Prayer debate continues as council prepares to vote
September 26, 2009

Maggie Creamer — Lodi News-Sentinel

The council has dedicated an entire special meeting to the issue. The 6:30 p.m. meeting was moved to Hutchins Street Square to accommodate what is expected to be a large crowd.

The council is having the meeting because of a letter it received in May from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation threatening to sue if the council did not enforce its own policy limiting prayers to “non-sectarian and non-denominational.” The letter specifically mentioned 39 references to Jesus in 55 prayers the group watched online.

Lodi is not the first California city to be challenged on the issue of prayers before meetings. Tehachapi, Turlock and Tracy also received letters from the group asking them to modify the cities prayer policies.

On Monday, five councilmembers in Tehachapi voted unanimously to not put limits on what religious leaders say during prayers.

Linda Vernon started the prayers in the city, which is east of Bakersfield, when she became mayor in January. She decided to start the religious expression after seeing it done in other cities and at the state and federal level.

“It adds a whole respectful decorum to the meeting itself,” Vernon said.

The city will continue with secular prayers, Vernon said, because it is a freedom of speech issue.

“It’s also a deeply personal issue because people of faith want to seek the guidance and wisdom of a higher being,” she said.

She believes the city is following what is required by law, and said she hopes the group will not pursue legal action.

“I don’t want to increase any additional level of expenses for my city, but it’s a basic human right we have,” Vernon said.

On Sept. 16, Tracy decided not to change its official policy that allows speakers to say what they want during prayers, according to an article in the Tracy Press.

[…]

On Tuesday, the Turlock City Council unanimously approved a policy it received from the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian-based organization, that still allows religious leaders to say what they want during the invocation, City Manager Roy Wasden said.

About a dozen residents showed up to voice their opinions, Wasden said, and all but two or three were supportive.

What will happen in Lodi?

In Lodi, the council could possibly decide on a policy Wednesday after hearing feedback from the public.

The city is expecting a large crowd — the August meeting attracted 400 people who gathered for a prayer meeting near Carnegie Forum, and a couple dozen joined together for a counter rally.

Lodi United, a group against prayers at council meetings, will hold another rally Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. until the meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at Hutchins Street Square, said group founder David Diskin.

“We are hoping that the outcome will be that the city sees this as an opportunity to support tolerance and unity, and do away with a public prayer or make it a moment of silence,” Diskin said.

Diskin said his group has grown from a grassroots organization of mainly non-believers to a group with people from many religions and denominations.

He has met with leaders of a Seventh-day Adventist congregation, rabbis from Stockton and leaders from the Lodi Mosque, who have been “extremely supportive of what we are doing,” Diskin said.

The newly formed group Citizens for Uncensored Prayer is planning to make comments at the meeting, but no rally is planned for beforehand, founder Ken Owen said. Owen also leads the group Christian Community Concerns, which previously spoke out against gambling.

The coalition of local organizations, pastors, attorneys and citizens would like to see the council continue allowing free speech, Owen said.

When the council makes its decision, he would like the members to consider if the final decision honors God, upholds the Constitution, evens out the playing field for everyone, treats everyone fair and equal, and doesn’t limit freedom of speech.

“The final decision that the council makes cannot be made out of concern of offending someone,” Owen said. “It has to be in the best interest of the council and all the citizens of the city.”

The national group The Pray In Jesus Name Project led the rally in August, but its leader, Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt, said he is not planning another rally on Wednesday.

While the Colorado resident cannot attend the meeting because he will be taking exams for his theology doctorate, he sent out 900 faxes to local churches encouraging them to go.

Klingenschmitt says his organization is raising money to pay for $7,000 in expenses from the August rally and another $10,000 to contribute to any attorney fees the city could be required to pay if it went to court and lost.

His Web site says the group is at $4,500, but he said that number is outdated. He would not say how much the group has raised.

He also did not have a list of expenses for the August rally, but said the money went to pay for the sound system, insurance and advertising the rally. He said his staff volunteered its time to plan the event and were not paid.

“Our non-profit is running on a shoe string. It’s not profitable; I’m personally losing money on this fight,” he said.

During the August rally, many of Lodi’s local clergy did not attend. Owen said his group has not been as vocal in public, but instead has been working with the council members and City Attorney Steve Schwabauer.

Klingenschmitt raised awareness about the issue, Owen said, but in the process, he isolated some of the local clergy and the councilmembers.

“We do not want to vilify the city council. But it seems like that was (the group’s) intent, because they didn’t know that the city council wasn’t the villain,” Owen said. “The Freedom From Religion Foundation is the one pushing the envelope.”

The foundation could not be reached for further comment Friday afternoon.

Original Article

Group threatens to display on billboards how council members vote on invocations
September 29, 2009

Maggie Creamer — Lodi News-Sentinel

The council received a letter from Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, the founder of the Colorado-based national group The Pray In Jesus Name Project, saying he will purchase billboards on Interstate 5 and Highway 99 for one year if the council approves a policy that gets rid of the prayer or forbids religious leaders from saying “Jesus.”

