The BC Humanist Association says it will sue the City of Parksville unless the city decides to ban prayer from all of its meetings.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/19670880

“The 2015 decision by the Supreme Court in Saguenay, (QC), prohibits municipal councils from including prayer in their meetings and in the last two inaugural meetings, in 2018 and 2022, Parksville has included prayers, overtly religious prayers, in their inaugural meetings and that’s a violation of the constitution,” said Teale Phelps Bondaroff, the research coordinator with the BC Humanist Association.

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  • pbjamm@beehaw.orgEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    Are they free to force others to participate in their religious practice? Because that is what happens with prayer in public activities like this.

    • uzi
      1·
      7 months ago

      Holding public prayer does not equate to participating in whatever faith. Allowing something is not endorsement of it.

      • pbjamm@beehaw.orgEnglish
        1·
        7 months ago

        I am not participating in their faith, but I am participating in the ceremony whether I like it or not. This is an official city meeting and should not be turned, even temporarily, into a church service.

        • uzi
          1·
          7 months ago

          Oh you’re Christian, if religion makes you think churches, you are Christian. Every actively religious person I know has never said the word “church” in our conversations unless it’s specific to those Christian people.

          • pbjamm@beehaw.orgEnglish
            1·
            7 months ago

            I have no idea what you are talking about but had you watched the video in the article you would see it was clearly a christian prayer being discussed. For the record I am not affiliated with any religion as I find the whole concept of gods ridiculous.