8/23/11: ACLU Targets Virginia County Commission Over Prayers

The ACLU has targeted a Virginia county over the prayers used to open meetings at the county’s board of supervisors meetings. According to the ACLU, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors begins its meetings with prayers that “are consistently Christian in nature; that is, they explicitly refer to Jesus Christ.” The ACLU claims the prayers are a violation of the First Amendment and wants them to “cease immediately” or demands that future prayers be non-sectarian.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Tim Barber has told local news outlets that the prayers in Jesus’ name will continue unless the county gets a court order forcing them to stop. He said “Sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in and fight for it. That’s what I think this fight is about. It’s not going to be about politics.”