For now, the Point Pleasant Beach Borough Council has shelved its custom of beginning public meetings with a formal recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, thus resolving a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

The suit was filed a few weeks back on behalf of a non-Christian resident who contended the prayer was an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity and a violation of her civil rights.

By ceasing the practice, the panel has at least temporarily averted the kind of lawsuit that has plagued governing bodies and agencies around the nation for years and cost taxpayers big bucks. But, as in scores of other cases which simmer in the courts, and on Internet forums and radio talk shows, it hasn’t made a dent in resolving arguments for or against prayer in civic settings.

If anything, the Point Pleasant Beach case has sparked contentious debate in the media – new and old – with residents, political gadflies, pundits and clergy of all persuasions weighing in with enough arguments to make the average head spin.

Some, including clergy, opposed the very notion of prayer in the public square, writing letters to editors signaling their utmost distaste. An ordained minister from out of state, for instance, was one of many opposed to any show of public prayer. He wrote that he was “appalled” when he first came to New Jersey and saw people in court swearing on a bible.

There have been just as many people on the flip side, calling public prayer – and more specifically Christian prayer – a “right since before the Revolution” – and citing Supreme Court decisions, including one in 1892 – that seemed to back the contention.

The blogs, and in particular, the forums, have been swamped with often vitriolic comments decrying prayer in a manner which defies the very notion of civil discourse.

The reaction is distinctly different from that displayed during the years I covered government – municipal, county and state – for secular newspapers. Back then, in the ‘80s and ‘90s, prayer was often on the agenda, most usually in a nondenominational or Old Testament form. I recall some grumbling along the way from people who didn’t much like it but never an actual, outright protest.

Shortly after the September 11 terror attacks, calls did emerge to replace such prayer with a ubiquitous and politically correct “bless America.” They came to an abrupt end when some pundits began asking in print, who, exactly was going to “bless America” if not God.

But this round of discord is likely to continue for a while as the council has approved a resolution under which governing body members are empowered, on a rotating basis, to begin meetings with non-sectarian prayer.

This resolution could invite a second lawsuit against the borough, said Frank L. Corrado, cocounsel with Jeanne LoCicero, the ACLU of New Jersey’s legal director.

He questioned borough attorney Kevin B. Riordan’s assertion that, in theory, an individual council member could still recite the Lord’s Prayer if moved to do so because he or she would be acting as an independent citizen on the council apart from the collective authority of the municipal government.

Since the conflict is only one of many ongoing in the age of spiraling anti-religious sentiment, and since many people might like to increase their knowledge of the subject, it seemed like a good idea to research the history of where prayer has fit into civic life in America and where, actually the courts have weighed in on the issue.

There are many fine articles on the subject on the Internet and sites where the background is given in compelling detail. One recent and very clear article was produced earlier this year by Cary McMullen, a religion writer for The Ledger, Lakeland, Fla. (Read the article here)

McMullen takes readers back to 1774 when, at the request of Benjamin Franklin, the Continental Congress asked an Episcopal rector for an invocation and walks us into the 20th and 21st centuries where the issue has become increasingly divisive. He provides many instances of where the courts have come down on the subject of public prayer and how states have responded.

More interesting information turns up on a Canadian site www.religioustolerance.org which takes an interfaith approach reflecting various points of view on prayer at municipal council meetings in neighboring America. It clearly outlines the methods by which municipalities may have invocations.

Go to www.americanchristianhistory.com for insight on where the founders stood on the issue of prayer in the public square.