How are city-led invocations unconstitutional?

So, how in the world did the very first Congress to this nation say a Christian prayer as the very first official act?

I mean, they certainly knew the Constitution, why this nation was founded, and understood the basic ideology of this nation.

Also, how in the world did George Washington, the military general that actually fought for a free nation, take his oath on a Bible, and add the words "so help me God" at the end of his Constitutionally required oath?

And why would every president (except three) follow that tradition?

And wow, "Congress appointed chaplains for itself and the armed forces, sponsored the publication of a Bible, imposed Christian morality on the armed forces, and granted public lands to promote Christianity among the Indians," (states Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, on the Library of Congress' website.)"National days of thanksgiving and of 'humiliation, fasting, and prayer' were proclaimed by Congress at least twice a year throughout the war."

And there are hundreds of other examples. 

So, certainly, saying a Christian prayer prior to a city government meeting, must be unconstitutional, right?

Is there no common sense, critical thinking and proper historical analysis anywhere, to include the press?

Rob English 

•••

Lack of downtown activity surprising

As a new citizen of this area and new business owner on Main Street, I was surprised by the lack of activity in the evenings and on the weekends down Main Street.

I was also surprised to see churches on Main Street — not because I am against churches, but because I was wondering how they would grow. There isn't a place to expand the buildings downtown for sure. They would surely have to move to bigger buildings or buy property and have those buildings built to suit their growing congregations — so why not do that to begin with?

Additionally, the parking is atrocious in the downtown area as it is, and to have church members competing with patrons of various businesses that may be opened at the same time, well, it can certainly be problematic.

Renda Brooks

•••

Pastor's comment could divide community

My concern about Pastor (Mark) Broadhead's comment about Crestview's elected council members actually planning and/or actually "selling the city's soul to the devil" is at best an over-reach.

It may look great as a headline, but it misses something in the process of building community, which should be a pastor's objective.

It is like playing the "Hitler card" — once played, communication is lost.

Bob Hollingshead 

•••

Plenty of room for churches elsewhere

There's a serious difference between "religious persecution" and attempting to grow our Main Street area downtown.

Right now, the majority of stores aren't open on weekends and close at 4 or 5 p.m. every day, and those are thrift stores and churches.

There's plenty of room in the city of Crestview for new churches, expanding churches and relocating.

Get on board with building a better, bigger, newer and more attractive Main Street for the greater good of the city.

This will only bring more people and more revenue.

Breana Carlson Uptigrove

•••

Prefer downtown churches

As a mother of teens, I would much prefer my children to frequent a thriving church, rather than a club/bar.

Exactly what type of people are Crestview's leadership looking to lure downtown?

Deb Lambert-Welsh 

•••

Churches are on every corner

There are literally churches on every corner in Crestview. A dime a dozen — pick or choose a flavor of the week. They are certainly not endangered because a new one pops up regularly.

Amber Nicole

•••

Downtown, businesses are better

To be honest, I'd rather have businesses that allow me to support local revenue than a church I will never visit.

It's all great if a church is there, but if businesses want to move in, that's even better.

Anything other than a church, gas station or law firm is a step in the right direction. We have too much of these on every street corner.

Sarah Hawkins

•••

Why does Destin have a say?

Why would growth management consultant Jack Dorman of Destin get to tell Crestview how to manage downtown?

Audrey Harvell McWaters

•••

Churches can mix with nightlife

My question is, exactly what kind of atmosphere are they trying to create that a church or two would not fit in well?

There are plenty of towns in the U.S. that have churches mixed in with their nightlife atmosphere.

It seems to work for them, why now Crestview?

Amanda Coffman

•••

New Orleans churches mix fine

There are churches in the French Quarter — not many places more vibrant than that.

Loree Arrington

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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: HUBBUB: Lack of downtown activity surprising, pastor's comment could divide community

Sometimes, I wonder whether people fully appreciate this column's role.

When I started it two and a half years ago, the goal was to bring transparency to the news side; give voice to unpopular opinions; and mediate when contentious issues arise.

