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A PRAYER TO ALMIGHTY GOD~
and
A PETITION TO MAYOR OF LODI~ CALIFORNIA~ LARRY D. HANSEN~
and COUNCILMEMBERS MOUNCE~ HITCHCOCK~ JOHNSON~ KATZAKIAN:

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers:

We the undersigned~ respectfully petition you to defend religious freedom by allowing visiting pastors 

of all diverse faiths and denominations~ to pray aloud publicly according to the dictates of their own conscience~

at or before city council meetings~ even if they dare to pray aloud publicly "in Jesus name" or invoke their own specific deity. 

Please do not cave-in to atheist intimidation by the enemies of religious liberty~ including

Americans United and the Freedom From Religion Foundation~ who are threatening to sue to silence all prayers.

Please conform your decision to First Amendment precedent which allows Jesus prayers among other rotating diverse prayers~

as already decided in the 7th Circuit (Hinrichs v. Bosma) and 11th Circuit (Pelphrey v. Cobb County)

and by the Supreme Court of the United States in two decisions: Marsh v. Chambers and Lee v. Weisman.

Jesus is not an illegal word~ the Bible is not a banned book~ and evangelistic speech is not a crime. 

Please simply adopt a policy similar to Tulsa City Council~ and declare the prayers are private speech~ not government speech~

or allow the prayers to be said aloud during optionally attended time~ just before the first government business is gaveled to order.

Please allow pro-bono Christian lawyers~ from the Alliance Defense Fund or others~ to defend your pro-Jesus prayer policy in court.

We pray to God you will stand with us by taking a courageous stand for liberty~ in Jesus’ name.  Amen."

Add your "Amen" by signing below~ and WE WILL POST YOUR COMMENTS to the Mayor and Councilmembers
of Lodi~ California who face threat of lawsuit by AU and FFRF to censor "Jesus" from public prayers.