Indiana Judge Rules Against Prayer
Posted on December 1, 2005
The AP reports: “A federal judge on Wednesday barred the Indiana House from opening its sessions with specifically Christian prayers, ruling that such prayers amount to “an official endorsement of the Christian religion.”
Judge David Hamilton advised House Speaker Brian Bosma that invocations given in the Legislature should not use the name of Jesus Christ or Christian terms such as savior.
Of 53 opening prayers given in the House during the 2005 session, 41 were given by clergy identified with Christian churches and at least 29 mentioned Jesus Christ, according to court documents.
Hamilton said that practice “amounts in practical terms to an official endorsement of the Christian religion.”
“All are free to pray as they wish in their own houses of worship or in other settings,” Hamilton wrote. “Those who wish to participate in a practice of official prayer must be willing to stay within constitutional bounds.”
Bosma called the ruling an “intolerable decision” that threatened free speech. He said he has directed his lawyers to study ways to overturn the decision.
And guess who brought us this lawsuit? Courtesy of the usual suspects.
The Indiana Civil Liberties Union challenged the prayer practices in a lawsuit on behalf of four people, including a Quaker lobbyist, who said they found the tradition of offering the usually Christian prayers offensive.
“The prayers send a very powerful message of exclusion to those who are not of that denomination,” said Ken Falk, the ICLU’s legal director.
The Indiana Herald-Press reports:
State Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington, says Wednesday’s Indiana Supreme Court decision banning mention of Jesus Christ in prayer to open Indiana House sessions is “a travesty.”
“I’m not in the habit of saying bad things about judges, but this is just a travesty,” Leonard said Thursday morning. “Prayers have been used to open the House of Representatives for years and years. Telling people they can not pray to the God of their choice is a travesty. It’s a terrible thing.”
Leonard notes that he has asked his minister, Dr. Sam Young of Central Christian Church, plus Rev. Brian Damrow of St. Peter’s First United Church of Christ and Father Ron Rieder of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, to offer prayer before the House begins its business in Indianapolis.
“Never have they been told how they have to pray,” Leonard said. “Now, because of this court decision, we have to tell them that they can’t pray in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s just terrible.”
What’s an even greater travesty is that these rulings fail to consider prayer is part of our founding heritage. These aren’t practices started just a few years ago. This is a reversal of history.
And the secular activists are working to achieve these changes while most of America doesn’t notice. Using lawsuits and activist judges instead of asking the people. One judge, one house, one state at a time.
They want to fly under the radar, knowing full well that if this were taken to a national vote, the majority of America would put a stop to the nonsense.
Like the ongoing attempts to take Christ out of Christmas.
Cross-posted at CaliforniaConservative.org
Others: A Face Made 4 Radio
» Filed Under Activist Judges, Church And State
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15 Responses to “Indiana Judge Rules Against Prayer”
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I wish this Judge would read his History and look how our forefathers treated Almighty God and the History of this Nation. Not only our first President but many there after. I leave you with His Prayer for the Nation. The United States States of America, in Which God Created and Bless it, because of the Respect we had for Almighty God and his Son Jesus Christ, the one anly only true God!
George Washington’s Prayer for the Nation
My last posting of today is George Washington’s Prayer for the Nation, written at Newburg, June 8, 1783, and sent to the governors of all the states. I found it in my copy of “Song and Service Book for Ship and Field,” a 1941 book published by the National Convention of the Chaplains of the Army and the Navy.
Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in thy holy protection, that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large.
And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy nation.
Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Now let this Judge read this and support what the founding Fathers believe and what 96 % of the American people believe in and what those who fought and die for this belief and still are today.
Sorry Judge I disagree with your premise. This NAtion was Founded on a Christian God and none other.
For those who come into this country, they should recognize that this country is a Christian Country and has on one ture God, Jesus Christ. Savior of the World, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, in which every person will bow and every tongue confess, that he his the only one true God!
Don Whitbeck
“He said he has directed his lawyers to study ways to overturn the decision.”
This is one of the biggest problems, next to judicial activism, elected officials who are ignorant of the Constitutional remedy for these types of rulings… impeachment!
This remedy came with the Constitution and yet, because of lack of intestional fortitude, backbone and the desire to honor their oath to ‘protect and uphold’ the Constitution, they have to ’study’ ways to overturn unconstitutional decisions!
Until we hold our elected officials accountable… this will continue.
Maybe the lefties can propose that we treat the first amendment as they want to treat the second… permits, registration and licensing of our freedom of speech.
