Bible study draws a crowd

City Hall meetings concern the ACLU

 The Times-Picayune

By Christine Harvey St. Tammany bureau

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

On Thursday about noon, a group of Mandeville City Hall employees ambled into the City Council chambers for lunch. But unlike most days, the lunchtime chatter didn't involve the increased traffic in St. Tammany or weekend sporting events. Instead, the discussion was about Jesus of Nazareth.

Mayor Eddie Price started holding weekly Bible study sessions at City Hall on April 13 and continued the practice Thursday. He said the lunchtime program is open to people of all faiths and the location makes it easy for his employees to participate.

But the mayor's decision to hold the sessions calls into question whether the practice violates the political doctrine known as the separation of church and state called for in the Constitution.

About 20 people attended the first Bible study, held in a conference room at City Hall, Price said. Roughly the same number joined the second session, this time in the City Council chambers, though several new faces were present, Councilman Jerry Coogan said. He noted that Marlaine Peachey, the mayor's secretary, donated the food for last week's program.

Price, who considers himself nondenominational, bristled when a reporter asked about the practice, saying he feels it is his right to hold Bible study sessions inside a public building if he chooses. He noted that the sessions are nondenominational and that anyone interested in participating may join the group.

The sessions simply serve as a way to educate people about God, Price said. He said the practice doesn't violate the law separating church and state; it's just about reading the Bible.

Chuck Staub, a local minister, led the first two sessions and said he plans to continue leading the weekly program. He, too, stressed that the sessions are not based on a specific religion and therefore should be viewed as open to all.

"All we're dealing with is Jesus of Nazareth," Staub said Friday, noting that the participants study what Jesus did and why that's important. "Everybody is welcome to come."

But not everyone would feel welcome at a gathering of this type, which makes holding the sessions at City Hall problematic, said Joe Cook, executive director of the Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Cook was unaware of the Bible study sessions until contacted by The Times-Picayune.

The ACLU has been fighting for years with officials in neighboring Tangipahoa Parish to ensure that the line between church and state doesn't become blurred. The organization won a battle in federal court last year to keep the parish's School Board from allowing prayer at board meetings and before athletic events.

And the ACLU won a challenge several years ago that prohibits the Tangipahoa Parish School Board from allowing a man known as the "pizza preacher" from preaching Christianity during lunch periods at local schools while distributing free pizza.

Officials cannot advance or endorse religion in their public capacity, nor can they use public property for this purpose, Cook said in interpreting the law. A municipal building cannot serve as a public forum, as a park or square may, because everything government does must have a secular purpose, he said.

The problem with offering Bible study sessions at City Hall has to do with the fact that public officials are advancing one particular religion -- Christianity -- while excluding the rest, Cook said. In addition, Cook said the officials likely aren't making concessions for those who don't believe in God, and he worried that some employees might feel they have to attend the sessions to stay on the mayor's good side.

While forcing employees to attend the sessions would be inappropriate, City Attorney David Cressy said he thinks it's OK to hold the Bible studies at City Hall because they are private functions primarily for the people who work there. For instance, he said, officials could not rent the building to Christian groups but deny Hare Krishnas the same opportunity.

Coogan, who is Catholic, said he thinks people rediscovered their faith in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and want more opportunities to express themselves in a religious setting. He said people who wish to learn more about the Bible must take it upon themselves to study outside of church.

Cook said there are numerous houses of worship in Mandeville offering countless opportunities for religious expression.

"I don't think the mayor and City Hall need to get into that business," he said.

Price said he isn't looking to stir the pot; rather he just wanted to make the opportunity to study the Bible easy and convenient for anyone wishing to participate.

"This is not an 'in your face' issue," he said. "If it becomes a point of confrontation, I'll have it at my house."