TORONTO — After four months of controversy over the roles of religion and the state, the government of Ontario has compromised by keeping the Lord’s Prayer in the provincial legislature — and adding invocations from other faiths. Members of the legislature voted unanimously to retain the daily opening recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, but starting June 16, the prayer was joined in rotation with eight new prayers from other faiths, and a moment of silence to appease nonbelievers.
Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Baha’i, Sikh, First Nations (indigenous) and nondenominational prayers will alternate, along with a moment of silent reflection. The move follows Premier Dalton McGuinty’s announcement in February that the province would “move beyond” the Lord’s Prayer in favor of “a more inclusive approach” that “better reflects Ontario’s reality and celebrate(s) our diversity.”
More than 25,000 Ontarians wrote the premier with letters, e-mails and petitions; about 90 percent were opposed to the change. Many cited a need to keep the province’s Christian heritage intact.
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