Prayer rallies to be held tonight before the Lodi council meeting
August 5, 2009

Staff — Lodi News-Sentinel

Lodi United will advocate for the elimination of prayers before council meetings. On the other side, The Pray In Jesus Name Project will be asking the council to allow religious leaders to pray in Jesus’ name during the council prayers.

The council will not be discussing its invocation policy during the meeting, but both groups hope to speak briefly during the public comment time.

Gordon James Klingenschmitt, the founder of The Pray in Jesus Name Project has applied for an encroachment permit for the Lodi Area All Veterans Plaza, city spokesman Jeff Hood said. The group requested the ability to plug in a microphone, speakers and a podium.

Even though the group has requested the permit, it allows them to put the sound system in the public right-of-way, but does not mean the organization has rented All Veterans Plaza, Hood said.

The other group, Lodi United, or members of the public will also be allowed to use any part of the plaza.

[…]

Original Article

Tempers Flare as Lodi Council Tackles Prayer Debate
August 6, 2009
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Will Frampton — News 10/KXTV

There were, in large numbers, those in favor of prayer before meetings. Meanwhile, in a more modest, but still prominent showing, others marched in support of a moment of silence during government affairs.

“I think everyone should be able to pray if they want to, just not as part of a government meeting,” said Lodi resident Brad Westover.

“I have no problem with these atheist groups,” said Gordon Klingenschmitt, a chaplain from Colorado. “I love them all in Jesus’ name.”

For nearly two hours, both sides protested within feet of each other in front of City Hall and City Council chambers. At the beginning, there was a brief exchange of shouting between several people on different sides of the issue.

Despite some loud debate, cooler heads prevailed and no one was hurt.

“Nobody’s been kicked out yet. It’s actually been very peaceful,” said David Diskin, Lodi resident and rally organizer for the people opposed to prayers before meetings.

His group was outnumbered, but he was still happy with the turnout.

“It’s exceeding my expectations by all means,” said Diskin, who only two weeks before had begun efforts to organize the rally.

Klingenschmitt had been working on his rally for nearly two months. A resident of Colorado, he regularly travels around the country to organize events in support of Christianity and use of Jesus’ name in prayer.

“As long as God blesses our efforts, I’m very pleased,” said Klingenschmitt.

The conflict began brewing in May when the Lodi City Council went through with their usual public prayer before a meeting. But during that meeting, someone in the crowd took exception to the display of religion in a government setting.

That person complained to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the complaint soon got back to the city council.

Since then, the prayers have been non-specific to any religion, and the council is still preparing to fully resolve the issue.

That resolution was supposed to come during Wednesday’s meeting, following the protests. The room was packed and the gathering began with a moment of silence, then a prayer without reference to any specific religion.

The council elected to delay their decision regarding the practice of prayer before meetings. But for the protesters — the evening was their chance to be heard.

Most said they felt good about it.

“I feel great,” said Elk Grove resident Bruce Holden. “I feel it was a great turnout of Christian people.”

“It feels good, feels like we’re making a stand,” said Brad Westover.

Lodi City Council members said they were postponing a ruling until they’ve taken care of other city business.

[…]

Original Article

Protesters Face Off Over Lodi City Council Prayers
August 6, 2009
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Laura Cole — CBS 13 News

Peaceful but loud and contentious protests were held in front of the Lodi City Council chambers as city leaders debated whether prayers referring specifically to Jesus Christ should be allowed before meetings.

The issue was raised in May, when the city received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Wisconsin that challenged the use of the words Jesus Christ in prayers. The city then asked pastors to refrain from using the words.

[…]

“I try to be respectful of people’s beliefs and feelings, and I think as a councilmember, you have to,” Mayor Hansen said.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, the reverend leading the prayer was interrupted by protesters.

The issue was on the agenda in Wednesday’s meeting, but due to the overwhelming number of people who wanted to weigh in on the debate, city officials delayed a vote until a special meeting on September 30.

Original Article

Praying in Jesus’ Name Causes Controversy in Lodi
August 6, 2009

Anne Makovec — News 10/KXTV

The city of Lodi is bracing for dueling rallies Wednesday night on both sides of the controversy of religion in a governmental forum.

The issue in Lodi is centered around saying the name “Jesus” during the opening invocation of Lodi City Council meetings. That is against the city of Lodi’s official protocol, which says the prayer must be non-denominational.

Wednesday’s city council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., will begin with a prayer but won’t include the name Jesus.

[…]

Hood admitted Tuesday that some religious leaders who led the invocation have said the name Jesus over the past several months, even though it is against policy.

That’s what caused the Freedom From Religion Foundation to complain. David Diskin, who lives in Lodi and joined forces with the FFRF only after hearing about this controversy, said his group wants everyone of every faith to feel comfortable in that forum.

The FFRF would prefer a moment of silence over prayer, but Diskin says that refraining from using the name Jesus would be a step in the right direction.

They’re holding a rally outside of City Hall at 5:15 p.m.

At 6 p.m., the other side of the issue, the “Pray in Jesus’ Name Project” holds its rally. They’re expecting around 200 people to show up.

That group has collected 5,000 signatures on a petition asking the city council to allow the name Jesus. The group’s leader, Gordon Klingenschmitt, said they also raised $10,000 to help the city with legal fees.

News10 asked Klingenschmitt why it wasn’t okay to simply pray without saying the word Jesus in a governmental venue. He said that Jesus would then be ashamed of them on judgment day.

Original Article

Christians Rally to Defend Prayers in Jesus’ Name
August 6, 2009

Adrienne S. Gaines — Charisma News

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt expects several hundred people-some from out of state-to join him tonight at 6 p.m. for a “Stand Up for Jesus” prayer rally protesting a city policy requiring all prayers to be “non-sectarian and non-denominational.”

“Jesus is not an illegal word, the Bible is not a banned book, and evangelistic speech is not a crime,” Klingenschmitt wrote in an online petition that collected more than 5,000 signatures, half of them from Californians. The charismatic chaplain plans to present the petition at tonight’s rally.

Although based in Colorado, Klingenschmitt has led similar rallies in Virginia and Pennsylvania through his national Pray in Jesus Name Project. He founded the organization after he was court-martialed in 2006 for appearing in uniform at an event outside the White House to protest a Navy prohibition against publicly praying in Jesus’ name. Congress later overturned that regulation, and in 2007 he was honorably discharged.

Klingenschmitt said the situation in Lodi is bigger than one city. “This is a national issue because what happens in Lodi will happen across California, and what happens in California will happen across the U.S,” he told Charisma.

For years the Lodi City Council opened its meetings with prayer that invoked the name of Jesus. But in May, representatives from the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the council a letter complaining about the practice, saying the prayers “lead a reasonable observer to believe that the Council is endorsing not only religion over nonreligion but also Christianity over other faiths.”

The council and Lodi Mayor Larry Hansen now are considering discontinuing the prayers, limiting them or offering a moment of silence, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Although the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has not filed suit, Klingenschmitt has pledged to raise $10,000 to help the City Council defend itself against any legal action. He said the Alliance Defense Fund is willing to represent the council pro bono, but the money would be available to pay for damages if the foundation prevailed in a lawsuit.

Klingenschmitt argues that praying in Jesus’ name is constitutional, and he supports allowing Muslims, Buddhists and people of other faiths to also pray sectarian prayers at City Council meetings.

“We advocate for 100 percent inclusion,” Klingenschmitt said. “Let the Muslims pray to Allah. Let the Buddhists pray to a false God.”

Klingenschmitt’s petition calls on the Lodi City Council to adopt a policy that declares the pre-meeting prayers to be private and not government speech, or allows them to be said during optionally attended time.

“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,” the petition states. “Please conform your decision to First Amendment precedent which allows Jesus prayers among other rotating diverse prayers.”

Klingenschmitt has led similar campaigns in Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Pennsylvania, where last week the state House agreed to no longer review the content of prayers given before legislative sessions. Previously, Klingenschmitt led 1,000 people to rally outside the Virginia Governor’s Mansion, to protest a state policy barring police chaplains from praying in Jesus’ name.

“Many cities are threatened with lawsuits, but they’re empty threats and they lose in court,” Klingenschmitt said. “We encourage pastors to publicize these threats because when the name of Jesus is stamped out in one place, He spreads like wildfire everywhere else. And this causes revival among the people. The governments will vote the right way if people speak out.”

A group of atheists […] Lodi resident David Diskin, who is organized the opposing demonstration, told The Record newspaper he believes invocations “should be omitted from the agenda, or there should be a moment of silence, allowing everybody to pray to their own personal god or to no god at all.”

