MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) — Mt. Juliet took an official stand on God, and now a national non-profit argues it is “unconstitutional.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation criticized city commissioners who passed a resolution last week that called God the “Creator and King of all Glory.”
A three-page letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation outlines its goal of drawing the line between church and state.
“This is nothing more than just trying to appear as if they are doing something [..] They are essentially asking the public to pray with them to help them do the thing they were already supposed to be doing,” said Hirsh Joshi, Patrick O’Reiley Legal Fellow for Freedom From Religion Foundation.
On July 22, commissioners passed a resolution—not a law—supporting a previous state resolution making July the official month of prayer and fasting.
The resolution, among other things, states, “We recognize that God, as the Creator and King of all Glory, has the authority to judge and to bless nations or states.”
The document cites human trafficking, drug addiction, acts of violent crimes in schools, and continued Tennessee DUI rates as points needing prayer.
One commissioner said prayer is needed in Mt. Juliet.
“I think prayer is something that is important every day, several times a day, and when you are living in as divisive of a world that we are living in, you should do it as often as possible,” Mt. Juliet District 1 Commissioner Ray Justice said. “But these are my personal inclinations and beliefs.”
Hirsh Joshi, with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, opened the letter by declaring the resolution “unconstitutional.” He wrote, “References to the Bible and Christ demonstrate a preference for religion over nonreligion and Christianity over all other faiths.”
He continued by adding the possible divisiveness of the resolution, explaining that nonreligious members of the community may feel that they are outsiders or not favored. “It is about individualism and the individual right to have a government that is separate from a church, and that needs to be respected, and the proclamation does not do that.”
Joshi then referenced scripture, citing Matthew 6:5-6 to argue that Mt. Juliet is openly worshiping and asking residents to do the same: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others…when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
However, District 1 Commissioner Ray Justice told NewsNation affiliate WKRN that the resolution supports Governor Bill Lee.
“I think it was a great idea, and we supported it unanimously at the city commission table,” Justice said. “We passed that resolution to do what we can do to support the Governor’s resolution.”
He added that so far, the local community response has been positive. “I haven’t had anyone locally reach out to me to say this was a bad idea.”
Meanwhile, Joshi said it was a decision that only partially represented Mt. Juliet’s population and, in the letter, pushed for a reconsideration. He wrote, “Religious proclamations, particularly those with references to Jesus Christ and a Christian lord, are unnecessarily divisive.”
“If these counties don’t rescind their own proclamations because we do represent atheists and agonists who do want equality, and if the government is unable to provide that, we will have to see the next steps after that,” Joshi said.
If Mt. Juliet refuses, the organization told WKRN they will create a month of reason to celebrate nonreligious community members and science.
“Whenever there is a day of prayer or, in this case, prayer and fasting, there might be a counterpoint for a day of reason or a day of science,” Joshi explained.
“We need to come together as a community, as a county and a state and a country,” Justice countered. “That’s what our governor called for, and that’s what we supported with our resolution, and we will continue to support that.”