A move to replace the NSW Parliament's opening prayer with a moment's silence to reflect or pray has outraged Christian groups, who say it is the first step towards eliminating God from public life.
The Greens moved to scrap the traditional Christian prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, recited at the beginning of parliamentary sitting days.
Instead, they proposed a short period of silence for members to "pray or reflect on your responsibilities to the people of NSW and their environment".
Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon put the motion to the upper house, saying this replacement would reflect the diversity of Australian society and ensure Christians and non-Christians were treated equally.
"Our parliament has a long tradition but it has the capacity to evolve, and must, if it is to remain relevant to the people and community it represents," Ms Rhiannon told parliament.
She said the proposal was modelled on what was already in place in the ACT parliament, the only legislature in Australia to have taken such a step.
However, the Greens last time were defeated 31 votes to five on the issue and expect a similar result this session.
Democrat MLC Arthur Chesterfield-Evans has backed the move as has Uniting Church Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon, but other Christian bodies condemned the proposal.
NSW Council of Churches president Chris Moroney said it would be the first step in a process that would remove God from public life and ultimately discriminate against all people of faith.
"While census figures do show an increase in the number of people listing no religion, the clear reality is that a majority of people in our society still believe in God and still pray," Reverend Moroney said.
Australian Christian Lobby chief Jim Wallace called for the prayers to be maintained as a reminder to politicians that they were answerable to a higher power.
NSW Christian Democrat MP Fred Nile said the prayers had been part of the convention of Australian parliament for many years and inherited from the British parliament.
"I think it's simply an acknowledgement that we're human beings and we're asking God ... to guide and to direct us so that we can advance the welfare of the people of NSW," Reverend Nile said.
He said each MP was free to pray in their own way, and that no-one was forced to do it.