Arizona House non-prayer sparks Christian re-do »

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PHOENIX (AP) � An atheist lawmaker's decision to give the daily prayer at the Arizona House of Representatives triggered a do-over from a Christian lawmaker who said the previous day's prayer didn't pass muster. Republican Rep. Steve Smith on Wednesday said the prayer offered by Democratic Rep. Juan Mendez of Tempe at the beginning of the previous day's floor session wasn't a prayer at all. Both the Arizona House and Senate begin their sessions with a prayer and a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Wednesday's dust-up over religion comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether an upstate New York town is violating constitutional prohibitions on government sanction of religion by offering prayers to open public meetings. The justices will review an appeals court ruling that held that the upstate New York town of Greece, a Rochester suburb, violated the Constitution by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year span with prayers that stressed Christianity. Source Main page (current trends)

More about: Arizona House, Arizona House of Representatives, daily prayer, Juan Mendez, Steve Smith

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