County Commissioners should not endorse religion
It is coercive for officials of government agencies, whose salaries are paid by all taxpayers, to open their meetings with a “prayer” in facilities that are paid for by all taxpayers.
Citizen taxpayers are compelled to attend these meetings for civil actions, regardless of their religious life.
When governments lend their power and prestige to religion by way of prayer, this implies an endorsement of religion. This power and prestige also implies that religions lack the power and prestige to succeed without government endorsement.
Celia Louderback, Vancouver
Pray in private
Our Clark County commissioners and now the Washougal City Council are both in the process of adding prayer to their public meeting agendas.
I am all for prayer. I’ve been doing it since I was a small child. It has been my experience that real prayer is best accomplished in private.