Have no fear, this is the exact type of stuff that has kept conservatives in office for so long, and will continue to do so. I know, libs like to brag about current poll numbers when it comes to the Administration, and the Republican controlled Congress. We heard the same bravado in 2000 and even more so in 2004 when the left finally had a military man they thought they could pawn off and were schocked when they found out millions of Americans couldn’t care less. Social issues like this have decided the outcome for years.
Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814
Thomas Jefferson was only one man and did not nor has there been any one man have the authority to change the constitution. To say is not kpart of the common law is absurb. Of course CommieRebel has never read the 10 commandments because they offend him or her.
“They want to fly under the radar, knowing full well that if this were taken to a national vote, the majority of America would put a stop to the nonsense.”
Similar to religious loonies’ wanting to “fly under the radar” into U.S. classrooms bearing the Intelligent Design variety of creationism, knowing full well that if they and a majority of Americans bothered to crack a biology book, they’d soon see that the creos are full of sh*t.
“To say is not kpart of the common law is absurb.”
Would it really bother you to type in understadable English?
Anyway, the “columns” here continue to be dumber than a bag of bricks. Kindly point out, Jay, where the judge is banning prayer, period. I don’t want to hear the tired, ill-informed refrain about our “Christian heritage” (which is a figment of collective wingnut imagination) and “reversals of history” (which, come to think of it, includes abolishing slavery and allowing women to vote as well as attend Ivy League colleges). I just want to see where the judge is in error in following the constitution by not giving Jesus-based prayers special dispensation.
Why cant you understand English it is absurb. What the ACLU and other immoral clowns leaves out of every time they complain is the part which states congress will make no law - - - -that prohibits the free exercise of religion.
I know you all care a lot about religion, especially christianity, but would you also appreciate it if there was a majority of muslems in a court room if the prayer was adjusted to their belief? I totally respect prayer and religion, I went to school in a country where you have religion classes in public schools. I have read the 10 commandments, but they don’t say that you should force your faith on anyone else. I believe that everyone has the right to believe whatever is right for them, and I respect everyone’s faith, but also expect them to respect mine.
If there is something I can’t do because of my belief I expect others to respect that just as I would respect them in thes same way.
There are ways to play together among groups of different beliefs but for that a lot of respect and understanding is important! And I doubt this is given in any given court room…
why aren’t all 10 commandments law?
because Jefferson was and is right.
like it or not.
but i guess reason and common sense have no place on a blog like this
please pass the ignorance
Actually, none of Ten Commandments are integrated into meaningful U.S. law. You’d think by sheer coincidence that a few would apply, but not so. People are never jailed for adultery. It’s OK to kill in self-defense. And I sure as hell won’t wind up in the paddy wagon for fashioning a golden calf unto the Lord.
Of course, the Bible was written by men who were essentially cave-dwelling nomads and lived thousands of years ago, so it doesn’t make any difference what the Commandments say anyway. This — not their religious origin — is what makes them unsuitable for displaying at courthouses.
Commieweeny…
“please pass the ignorance”
Sorry, you’ve had enough!
First it was prayers in the schools, now it has moved to adults. I wonder how long it will be before they start feeding Christians to the lions again?
“I wonder how long it will be before they start feeding Christians to the lions again?”
Yeah, I worry about this too. Removing sectarian prayers from public proceedings is an obvious move toward murdering those who are fond of such prayers.
Look, just because the Christian ethos includes the belief that dissenters should and will be exterminated and tortured forever doesn’t mean that normal folks feel this way. So relax. As long as you keep your goofy incantations to yourself, no one gives a crap what sort of nuttyass nonsense you believe.
“As long as you keep your goofy incantations to yourself, no one gives a crap what sort of nuttyass nonsense you believe.”
My, how very nice of you Aslan! All you sick twisted little twits can tell us to quit complaining about the porno on billboards, books, magazines, TV, cable, satellite, theatres, cellphones, etc. All we need do is turn the channel, shut off the TV, don’t interact with society or turn our heads.
When it comes to Ten Commandment monuments, Crosses and prayers, your head doesn’t turn like mine? You can’t find your remote?
Get lost you hypocrite!
Well, Aslan, I don’t actually care if you pray in public, or sing folk songs, or dance the mashed potato while doing both. But this topic deals not with personal prayers (silent or overt) but with sectarian prayers at public proceedings. understand that a committed Christian finds it impossible to get his mind around the fact that America is not a Christian theocracy and that man has invented varous gods other than your own, but that’s your problem.
Would you just avert your eyes if you were at an Indiana court affair and they kicked things off by reading from the Penthouse Forum, or would you scream bloody murder about it and demand such filth be stopped? Gee, I wonder.