Americans United: Despite the Supreme Court’s Ruling, There Are Still Limits on Religious Invocations

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has launched a project they’re calling “Operation Inclusion” which will educate elected officials about the limits of the recent Supreme Court ruling allowing religious invocations, investigate all violations of the decision, and fight back when necessary.

Right now, you can donate to the project, sign up to stay informed (which I already did), and report a violation. But I would also take a moment to read this document as it spells out what the rules are in the wake of the decision:

• Speakers must be given access without regard to religion: Government cannot exclude potential speakers on the basis of religion
• Government officials may not ask citizens to join in the prayers: Speakers should deliver their remarks to the members of the legislative body
• Invocations may not proselytize or disparage religious minorities or nonbelievers: Government officials need to step in when and if outside speakers make statements that are hostile to religious minorities or nonbelievers
• Prayers must be divorced from policy-making: Legislative bodies should ensure that any prayer is divorced from policymaking activity, so that those who wish to avoid the prayer can do so without missing the legislative portion of meetings

We’re already seeing potential violations of the law and it’s only been a week. It’s only going to get worse — unless we’re willing to step in and do something about it.