S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster should advise the town of Great Falls to drop its legal fight for public prayers to a specific religion. It already has been turned down by a federal district court and appeals court panel. Instead, McMaster is again supporting the town's stab at another appeal before the full 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The attorney general has better things to do with his time and tax money. So does the Town Council in Great Falls. And so do all public bodies that should be watching these legal proceedings and making any changes necessary.
Great Falls was sued in federal court by a woman professing to be a Wiccan high priestess after the Town Council refused to quit referencing Jesus Christ in its prayers before meetings.
The legal problem is not that the Town Council has a public prayer. The problem, according to the federal judges, is the reference to Jesus Christ. The courts believe it advances one faith in preference to others, which a public body should not do. It sounds like a slap at Christianity, which cuts against the grain in Great Falls and elsewhere. But it should not be seen that way. It would be easier to understand, perhaps, if the shoe was on the other foot and Christians were asked to endure public bodies seeking guidance from pagan gods.
McMaster says the name of Jesus Christ has been referenced by public bodies from the Continental Congress to today and it has not been considered the unconstitutional establishment of religion.
He's probably right. But those arguments are unnecessary. Town Councils, like the Supreme Court, can open sessions seeking guidance from God, or the heavenly father. That should suffice. Look at all the good that has been done in the world by the 12-step principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, which rely heavily on a "Higher Power." That works. Public bodies should find similar solutions, with the blessings of the attorney general.