God of many names: Council’s ‘multifaith prayer’ amid Christian row
Adelaide City Council will consider replacing its opening Christian prayer with a “multifaith prayer” or “non-denominational pledge” in the face of an escalating dispute about a ban on reading the prayer aloud.
Councillors will on Tuesday discuss changing the code of practice for meeting procedures amid an ongoing dispute between South Ward councillor Henry Davis and Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith over a ban on reading the Christian prayer aloud at the start of meetings.
The matter came to a head last Tuesday when Lomax-Smith – in front of dozens of Christians supporting Davis in the Town Hall gallery – temporarily expelled Davis from the chamber for reading the prayer aloud, accusing him of not complying with an instruction to “silently read the prayer as printed or reflect in a manner appropriate to their beliefs”.
Council administration has floated four options to replace the current prayer “Almighty God, we ask your blessing upon the works of the City of Adelaide; direct and prosper its deliberations to the advancement of your glory and the true welfare of the people of this City. Amen.”
- Continue with the current prayer.
- Delete the prayer from the council agenda.
- Vary the prayer to a “multifaith prayer”.
- Vary the prayer to a “non-denomination pledge”
Council administration on Friday published a list of multifaith prayers and non-denominational pledges created by other organisations which could be adapted for city council.
The examples include:
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- Holy One, known by many names and beyond all names—Spirit of Life, Spirit of Love, Spirit of Community, Spirit of Justice: We ask your blessings on the people who have been called to lead the community in which we live and work and play.
- GOD OF MANY NAMES: Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, The One, the Tao, Spirit of Life, God our Father and God our Mother, come to us all and be a vital presence in the work of all the community of faith. Be present in the work of all the community of faith.
- We pray that we may be loving and able stewards of this world. We pray that we acknowledge our differences as we seek out our common ground, each of us working toward the good of all.
- We pray for wisdom to provide good governance for the City of Adelaide in the service of our community.
- May the work we do in this place be conducted in a spirit of service to the life of the people of this city, and to the land it is built upon.
- May the decisions we make advance this spirit, and the prosperity and true welfare of those we serve.
Two non-denominational pledges, from Prospect and Campbelltown councils respectively, were also listed:
- We seek wisdom and understanding as we face the duties of our united task, praying for the peace and prosperity of our City.
- May we in this meeting speak honestly, listen attentively, think clearly and decide wisely for the good governance of the City of Adelaide and the wellbeing of those we serve.
Asked about the listed examples, Davis said: “Honestly, some of the suggestions are just ridiculous.”
But the protesting councillor said he was “very glad that members will now have an opportunity to discuss the issue of the prayer at our upcoming committee”.
“There are a number of options available for the council including maintaining the prayer in its current form, developing a new prayer or removing it altogether,” he said.
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“My view is that a prayer in some form should remain. I will be pleased to discuss any alternatives for wording with my fellow councillors on Tuesday night.”
Davis, a former Liberal Party member, also said there is “no reason why we can’t respect everyone’s beliefs” and it is “often the woke left who are first to marginalise people and attack their cultural beliefs if it doesn’t fit their current narrative”.
Lomax-Smith said her personal view was council should consider a meeting opening which is “inclusive of all religious beliefs”.
“As part of the review of our standing orders and meeting procedures, which has been ongoing since January with input from most Members, we now have the chance to decide whether the Council should actually include a prayer,” the Lord Mayor said.
“My personal view is that in a modern multicultural society, we should consider a commitment to open our meetings that is inclusive of all religious beliefs rather than just one.
“The meeting will give Council the chance to adopt a range of positive changes to meeting procedures and we can then continue to focus on the main job at hand – delivering for our ratepayers and the community.”
In its draft recommendation published on Friday, council administration suggested a multifaith prayer or non-denominational pledge be adopted rather than continuing with the current prayer or deleting it.
The agenda paper highlighted that 50.8 per cent of the council area’s population stated having no religion in the 2021 Census, with a further 9.9 per cent choosing not to state their religion.
Councillors will consider the prayer change options in a committee on Tuesday before formally voting on new meeting schedules on August 22.
Two-thirds of present councillors must vote in favour of the recommendations for a new meeting procedures code of practice to be approved.
