VA Official: Non-Christian Public Prayer Violates My Rights ‘Because I Don’t Believe That’

The recent Greece v. Galloway Supreme Court decision, which affirmed the right of groups to offer sectarian prayer at religious meetings has caused quite a stir. Not only has it smashed a gaping hole through the wall between church and state, but it has opened the door to non-Christian groups offering said prayers.

For instance, Florida resident Chaz Stevens has requested to deliver a prayer to his lord and master (Satan) at a legislative meeting–something he can now do under his newfound “religious freedom.”

Unfortunately that right of any religion to offer sectarian prayer will not be honored in Roanoke County, Virginia. Al Bedrosian, a member of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors has decided, despite that ruling, that only Christians will be allowed to offer invocation prayers at their meetings from this point forward.

Bedrosian, who has called freedom of religion “the biggest hoax placed upon the Christian people and on our Christian nation” because the founding fathers didn’t explicitly mention a choice between “Islam, Hindu, Satanism, Wicca and whatever other religions or cults you would like to dream up,” feels that freedom of religion means “the freedom to worship the God of the Bible in the way you wanted, and not to have a government church denomination dictate how you would worship.”

According to Bedrosian, “The freedom of religion doesn’t mean that every religion has to be heard.”  When asked if he would allow representatives from non-Christian faiths to offer the legislative prayer at meetings, he said,“I would say no. That does not infringe on their freedom of religion. The truth is you’re trying to infringe on my right, because I don’t believe that.”

Non-Christians would be forced to pray during allotted time for citizen comment–meaning that if they wished to have the same right as Christians, they would likely not have time to address their actual concerns.

It is likely that Bedrosian’s proposed policy will not be implemented but if it is, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has warned of a legal challenge in a letter sent to Paul Mahoney, the county attorney. The group explains in the letter that, ” In vowing to discriminate against non-Christians, Supervisor Bedrosian ignores what the Supreme Court actually said in Galloway. Although upholding the challenged prayer policy, the Court also made clear that the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause prohibits legislative bodies from excluding non-Christian prayer givers or otherwise discriminating in selection.”

“It ain’t going to happen,” said Supervisor Jason Peters. “There’s no reason for this to be brought up and reoccur. I hate it for the county.”

Listen to him talk, below: