Pastor Wins Battle to Cite Jesus in Memorial Day Prayer
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The Department of Veterans Affairs cannot bar a Houston pastor from invoking Jesus Christ in a Memorial Day prayer, a federal judge ruled in a case that is yet another illustration of anti-Christian animus in the country.
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U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes told the department it was “forbidden from dictating the content of speeches – whether those speeches are denominated prayers or otherwise – at the Memorial Day ceremony of National Cemetery Council for Greater Houston.â€
“The government cannot gag citizens when it says it is in the interest of national security, and it cannot do it in some bureaucrat’s notion of cultural homogeneity,†the judge wrote. “The right of free expression ranges from the dignity of Abraham Lincoln’s speeches to Charlie Sheen’s rants.â€
In his order, the judge noted that the Rev. Scott Rainey, the lead pastor of the Living Word Church of the Nazarene, was likely to prevail on his claims should the case reach trial.
“The Constitution does not confide to the government the authority to compel emptiness in a prayer, where a prayer belongs,†he said. “The gray mandarins of the national government are decreeing how citizens honor their veterans. This is not a pick-up-your-trash sign; this is a we-pick-your-words sign.â€
Later in the article:
The event at the public Houston National Cemetery is run by a private group, the National Cemetery Council for Greater Houston. This year, the director of the council, Arleen Ocasio, asked Rainey to submit his prayer for review. He sent a draft to Ocasio.
The seven-paragraph prayer spent the first five speaking of God in a non-denominational way, invoking “almighty God†and including the words, “We pray for peace among nations around the world. We pray for peace in the homes of families who have lost loved ones in these great battles. We pray for peace in the heart of every person present today as we seek you with our whole heart.â€
The prayer closed with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the line, “While respecting people of every faith today, it is in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that I pray. Amen.â€
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How much more respectful can you expect a pastor to be? His prayer is mostly about peace and mentions God and at the end, he says, "it is the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, that I pray." He never said that others had to pray in Jesus' name, but that he was.
Why is it that people have so much trouble with allowing Christians to be Christians?
I'm glad that the judge mentioned in this article acted like he did. I think he did the right thing, and it's refreshing to have a judge do the right thing instead of the "politically correct thing"....which is usually not right at all.
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Comments: 10
If the Department of Veterans Affairs were to truly care about the interstes and feelings of those being honored they would include in the forms they require be completed to recieve benefits a question about whether they would accept or want a prayer said in their memory.
The judge only did what the Founding Fathers wrote (but I am still appreciative in todays judicial environment).