A hearing Wednesday in a lawsuit aimed at stopping the Sussex County Council from reciting the Lord's Prayer before each meeting delved into the theological meaning and history of the prayer's title and whether it is explicitly a Christian prayer.
Four county residents want U.S. District Court Judge Leonard P. Stark to rule that council's recitation of the Lord's Prayer violates the establishment cause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government from favoring one religion over others. They have asked the judge to rule the practice unconstitutional and order the council to cease reciting any sectarian prayers.
"It affiliates the county government with one single faith — Christianity — and sends a message to the county residents that their county government favors one religion," said Alex Luchenitser, an attorney for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a Washington, D.C.,...