[…]

FREE Petition to Mayor of Lodi California to allow prayers in Jesus name

Original Article

KCRA News — KCRA.com

But Lodi resident David Diskin sees things differently. He said some people in the community do not want to see the council marketing Christianity.

“We really just want people to be comfortable when they attend City Council meetings, and to have those meetings be as secular as possible,” Diskin said.

City policy bars Christian-specific references during council meetings, but pastors are often invited to perform invocations, which sometimes include elected leaders praying to Jesus.

Leaders are revisiting the practice after a threat of a lawsuit.

Officials said the council may settle on a moment of silence in place of a prayer.

[…]

Original Article

Christians to Rally in Calif. to Defend ‘Jesus’ Prayers
August 5, 2009

Nathan Black – Christian Post

Klingenschmitt, who previously went on a hunger strike to protest for the right to invoke Jesus’ name, is expecting hundreds of people to join him Wednesday for a “Stand Up for Jesus” statewide prayer rally.

“Jesus is not an illegal word, the Bible is not a banned book, and evangelistic speech is not a crime,” he wrote in an online petition that has collected more than 5,000 signatures.

The petition is directed toward Lodi City Council and Mayor Larry Hansen who are considering changing their prayer policy to possibly ban all prayers.

For years, the city council has had prayers at the start of their meetings and most of the prayers have invoked the name of Jesus.

But in May, atheists and agnostics at the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent the council a letter of complaint over the prayers, saying they “impermissibly advance Christianity.”

The Madison, Wis.-based group has not threatened to sue but it has not ruled it out either, according to Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation.

The city’s policy requires all prayers to be “non-sectarian and non-denominational.”

Klingenschmitt, who founded the national organization Pray in Jesus Name Project, and other religious leaders argue that praying in Jesus’ name is constitutional. At a press conference Monday, he said they are standing up for Christian invocations as well as for permitting prayers of other faiths, including that of Muslims, Buddhists and even non-believers, at council meetings.

“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,” the online petition states.

Klingenschmitt is hoping for a good turnout at Wednesday’s prayer rally. Otherwise, if Christians don’t show up, the city council may end up banning all forms of prayer, the former Navy chaplain warns.

Atheists have also planned a rally that same day.

“I think (invocations) should be omitted from the agenda, or there should be a moment of silence, allowing everybody to pray to their own personal god or to no god at all,” Lodi resident David Diskin told The Record newspaper.

[…]

Original Article

Prayer showdown
August 4, 2009

Maggie Creamer — Lodi News-Sentinel

The founder of the Colorado Springs, Co.-based The Pray In Jesus Name Project was standing in front of Carnegie Forum at a news conference he set up Monday.

Publicity is one of his organization’s best tools to get the word out about their cause, and a prayer rally is planned for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Klingenschmitt said. The group also used an Internet campaign to collect 5,185 signatures on a petition advocating that the word Jesus remain in prayers. Of the signatures, 2,826 are from California.

“Jesus is not an illegal word. … Now, an atheist’s group is using the government’s sword to tell me I can’t pray in Jesus’ name,” Klingenschmitt said.

A former Navy chaplain, Klingenschmitt has been in the media in recent years for arguing with communities and the military about the use of Jesus in prayer.

As the only member of the public attending the news conference, Lodi resident David Diskin stood off to the side and listened.

A week ago, Diskin joined with a small group of residents called Lodi United to organize a “counter-rally” starting at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday. He stresses that the group will be made up of both atheists and people from a variety of faiths who share the belief that the council should not pray before meetings.

[…]

“We want to show the people of Lodi and the Lodi City Council that there are people who have strong opinions. … People might not come Wednesday because they are worried what their family, colleagues or business partners would say, and I can sympathize,” Diskin said.

Klingenschmitt and Diskin are on opposite ends of an argument over whether the council should enforce its “non-sectarian and non-denominational” prayer policy.

Both groups have decided to hold rallies Wednesday, even though the council will not be discussing the prayer policy.

For years, the council has allowed religious leaders to say Jesus’ name in their prayers. The Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation challenged the practice in May and demanded the council enforce its own policy or face a lawsuit.

The challenge has set up a debate between those who believe the council should get rid of prayer completely and others who believe the council has gone too far by requesting that the name “Jesus Christ” be removed.

In Jesus’ name

Klingenschmitt has been embroiled in controversy over the past years by taking his organization to various communities and pushing them to continue or reinstate policies that allow prayers to Jesus.