It's no bully pulpit; there are no agendas here. But it takes much more courage to spread unpopular views and share lesser known perspectives than it does to write 30 inches about what everyone in town already thinks.

In other words, don't read this column and expect, in most cases, that I'll be preaching to the choir. That's hardly news.   

With that said, Crestview's hot topic this week is a proposal to amend Crestview's comprehensive plan. The city plans to promote downtown business development by rezoning the area to exclude additional churches.

As you may have heard, the Rev. Mark Broadhead, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Crestview, had something to say about that. But no line got as much attention as this one: "If this amendment should pass, it would mean — to use religious terms —that the city officials are selling the city’s soul to the devil."

Readers on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook fans almost immediately criticized the comments.

And at that moment, I knew which issue would need a closer look.

TEMPORAL, ETERNAL WORLDS

Broadhead's perspective may be difficult for some people to grasp. After all, having fewer downtown churches would mean more room for businesses that could add to the tax base and bring more revenue.

That's the popular opinion; at least, based on readers' reaction on crestviewbulletin.com and our Facebook fan page, it is.

But remember, part of my job in these columns is to give voice to the unpopular opinion, another perspective for complicated issues.

In this case, I have an advantage. As the brother of a Catholic priest, I've heard plenty about the temporal and eternal worlds.

The temporal world, as many people know it— complete with politics; pettiness; rivalries; the rat race; social climbing; bills, bills, bills; and debt— is considered a less significant reality with finite constraints and obligations.

But the eternal, invisible world — the longest battle of good versus evil, complete with angels and demons, and the reward of everlasting life or punishment of damnation — is more significant because it's infinite.

When you look at it that way, Broadhead's quote, based on his vocation as a minister, really isn't that controversial. For a pastor, it's downright factual.  

In the clergy's eyes, saving souls and building the kingdom of God trump boosting tax revenues. 

1 GOAL, DIFFERENT PATHS

Many of the faithful can appreciate the importance of fueling our economy and providing essential services, but everyone has his or her own ideas about to achieve this common goal.

For instance, I know some priests who say the best approach is not through capitalism, corporations or working traditional jobs. They'd favor co-ops and equal, supposedly fair pay.

Now, churches don't pay taxes, but as one reader noted, they do provide food for the hungry, clothes for the poor and other community services.

In other words, they're able to serve that eternal mission I mentioned earlier with monetary donations and contributions of goods and services.  

Atop that, in the Main Street churches' case, there's the added benefit of providing a heavenly presence, a measure of accountability, for Crestview's downtown businesses.

Meanwhile, there's the understanding that any service or amenity that taxes won't pay for, the community probably could rally together to cover.

NOT MUCH DIFFERENT

In recent years, a cash-strapped city and civic-minded residents willing to open their wallets have shown that Crestview can operate much like a church: relying not on taxes to provide essential services and amenities, but more on donations and volunteered labor.

Crestview residents last year raised $30,000 to reconstitute the police department's K-9 unit; they're raising $20,000 this year to pay for the fire department's new Hurst Jaws of Life; several are brainstorming ways to fund recreation facility improvements for the city's baseball and softball teams; and Friends of the Arts — which initially formed to find and fund a grand piano for Warriors Hall in the Whitehurst Municipal Building — regularly programs events whose proceeds help maintain the piano at no cost to taxpayers.

In other words, basic needs and even wants can be provided by the community; forget tax dollars.

Still, a vibrant downtown area enhances the community's quality of life. Certainly, it would be great to see more places to shop, eat and be entertained at on Main Street. And people who live here should want to play here, too, and keep tax dollars in this community to support it financially and symbolically.  

And in The Bible, even Jesus said that supporting the government wouldn't prevent someone from building his kingdom.

In fact, according to Matthew 22:21, it's a duty: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's," he said.

What's your view? Write a letter to the editor or tweet News Bulletin Editor Thomas Boni.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BONI: With downtown Crestview churches debate, consider the source