Will U.S. Supreme Court overturn Ban on Jesus Prayers?

The Forsyth County Board of Commissioners decided this summer to appeal to the Supreme Court a bad 2-1 ruling, Joyner v. Forsyth County by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that banned private citizens from speaking the forbidden word "Jesus" during a public prayer before council meetings.

The 2-1 Court decision can be read here:  READ THE ANTI-JESUS COURT RULING.  The 4th Circuit Court rules over 5 states: Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Maryland, where Jesus-prayers are now "illegal" if atheist complainers try to sue in those states to stop free speech.

Judge Paul V. Niemeyer, the lone dissenter in the 2-1 decision, strongly criticized his fellow jurists:

"The majority has dared to step in and regulate the language of prayer — the sacred dialogue between humankind and God. Such a decision treats prayer agnostically; reduces it to civil nicety; … Most frightfully, it will require secular legislative and judicial bodies to evaluate and parse particular religious prayers under an array of criteria. … I respectfully submit that we must maintain a sacred respect of each religion, and when a group of citizens comes together, as does the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, and manifests that sacred respect — allowing the prayers of each to be spoken in the religion’s own voice — we must be glad to let it be."

Alliance Defense Fund Attorney Mike Johnson said:  "America’s founders opened public meetings with prayer. There’s no reason that today’s public officials should be forced to censor the prayers of those invited to offer them simply because secularist groups don’t like people praying according to their own conscience.  The legal team will confer with the county about the process of appealing today’s decision."

A national group called the Alliance Defense Fund is paying the county's legal bills, but won't cover payments to the plaintiffs for damages or legal expenses should the county lose.

The Pray In Jesus Name Project has already raised and pledged $4,500 to help pay for the County's legal bills, on the condititon the County appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and loses their appeal.  If they win, Jesus-prayers would be restored nationwide and the anti-Christian ACLU (who sued the county) could be forced to pay the County's court costs, ranging in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

[So please DONATE HERE, and help fulfill OUR PLEDGE as stated above.]  WITHOUT A PLEDGE, THE COUNTY LIKELY WON'T APPEAL.  We need your help.

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