Protestant Leaders Back Supreme Court’s Ruling Against Prayers

Nineteen leaders from nine Protestant denominations today endorsed the ruling of the Supreme Court which forbids any government official from writing or prescribing prayers for use in the public schools. In their statement, which was released by Harold E. Fey, editor of The Christian Century, undenominational weekly, the Protestants hailed the Supreme Court’s recent decision as protecting “the integrity of the religious conscience and the proper function of religious and governmental institutions.” The statement said:

“We are in agreement with the Supreme Court that it is neither sacrilegious nor anti-religious to say that each separate government in this country should stay out of the business of writing or sanctioning official prayers and leave that purely religious function to the people themselves and to those the people choose to look to for religious guidance. We call upon the American people to study this decision prayerfully and without political emotion. We believe the Court’s ruling against officially written and officially prescribed prayers protects the integrity of the religious conscience and the proper function of religious and governmental institutions.”