Group Wants Prayers Stopped Before Council Meetings

The controversy over prayer leading city council meetings continues in Rapid City, where a group opposing the prayers has sent another letter to the city.

Earlier this month, the city got a letter from a group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation, calling on the city to end its tradition of praying before meetings.

In the weeks after receiving the letter, the city attorney has started drafting a policy that would make the prayers official city practice.

Rapid City is a predominately Christian community, so most of the prayers have references to Jesus.  It's an issue people on both sides are passionate about.

"We've been doing prayer for perhaps over 100 year; we've been able to verify it to at least the 1950s, so it's been a long standing, cherished and honored tradition.  And it's something that we intend to continue," Mayor Sam Kooiker said.

"I think that there are a lot of arenas where people can do that, and to do that at city council meetings where everybody is brought together as community members, to divide people along religious lines, I think is pretty inappropriate," engineering student Cole Bedford said.

The latest letter from the anti-prayer group says that that won't be enough to shield the city from legal action, and that the practice of praying before each meeting is unconstitutional.

The city council and the mayor have been very outspoken on their beliefs that the prayers should continue and show no signs of backing down.  That means that this could ultimately be settled in court.