Potential for conflict:Organizing a NDP event is greatly simplified if everyone in town agrees that the NDP event will be either:
However, if different groups have competing concepts of what a local NDP observance should look like, things get more complex:
The only solution may be two or more NDP events in the same municipality. This is unfortunate, but is an accurate reflection of the divisions in religious belief throughout the U.S. This division is also seen in local ministerial associations. Often one city will have one group for Evangelical pastors, one for mainline and liberal Christian ministers and one for Roman Catholic priests.
A 2005 example: Troy, MIDuring 2005, NDP organizers for the 2005 event in Troy, MI, ran into difficulty. The Troy National Day of Prayer Christian Task Force, an Evangelical Christian group, asked the city for permission to hold an event at the Troy city hall. It was to feature only conservative Christian speakers and prayers. But some non-Evangelicals protested; they felt that many faiths should be represented at the event. The Troy City Council reached a compromise. They gave permission for the interfaith group -- including Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus -- to meet from 11 AM until noon at city hall. The exclusively Evangelical Christian group was given the noon until 1 PM time slot at the same location. Richard A. Peacock of Troy First United Methodist Church, who represented the interfaith group, said: "We'll make sure we work it out. And we're inviting everyone to join us." 7 Lori Wagner of the National Day of Prayer Task Force indicated that persons of all faiths were welcome at her service; however the meeting would be Evangelical Christian in content. She said: "We organize our speakers who are in alignment with our faith." To avoid future conflict, on APR-04, Troy's City Council selected three sites for public gatherings, and authorized the city's recreation department to issue permits on a first-come first-served basis. Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg of Congregation Shir Tikvah in Troy was one of the leaders in the interfaith service. He said: "I just hope the people who clamored for this know that groups like the pro-choice, homosexuals, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members -- anybody who wants to -- can secure a site now." Mayor Louise Schilling is disappointed in the way the controversy has divided the community. She said: "That day should be about bringing the different religious groups together in unity, not in tearing them apart." 3 Associated Press commented that "It was a day of separation for different religious groups in the Detroit suburb of Troy. [On MAY-08] ...about 250 people participated in a Christians-only prayer session in front of Troy City Hall. A similar number of Christians and members of other faiths attended the Troy Interfaith Group service at Northminster Presbyterian Church. Mayor Louise Schilling attended the interfaith event, which also included Buddhists, Jews and Muslims. The prayer day services followed months of controversy over the Christian group's plan to exclude non-Christians." 6 The National Day of Prayer continued to divide the City of Troy, weeks after the event. Shortly after the Day, the Troy Committee to Protect Free Speech was formed with Wendee Rex as president. The purpose of the committee appears to be to organize a recall of Troy Mayor Louise Schilling and Mayor Pro Tem Robin Beltramini because of the way in which they opposed the Evangelical Christian-only Day of Prayer event in favor of one that included persons of many religions. Rex identified herself as a Christian but declined to identify her church or say how many people are on the committee. She said: "It is because of their open hostility to Troy citizens exercising their Constitutional rights to free speech, freedom of assembly and equal access on city property in front of City Hall." 7
A 2003 example: Muncie, IN:At first, organizers in Muncie, IN tried to arrange
an multi-faith event. But their efforts did not succeed. A conflict emerged.
Pastor William Keller, president of the Delaware County
Evangelistic Association, and others, conceived of the event as
exclusively conservative Christian. Thomas Perchlik, a
Unitarian Universalist minister, and others promoted a multi-faith meeting
involving individuals and prayers from many Christian denominations --
conservative, mainline and liberal -- and from many other religions. Perchlik
said "We had five meetings with Mr. Keller and it wasn't until late that we
realized" that the minister did not want to include non-Christian prayers in
the program. Perchlik continued: "We said we wanted Jews and Muslims to
participate and share their prayers. It wasn't until we brought a Jewish man to
the meeting when [Keller] started to protest that he wouldn't allow Jewish
prayer....Mr. Keller said, 'My people wouldn't come to a meeting that is an
inter-faith event'...He has a vision of the purpose of the National Day of
Prayer. He's always willing to say Jews and Muslims are welcome, but when it got
down to the details of how that would work, it wouldn't fit his vision."
Another 2005 example: Oklahoma City, OK:Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) state on their web site:
Sponsored link:
References used:The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
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