US Court evaluates whether Christian prayers violates law

A federal appeals court in North Carolina is contending whether the local government officials are violating the law by holding only Christian prayers at their town meetings.

According to the Associated Press, Chris Brook, the lawyer representing the American Civil Liberties Union pushed to commence a meeting consisting of a panel of three judges in the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals from Virginia to stand against the Rowan County Commissioner's practice of opening their meeting with a prayer.

He argued that the local town officials were not merely praying for their benefit, but they were also trying to convert other people to their religion.

The attorney for the Rowan County Commission requested for the judges not to engage in tarnishing the fine line between the church and the state, ABC News reported.

However, two of the judges questioned whether asking the residents to pray with them and standing up is considered to be coercive, although noting that they can choose to remain seated or leave the room if they did not feel like joining the prayer.

Barbara Weller, attorney for the National Center for Life and Liberty, which also represents Rowan County, stated in defense that the prayers were never meant to be coercive.