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October 3, 2009 | 1:48 pm

Lodi council votes to keep on praying

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Photo
A Lodi protester via FFRF

I’ve mentioned before that, at least in California, government organizations run the risk of being sued if they mention Jesus’ name when opening a meeting in prayer. A Los Angeles Superior Court ruled in 2000 that the practice was unconstitutional, and higher courts declined to overturn that ruling. But cities continue to do it.

The invocation has been ruled constitutionally permissible. It’s the promotion of any specific religion that poses a problem. Still, the California farming town of Lodi is having to defend its long-held practice of opening City Council meetings with a prayer. This week the council voted to continue the tradition.

More from the Sacramento Bee:

Robin Rushing, a Lodi resident, said he was offended by a recent prayer at the council meeting.

“I was fooled last week in praying for Jesus Christ,” he said. “I was fooled into standing for that. As a Buddhist, I kind of resent that. I mean no disrespect. But I do feel that this is a political (forum).”

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 council. “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.”

Read the rest here. More on the background, the other cities under fire and the external pressures from the Freedom From Religion Foundation and support from the Alliance Defense Fund at The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

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What if people used Yeshua Messiah instead of Jesus? Would that be better?

Who is the MESSIAH

Comment by Gerald Goldberg on 10/03/09 at 3:04 pm

no, that’s not the issue at all.  besides, the way you deal with the invocation situation is the same way Congress handles it, by inviting members from different faiths to give the invocation.  then you get a rotation and you’re not discriminating against anyone in particular, or respecting the establishment of any specific religion.

Comment by Proton Soup on 10/03/09 at 4:38 pm

Yo,

But Yeshua Messiah said:

JOHN 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

JOHN 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

JOHN 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

JOHN 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

JOHN 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?


JOHN 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

All the other “ways” don’t lead to the Father, so your other invocations at best are a waste of time & at worst DEMONIC.

Comment by Gerald Goldberg on 10/04/09 at 3:51 am

but that is the law of the land.  you either do it that way, or you don’t do it at all.

Comment by Proton Soup on 10/04/09 at 12:39 pm

Yo Blo,

Despite the fact that God is not directly mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, it must be remembered that God is not anywhere mentioned in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament.  Yeshua is also not mentioned, nor the Holy Spirit, nor any reference to the Godhead.  Yet, we see God’s divine hand of providence working behind the scenes.  We may not see the name of God in the U.S. Constitution; but we see the hand of God.


In reality, God is found throughout the U.S. Constitution, for the very basis of justice and freedom begins with a morally perfect God.  Any attempt to separate God from a desire for justice and freedom is the height of ingratitude and ignorance.  History has proven that atheism and evolution were the demonic ideologies behind brutal Communism.  The common allegation that most of the wars throughout history were fought over religion, does not take into consideration the fact that most religions are FALSE RELIGIONS.  Some people blame God for everything.  The God of the Bible is a fair and a just God.  The Bible is brutally honest, and some people have a hard time coping with that.  War has always been a fact of life, which any decent person would have to abhor; but it is a fact of this sinful world nonetheless (1 John 5:19).

Comment by Gerald Goldberg on 10/05/09 at 5:14 am

Becoming both more obvious and evident to even the most casual observer, the two subjects of this brief overview are increasingly enjoying the camaraderie of mutual support in their efforts to stifle progress and promote ignorance. I remain baffled by the numbers still swallowing this kewl-aide but it does seem that on a worldwide basis humanity is evolving and making some headway.

  As they forge a kind of corporate partnership between milieu and melee, we as citizens need to focus our attentions on their combined ploy as “strange bedfellows” and their attempt to become more, “familiar acquaintances”, to better understand their positions. I’m of the opinion they’re becoming a “dirty affair” promoting each other’s agendas toward their own profit. I shall attempt to bring to light only a point or two of these increasingly overt attempts at duping the populace as has been shown in the past and no doubt will continue to some degree in the future…Hopefully dwindling as all vampires, gods, booger men, and various hobgoblins do in fear of, (and are banned by), exposure to the light of reason, logic, and of course sanity. Someone aptly put, “Gods are very delicate things that can easily be remedied with a teaspoon of logic and a cup of reason.”

  There are some facts that apply equally to religion and politics as they are more closely related than appearing at first glance. For one example: The right wing whackos are almost hysterically opposed to change. Their slow moving and accepted ideologies forbid experimenting and even the most daring will cringe at the thoughts of even minor adjustments that may “rock the boat” pertaining to their illusions of safety and the security of past experiences regardless of the futility and damage these traditions may have caused others or even their own existences. Not that long ago they burned people at the stake who believed the earth to be round. Only recently have the politicians allowed women the right to vote. Like the moth that’s attracted to its own demise in the flame of its desire, politics will generally continue along prescribed routes though pitfalls and dangers are discovered rather than move, (even cautiously), into unknown or untested waters that might very well prove the better choices. Thus today’s Democratic Party is actually the “New Republicans” for the liberal and left have continuously moved toward the conservative right and have even passed that “central” position everyone seems so concerned about. Were the same forces of evolution so concerned as toward natural selection, it would be quite possible that human kind might still resemble some form of single celled protoplasm and be regressing even further. Religions in kind possess more than a few of these same characteristics. Whichever and whoever’s deity roosts in their portion of the sky, (usually directly above the practicing acolyte; watch the finger) declares certain postulates whose obedience is rewarded by that particular paradise or condemned accordingly by the opposing infinite torture chamber of fire and terror is that particular theology’s hero. Even the slightest deviation or question that might challenge whatever regimen that has been established by that same dogma subjects the offender to an infinite misery depending again on posits of that particular fantasy. These positions are from the same book of politics but merely changing thou to you and smite to slap. And of course as we would be the single celled amoeba, the earth would be flat and the center of the universe with a varied or determined cosmic muffin or hairy thunderer having complete responsibility for our every thought and move once we were magically created from mud and animated by his or her gas. Perhaps we ARE thought of as cosmic turds after all, hmmmm.

  The aforesaid having been said, I’ll address the common issue of “Illegal Aliens.” Throughout history the armies with guns and before that with swords, and before that with stones and/or clubs, invaded various cultures and if not accompanied were closely followed by the religious nuts of whatever faction were considered the “conquerors.” Military superiority proved that the new gods were stronger or that the same ones were on the side of the “winners” so everyone should immediately get in line and grovel on the prayer mats according to that sect’s interpretation of the rules. Only the very few cultures that remained conveniently inaccessible were left to their own demons and devices. These same cultures today are referred to in many cases both politely and politically correct as third world countries. Truth of the matter is that if they’d have possessed anything of value at an earlier time they would have been raped and looted centuries ago for one account like the Aztecs for their gold. Now the sand dunes of the Middle East contain oil and the jungles of South and Central America contain wood. Run, run, run for your lives, the mercenaries, Janissaries, and missionaries are at the gates! Most of the “civilized world” has depleted their natural resources below the danger level and so these formerly insignificant locations along with their primitive societies have risen into the sights of today’s weapons controlled by politics and theologies controlled by religions. Woe be unto the indigenous population. Here come the soldiers and preachers. I wonder if these monsters should not be referred to as “illegal aliens” themselves and somehow repelled at the borders. Their diseases outweigh their cures. It certainly seems their intentions to disrupt, pollute, exploit, and have the inhabitants learn their language, etc. all under the guise of their interpretation of “progress” along with their infallible and almighty deity has been a plague and a disgrace.

