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June 19, 2008 | 12:01 am

In Jesus name, Ontario Council meeting begins

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Photo
Mayor Leon

On Monday, about two weeks after allegations surfaced that Ontario Mayor Paul Leon was having an extramarital affair with a city employee, Leon issued a vague apology for “errors in his private life.”

You could try to connect the dots, but why don’t you just let Pastor Larry Enriguez, who delivered the invocation at Tuesday’s meeting.

Enriguez spoke at length about Jesus’ words to a mob prepared to lynch an adultress: “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

What surprises me more than the mayor’s alleged behavior and the pastor’s seemingly thinly veiled prayer is that government invocations continue to mention a specific god, in this case Jesus. Praying to anything more than an indecipherable, ambiguous diety was ruled unconstitutional by a Los Angeles Superior Court in 2000, and upheld by higher courts. Back in 2005, I spoke with each city clerk in San Bernardino County about whether they were adhering. About half, including Ontario, discouraged sectarian prayer, half didn’t and a few lacked invocations all together.

The article, common of news from the LANG empire, cannot be found in the paper’s online archives or LexisNexis, but here are the top few paragraphs:

The City Council meeting began with a prayer.

“Lord Jesus, we’d like to give you thanks and praise,” Rialto Councilman Joe Sampson said.

Sampson’s words at the Dec. 7 meeting are a double-edged sword—truth to Christians but not necessarily to all in the Council Chambers. To local governments, they are a legal liability.

Twenty months after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that bars religion-specific prayers at government meetings, many cities continue to allow them.

Photo
JDL’s Rubin

This legal ruling was actually my first introduction to Irv Rubin, the former leader of the Jewish Defense League who had already been dead three years. The real miracle here is that Rubin, who filed the lawsuit that led to the ruling, and I actually agree on something. Council meetings are no place for communal worship; those on the council who are God-fearing believers should pray privately before approaching the dais. Nobody should be feel uncomfortable about civic participation. This is, however, an incredibly tricky issue to police—hardly worth the resources and even harder to control.

Montclair told local religious leaders their prayers could not reference their particular faith.

“You know what? They still do it,” City Clerk Donna Jackson said.

The only guarantee, Jackson believes, would be to strip meetings of prayer altogether.

“Of course, we decided not to do that,” she said. “But that is the only way it would work. You can’t regulate it.”

3 Comments — Leave your comment

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I, too, feel there should be a separation btwn church & state.

Also, I don’t know how Christians can believe that Jesus died for all their sins—adultery, pedophilia, stealing, etc. That’s why the pastors & priests are always getting doing sexual and other horrible crimes—they take no responsibility for their actions. They say, “No one’s good, only Jesus is good, and as long as I believe in Jesus, I’ll be saved.”

Mr. Leon is a Born Again—a former drug addict who claims Jesus saved him.

His nutty wife was also a former drug addict and she harrasses and tries to “save” every non- Christian she meets.

It’s so hipporcritical that they judge those who are different than them and determine that we are going to hell . . . Yet—we’re not the ones doing these atrocious things and we live with a conscience and hold ourselves accountable for our actions.

There’s no gaurantee for us to go to heaven. We try to live as best we can in hopes that if it exists, we’ll get there.

Comment by WS on 6/19/08 at 12:17 pm

It appears Ontario has changed a bit since I lived there. I heard it has a big industrial sector now. But that was back in late 80’s, early 90’s.

Religion and the state should be separate, but they still must live peacefully together in the same world. What we do here on Earth is not done in a vacuum.

Comment by Guy Vestal on 6/20/08 at 7:01 am

Interesting how quick people are to condemn. We sit at our computers and throw out any juicy gossip we can. I understand that both the mayor and his wife have devoted their time to helping others for years, a precedent that is seen in the mayors work as well as his wife. Who in this forum has done any service to other than themselves?
We need more public spirited people. We need more people who have religious beliefs. I agree with separation of church and state but I also feel more confident in politicians who have RELIGIOUS beliefs and I bet that most of you agree. Politics has ruined many a good person. Strong religious ties can counteract that ten tendency to be self seeking and self serving in a PUBLIC job. Good character, good values and good ethics helps all of us as well.
To many people vote on the person with the smoothest tongue and best looks and ignore the persons work record. Check the mayors work record, that is your business. His personal life - that is his business but yes, it should be factored into “Lead by Example”.
The mayor has done well in addressing his personal situation and in avoiding the goading of the media.
It sorrows me that there are a few who would burn these people at the stake instead of understanding OUR humanness and lack of perfection. Encourage those who work for the public, not discourage.
Thank you Mr. Mayor and your wife as well. Your efforts are appreciated!

Comment by GnarlyOne on 7/02/08 at 1:56 pm

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