“If you vote the wrong way, or silence prayers or leave in place the current policy that suddenly enforces censorship of Jesus’ name from prayers (as never before), you should be aware of our plan … ” Klingenschmitt wrote in the letter that the city clerk’s office received Sept. 22.

But some council members are taking exception to Klingenschmitt’s approach. When deciding what is best for the community, Councilman Bob Johnson said he will not take into consideration what he described as Klingenschmitt’s attempts at blackmail.

“I take strong exception to your attempt to influence my vote on invocations through the use of blackmail. Your attempt at petty thuggery will not be a part of my thought process,” Johnson wrote in an e-mail to Klingenscmitt.

The council will consider whether to change its prayer policy at a special meeting 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hutchins Street Square. The issue came into the forefront after the city received a letter in May from the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom of Religion Foundation threatening a lawsuit if the city did not start enforcing its own policy requiring invocations to be “non-sectarian and non-denominational.”

The money to purchase the billboards will come from the $10,000 in donations Klingenschmitt has pledged to provide the city help in court if Lodi is sued because it continues to allow Jesus’ name to be said during prayers, he said.

Mayor Larry Hansen described the idea of using billboards as a “veiled threat.”

“First of all, this doesn’t influence me to any degree,” Hansen said. “I liken this to e-mails I receive that say if you don’t vote against Wal-Mart, I will not vote for you again. I will never, ever, ever vote based upon whether people are going to vote me in or out of office.”

Hansen said he is not impressed by how Klingenschmitt is handling the situation.

[…]

Councilman Phil Katzakian dismissed the letter and said he is focusing on what will happen on Wednesday.

[…]

Councilwoman Susan Hitchcock said Klingenschmitt is free to spend his money as he pleases, but she could think of better ways he could be helping others, like by donating to charity.

“On one hand, we have people wanting to sue us. Now we have people that are going to put billboards up,” she said.

Hitchcock said the council has to weigh many issues when making a decision and she will be comfortable with what she decides in the end.

“I don’t care if (my vote) is on a billboard or announced in a newspaper or on national TV,” she said.

Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce said she had not yet read the letter from Klingenschmitt and had no comment.

Klingenschmitt said he did not mean to offend the council members, but instead wanted to inform them about his plans.

“If they are embarrassed about the way they intend to vote, then I can see how they would fear the publicity. If they vote against Jesus, against free speech, against the Constitution and against 85 percent of the public, I could see where they would want that to be kept secret,” he said.

Klingenscmitt said he has raised $7,000 to cover expenses from organizing an Aug. 5 rally in front of Carnegie Forum.

He did not have a list of line item expenses for the rally, but he said the money went to pay for the sound system, insurance and advertising.

He also has raised $4,000 toward his goal of $10,000 to help with any possible city legal expenses or to pay for billboards. Whatever he doesn’t raise, he will pay out of his own pocket, he said.

Original Article

Lodi council votes to keep prayers before meetings
October 2, 2009

Loretta Kalb — The Sacramento Bee

 
The city of Lodi, one of a handful of small California cities challenged for their invocations during public meetings, on Wednesday night rebuffed efforts to eliminate the prayers.

The council voted unanimously to develop a policy allowing uncensored invocations that avoid favoring any one religion.

The motion by Mayor Larry Hansen declared that the council under the policy would encourage participation from diverse religious representatives and from non-religious groups.

In a nod to the threat of lawsuit, the council members agreed to hold the invocation before the meeting is called to order.

The decision puts Lodi on the same track as the cities of Tracy Turlock and Tehachapi, all of which faced challenges from the Freedom From Religion Foundation over what the group called a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

As of Wednesday night, all four cities had decided to allow invocations and not put limits on what the clergy say.

More than 700 people packed Lodi’s Hutchins Street Square theater, some urging the City Council to allow uncensored prayer during public meetings, others calling for invocations that reflect Christian beliefs.

Still others sought to do away with invocations entirely.

One chaplain suggested that if council members didn’t vote with Jesus, their decision would be advertised on Lodi billboards. Councilman Bob Johnson responded that he would not be intimidated.

It was decision night at the Lodi City Council on an issue that has divided residents. And it marked the climax of months of public angst after the national Freedom From Religion Foundation, warned in May that the council’s invocation policy violates the U.S. Constitution.

Public comment continued for more than three hours before the council took up the issue.

“Clearly, we are a room divided about where to go from this point forward,” Hansen said after dozens of members of the public had spoken.

“I personally regret the decision this council made to have invocations that were non-denominational and non-sectarian,” Hansen said. “I think that has set us up for some for some of the things that have happened from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.”

Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce, called herself a traditionalist. “My opinion…we need to open it up to have prayer for all religions and non-religions,” Mounce said.

There was passion inside and outside the theater.

Inside, Alamo attorney Terry Thompson came to the meeting and said his prayer group has been praying for the Lodi City Council.

