfied.
The answer, it seems to me, is to leave the business of government secular and allow public officials to exercise their religious beliefs in their own way.
Of course, the other problem with these invocations is that occasionally invited religious leaders will say something completely ridiculous. Just such an instance occurred this week in Colorado.
A Roman Catholic priest caused a stir on the House floor Tuesday when he urged lawmakers to let religious faith guide their votes and “be the antithesis of John Kennedy.”
While delivering the chamber’s morning prayer, the Rev. Bill Carmody said too many politicians have followed the example of the nation’s first Catholic president by pledging to separate their faith from politics.
“Almighty God, please change and convert the hearts of all the representatives in this House. May they be the antithesis of John Kennedy, may they be women and men of God, and may their faith influence and guide every vote they make,” he said.
It is a tad ironic that a Catholic priest would be imploring lawmakers to abandon the example set by the nation’s only Catholic president. But that’s not really the point here.
Carmody’s argument was effectively one encouraging state officials to base their votes not on the law, not on what’s best for their constituents, but on their religious beliefs.
JFK, to his credit, knew better. As my friends at Americans United (who have a cool new blog, by the way) noted yesterday:
Carmody’s screed notwithstanding, Kennedy’s viewpoint was in keeping with the bedrock principle of church-state separation that is fundamental to American democracy. Kennedy believed “in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” To JFK, America is a place “where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference.” His is a legacy that should be emulated, not condemned.
Kennedy’s position was most clearly articulated in a Sept. 12, 1960, address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. The full text and audio of Kennedy’s address are available at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
Any chance lawmakers will learn from this and revisit the invocation policy? No, of course not. Leaving pre-session prayers to individuals to pursue on their own would be viewed as an attack on religion.