When Church Meets State: Picking Apart Prayer in Aurora’s City Council

Curious City

WBEZ Chicago

Society & Culture, Education, Public, Chicago, Arts, City, Radio, Curious, Investigation

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2016

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Aurora leads council meetings with prayer, and it sometimes raises eyebrows. But would a judge ever smack it down?

Transcript

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0:38.1	Hi, I'm Mark Filipino, and right now I'm at a council meeting in the second biggest city in Illinois, Aurora.
0:44.1	Clerk, would you please call a roll?
0:46.3	Alderman Bowman? Here. Alderman Garza? Here.
0:49.3	The aldermen are all set to appoint members to the Public library board and look at how to calm traffic.
0:55.0	But I'm here for the ritual before the politics.
0:58.1	Father, we thank you for alliance to come together for another city council meeting.
1:02.4	Our questioner, who didn't submit their name, asked,
1:05.0	We pray at the start of every city council meeting in Aurora.
1:08.4	How is that even legal?
1:09.6	And do other communities do that too?
	...

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