How would you feel if – when attending a local council meeting for the first time – the meeting opened with a Christian prayer? This is the question we explore in this episode. We learn about the practice of prayers before government meetings: how widespread are these prayers and what do they consist of? We also discuss what exactly the problem is with these prayers in a diverse society, and what – if anything – should replace them.

To answer these questions, we hear from Teale Phelps Bondaroff, a municipal councillor for the district of Saanich, British Columbia, and the research coordinator for the British Columbia Humanist Association, and Eric Beresford, the priest in charge at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Toronto.

For further reading on this episode, see: https://nonreligionproject.ca/episode-2/

The Lifestances Podcast is part of the Nonreligion in a Complex Future (NCF) Project, a SSHRC-funded, international research project based at the University of Ottawa, Canada. For more on the NCF, see our website: https://nonreligionproject.ca/ 

The Lifestances Podcast is hosted by Lori G. Beaman and produced by Nathan Alexander.