His crusade started in the military, when he said he was told he could not pray in the name of Jesus, he said.

But his story surrounding his struggles in the Navy is different than the story of his superior, retired Navy Captain Norman Holcomb, whom the News-Sentinel interviewed by phone Monday.

During his service, Klingenschmitt preached about hell at a sailor’s funeral and protested the Navy’s failure to meet a Jewish sailor’s request for kosher meals, according to a January 2006 article in The Washington Post. The article also said he organized a group of Navy personnel who refused to attend a church service led by a gay minister during Fleet Week.

He led an 18-day hunger strike in December 2005 and January 2006 in front of the White House to require the Navy to allow him to pray in Jesus’ name. But the Navy said it had no regulation against praying to Jesus and “has always encouraged every chaplain to pray according to his own individual faith during worship services,” Navy spokesman Lt. William Marks said in the 2006 Post article.

As his commander for two years, Holcomb said Monday that Klingenschmitt’s discharge had nothing to do with praying to Jesus. Holcomb described Klingenschmitt as untruthful, lacking military commitment and unwilling to abide by established rules and regulations.

Holcomb said Klingenschmitt was court martialed because he wore his Navy chaplain uniform to a political rally, after being warned that he would be violating military procedure, he said.

In September 2006, The Washington Post also reported Klingenschmitt was court martialed because he attended a political rally in uniform during March of that year. He was found guilty of a misdemeanor count of disobeying a lawful order in September 2006.

Klingenschmitt maintained he was at the event to offer public prayer and had written permission to wear his uniform when he is conducting “a bona fide worship service or observance,” he said in the article. But military prosecutor Cmdr. Rex A. Guinn said the event was not a worship service or observance.

Klingenschmitt was then honorably discharged in 2007.

Holcomb said Klingenschmitt was always allowed to pray in Jesus’ name, but many troops did not like him as a chaplain because he would incite the soldiers during his prayers, Holcomb said.

“If you are a chaplain in the military, you can’t act like you are a preacher at a local church, because you have to take care of everybody, regardless of whether they believe what you do or not,” Holcomb said.

From the military, Klingenschmitt founded The Pray In Jesus Name Project and has been to several states in the country to assist local people in fighting against groups trying to limit prayer, he said.

“We want Lodi to stick to its guns and allow religious freedom,” he said.

SaveCalifornia.com, a statewide pro-family organization, is also throwing support behind Klingenschmitt’s cause. The group heavily campaigned for Proposition 8, a ban on same-sex marriage that passed in November.

At the Monday news conference, president Randy Thomasson said the government should not interfere with a group’s religious freedom.

“This is about Lodi, but it is also about America. … If atheists are able to squash religious freedom in Lodi, they will be hungry to squash religious freedom in other cities,” Thomasson said.

Another group, the Alliance Defense Fund, has also voiced support for keeping a policy that allows for uncensored prayers.

Local attorney Mark Bowman, who is a member of the fund, has sent a letter to the city offering to defend Lodi in court for free if the council adopts a prayer policy that does not restrict the content of the prayer.

“It is my hope that our city will not succumb to mere ‘threats’ to remove a practice that has enjoyed over two centuries of protection,” Bowman said in a letter dated July 28.

Word of mouth opposition

While sitting outside Carnegie Forum, Diskin admits if his group had more time maybe they would have thought to also hold a news conference.

Diskin, whose day job is providing training on Microsoft Office, has never actively protested religion in government but has always felt there should be a separation of church and state.

He said Lodi United is depending on word of mouth, and he hopes the Wednesday rally will be the start of a group that opposes religion in government.

“When something comes up that is important to you, you tend to get on it right away,” he said.

The rally will go from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. and end with appetizers at Lodi Beer Company. Diskin said it is important to give the group time afterward to discuss, because many of them will be meeting for the first time.

His main objection to The Pray In Jesus Name Project is that they are going beyond supporting prayer.

“He doesn’t want to just allow prayer, but he wants to bring Jesus into these meetings. … Why would someone feel comfortable if they didn’t believe that,” Diskin said.

He imagines the group he is forming will exist even after the Lodi issue is solved, because it includes people from around the region, include Modesto, Sacramento and Turlock.

“There is no reason we can’t lend our help to them when the time comes in their cities,” Diskin said.

Original Article