In what world is this sort of post appropriate for any local government?

Gracious Father in heaven , we humbly bow before you. May your everlasting mercy be upon our officers and first responders May they each find you as an ever present help in times of trouble. Guard and strengthen them as they serve the community. This we pray in Jesus name.. Amen

That piece of Christian propaganda was posted over the weekend by the Ohio County (Kentucky) Sheriff’s Office, sending an implicit message to citizens that non-Christians aren’t welcome in the community because everyone working for the government apparently believes in one particular religion.

And if that’s not what they meant, well, then they shouldn’t have posted it.

The American Humanist Association is now warning the sheriff’s office that further acts of Christian advertising won’t be tolerated.

As AHA’s Senior Counsel and Legal Director Monica Miller noted in the warning letter, a social media post that is so obviously religious in nature “is inconsistent both with the purposes of the Establishment Clause and with the Establishment Clause itself.” Miller recommended that the department “publicly apologize for the post, disclaim prior endorsement of prayer, and assure citizens that it won’t happen again” in order to avoid potential lawsuits.

They haven’t done any of those things so far. The post is still up on Facebook. And so are months’ worth of similar prayers, to the point where this department can rightfully be confused with a church.

There are so many more where those came from on their Facebook page. Maybe they think it’s okay because they’ve gotten away with it for so long, but tradition isn’t a workaround for an obviously illegal promotion of religion. If the department was promoting Islam or atheism the way they’re pushing Christianity, maybe that would be obvious to everyone.

For now, if they keep this going, they face a costly lawsuit.

