Member of Parliament defends opening sessions with prayer

A number of lawmakers in the United Kingdom have launched a campaign to destroy the centuries-old tradition of opening sessions of Parliament with a Christian prayer.

That practice reportedly dates to 1558, but the Christian Institute reports “modernisers” in the body are insisting on being appeased with the change.

And a veteran of the body has warned against the move.

“Sir John Hayes said it was important to begin each sitting of the House of Commons with prayer to afford MPs time for quiet reflection, and in recognition of the UK’s Christian heritage,” the report said.

“Whether you believe in the divine or not, it’s important to recognize our country is rooted in the Christian traditions. Prayers are a reminder of that,” he said.

New members, he charged, “either because of ignorance or hostility, don’t understand the point about the need for a period of contemplative time or the Christian tradition on which our country’s system of ethics and laws are founded.”

He criticized the “arrogance” of those “who arrive somewhere and want to change everything before they really understand it.”

In court fights there over the issue, the High Court has ruled that public bodies do not need to be secular in order to comply with equality and human rights laws.

The Daily Mail called it a “time-honoured start to every Commons day for centuries – a few minutes of private prayer and contemplation for MPs ahead of stormy political debates.”

The report said it is members of the Labour party who are demanding the change.

The demands from the newcomers have prompted accusations of a new “hostility”‘ to Christianity developing and observers noted that Commons leader Lucy Powell was not expected to pursue the idea.

The report said, “Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Catholic, said the prayers are a ‘reminder of our history and status as a Christian nation,’ adding: ‘This is not the time to abandon God, whose help is most particularly needed when we have such an awful government.'”

‘