  This has been turned around a bit and now we can view the same picture from a different angle. It seems that “Illegal Aliens” have found some value in our own position and wish to exploit our weaknesses to their satisfaction. As our own modern society has grown and is growing more secular in religious considerations due to education and more emphasis on reason and logic versus emotional hype, we have the invaders proselytizing their forms of worship based on our “old” views fueled by emotional fear and frenzy. Even the “New Age” dingbats give credence and place emphasis on witch doctors and medicine men. When is wearing masks and shaking rattles considered “new?” They’ve done that for centuries.  Politically this is viewed as once again “dumbing down” our society and allowing those in power to more easily manipulate us toward their agendas. After all, religion really is the opium of the masses. Our own confusion brought about by the cultural change of accepting, (in our case), Latinos with a kind of perverse Spanish influence keeps us a bit off balance allowing Corporate America to continue running amok as our attentions are focused elsewhere desperate to learn Spanish. It’s another rendition of that old favorite. “Divide and Conquer.” Of course with the re-introduction of dogmatic jargon and persuasion into our lifestyles the religious nuts and rapture rights are really going happily at it. Fueling and firing at their utmost to applaud this situation, has anyone noticed how both religion and politics have migrated not only toward Texas and the Southwest but also toward these third world countries in order to see that their missionaries are astute and prepared upon arriving at our borders? The politicians see the advantages for not only do they work cheaply to fill the pockets of Corporate America but by inventing Social Security numbers or acquiring the same from a deceased citizen, their contributions are never returned and can’t be claimed. This allows the government access to an already depleted but still solvent slush fund for whatever war or pet project the incumbent favors. The actor-comedian William Bendix might have best titled this situation with that famous quip, “What a revoltin’ development this is.”

  Perhaps the scariest view is what nightmarish offspring may be the result of this holey union. If one considered that both factions are primarily patriarchal with tattoos of boobs on their shoulder blades then any progeny as a result could create quite a stink. Two stoolies now passed are “Lumpy” Jerry Falwell and the much “Odorous” Saddam Hussein. Tis’ rumored they’re sharing a tuffet in hell beating their Kurds and Gays. Of course we’re still awaiting more news anent the excretiatingly bizarre elopement possibility between O’Reilly and O’Donnell as they might produce the “Big O”. Both factions of our topic seem constipated with Suckabee and Ahmadinkisbad. Don’t worry too much here for they’re two sides of the same con. What’s appalling is the majority of the people on our planet believe in both chimeras in one form or the other. You merely have to wipe, flush, and then put the lid down afterward. In Poo…er, I mean Pope We Hope. Butt lest I digress farther into my sinility let us continue.

  That politicians have their hands in the pockets of Corporate America is no big secret for anyone as does the religious right. Bible thumping Born Agains are touted by those in power for as everyone knows all you have to do is ask forgiveness and paradise along with your seventy two virgins waits. This permits anyone to do anything and as long as you worship the “big guy in th’ sky” the door remains open. Ask for forgiveness Sunday morning and all your wrongs will be washed away in the blood of the lamb or at least in somebody’s blood. Just like politics it’s all about connections. You can be a relatively nice person all your life but without the proper connections through payola to the church, mosque, or whatever and testifying your allegiance to that deity you’re doomed. Again you can be a relatively nice person all your life but if you’re not part of that inner circle and haven’t the proper Washington connections, you’re probably not going to be elected. In either instance it’s whose ass you kiss and not your deeds or virtues. Angels and demons are direct crossovers to incumbents and challengers. Angels and incumbents are in office and the political favorites at any given time while challengers are vilified as demons trying to overthrow the current administration. This can turn out to be a bit of an embarrassment for both politicians and religionists but differences are soon reconciled when everyone realizes that they’re losing money. Speaking of money…let’s not forget the particularly rampant scandals that constantly afflict both of these participants. Not only are they funded through corporate donations that are returned in tax loopholes and slight of hand contracts but public contributions, tithes, and taxes are mismanaged continuously while each of them turn their back to each other. Speaking of turning backs to each other…Has anyone taken note of the sex scandals that plague these supposedly, “rocks of society?” No child’s behind left! That sounds like a perverted musical title to a toe tapper from a stall in the men’s room. Yes folks, in conclusion I’ll only add that when it comes to money and sex…They’ll both get theirs and you’ll get yours.

  My back is itching.  Momintum

Comment by Don Ward on 10/05/09 at 2:44 pm

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