“There are many people across the state who are praying for you,” he told the panel. “I would urge you not to go for nonsectarian prayer. To me, nonsectarian prayer is like a banquet without food. You want the Lord’s blessings on your deliberations. That’s the real issue here.”

Susan Robinson came from Modesto to tell the council the opposite.

“This tradition of prayer at government meetings is not an honorable one,” Robinson said. “But you can be honorable tonight. You can be fair … by removing all religion from your government functions. That is the only way you can treat all of the citizens equally and respectfully.”

Outside, about two dozen people rallied in support of having a moment of silence at council meetings instead of prayer. They carried signs such as “Keep religion out of politics” and “Democracy, not theocracy.”

[…]

That policy allowed nondenominational prayer. “Our council chose not to enforce it,” Songey-Neff said.

The mayor said he had received nearly 1,500 e-mails on the subject in recent months.

“I understand you have been on the sharp end of many barbs,” Kevin Suess, associate pastor of Vinewood Community Church in Lodi, told the panel. “I simply want to stand before you this evening and apologize. That is not Christian behavior.”

The heat intensified when former Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt of the national Pray in Jesus’ Name Project said he was prepared to advertise the final vote on billboards if the council “does not stand up to atheists.”

Councilman Johnson described the approach as stupid.

“What’s stupid about it, as everybody knows well, is we vote in public,” Johnson said. ” … And as far as I am concerned, it’s not working with me.”

Klingenschmitt gave council members a “courtesy” heads-up on his plan. But if council members support Jesus in prayer, he said, his group would provide some $4,000 in funds raised to help any needed legal defense funds.

Klingenschmitt defended his view of the debate as those who support Jesus vs. those who support atheism.

“I advocate for their right to stand up and pray to their god, atheists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists. Let everyone pray to their own god,” he said. “Jesus is the only illegal word. The people who are complaining only seem to complain about Jesus.”

David Diskin of Lodi United disagreed with Klingenschmitt’s proposal to publicize council members’ votes on billboards. Lodi United represents many religious and non-religious denominations in the city, he said.

“It’s unfortunate if he thinks he can bully the City Council,” Diskin said. “What he’s doing is extremely non-Christlike.”

Original Article

Lodi mayor leans toward uncensored prayer
September 30, 2009

Alex Murashko — The Examiner

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Hansen said, “I’m leaning toward having an opportunity for any individual to offer a prayer prior to the council meeting, and the prayer would be uncensored.”

Hansen said also he is leaning toward following a policy suggested by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), which would specify that the prayer is not part of the council agenda.

“We’re looking at doing a non-agendized invocation,” he said, “where people can pray according to the dictates of their conscience.”

The ADF along with former Navy Chaplain Gordon Kligenschmitt joined the fray over prayer when the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) threatened Lodi officials in May with a lawsuit over the city’s invocations that often invoke the name of Jesus. Klingenschmitt, founder of the Pray in Jesus Name Project, sent a letter this week to city officials stating that he will post billboards on local highways which detail how council members voted on the issue should prayer or using ‘Jesus’ name not be allowed.

[…]

The Tehachapi City Council, which also was threatened with a lawsuit from FFRF, recently voted unanimously to not put limits on what religious leaders say during opening prayers for its meetings.

Other California cities have also been confronted with challenges to prayer policies.

Tracy recenlty decided not to change its official policy that allows speakers to say what they want during prayers, according to an article in the Tracy Press. Instead, the city will send out letters to those who sign up, asking them to limit what they say during their prayers, which would include dropping references to Jesus Christ.

On Tuesday, the Turlock City Council unanimously approved the same policy Hansen said he is leaning toward, one that still allows religious leaders to say what they want during the invocation.

Original Article

Tehachapi latest city to have ‘Jesus’ under further review
September 23, 2009

Alex Murashko — Examiner

The Tehachapi City Council is the latest California governing board to respond to a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation that requests the practice of “endorsing” a particular faith in its invocations end.

Other city councils that have received the letters, which threaten legal action, include councils in the cities of Lodi, Turlock, Tracy, and Lancaster.

For the past six months, Tehachapi City Council meetings began with a prayer, but at the council’s meeting on Sept. 8, the first since receiving the letter from the atheists group, there was no prayer, instead the Pledge of Allegiance.

A portion of the letter reads, “The prayers currently given during the Council meeting impermissibly advance Christianity and lead a reasonable observer to believe that the Council is endorsing not only religion over non religion, but also Christianity over other faiths.”

[…]

Leading the nationwide charge against the effort to exclude prayer before city council meetings has been former Navy Chaplain Gordon Kligenschmitt. His online campaign helped bring 400 supporters to the steps of Lodi City Hall for a prayer rally. The Lodi City Council is scheduled to address the issue again at its meeting on Sept. 30.

Klingenschmitt has an online petition to be sent to the Tehachapi City Council that in part reads:

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…

Kligenschmitt has been repeating a similar refrain for each campaign on his Pray in Jesus Name Project Website:

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

Send Faxes to ALL 52 “Blue Dog” Democrats and Tell Them to Oppose Obamacare!

Original Article