Inauguration Targeted in Religious Censorship Attempts
The 2005 Presidential Inauguration has become a focus in two efforts to block religious expression in the public square. On the heels of an atheist activist’s court bid to keep traditional prayer out of the January 20 swearing-in ceremonies comes a ban on crosses along the Inaugural Parade route.
At President George W. Bush’s 2001 inauguration, Christian invocations were delivered by Rev. Franklin Graham and Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell. Organizers of the 2005 inauguration ceremonies have not announced who will pray this year, but they have affirmed that prayer will be a part of the events, with an invocation and benediction delivered by ministers of the president’s choosing.
However, California atheist Michael Newdow is determined to prevent such prayers from being uttered this time and, to that end, has filed a 16-page complaint in the US. District Court for the District of Columbia. Newdow’s complaint, filed December 17, seeks a prohibition of public prayer offered by ministers, along with all other ‘Christian religious acts’ at the Presidential Inauguration. In the complaint, he states, ‘It is an offense of the highest magnitude that the leader of our nation, while swearing to uphold the Constitution, publicly violates that very document upon taking his oath of office.’
But while the issue of traditional Christian prayer at the Inauguration Day ceremonies remains suspended, a new cloud of controversy has arisen over the inaugural events horizon, this time regarding a traditional Christian symbol. A recent communiqué from the United States Secret Service suggests that crosses are now considered a dangerous weapon and, as such, are banned from the U.S. Presidential Inauguration celebration.