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CITY PRAYER POLICY UPHELD
Circuit court rules for city
Date published: 7/24/2008 By Flowers Umble BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE Fredericksburg City Council can keep Jesus Christ out of its prayers. The 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals yesterday upheld the city's right to start its meetings with nonsectarian prayers. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor sat on the three-judge panel hearing the case and wrote the opinion. "She didn't feel my rights were being violated, but my rights are definitely being violated," said City Councilman Hashmel Turner, who filed the case. "It removed an opportunity for me to pray in the manner of my conviction and my belief." Turner, a Baptist minister, sued fellow council members after the council adopted the policy in 2005. A resident's complaint about Turner's prayers and a threatened lawsuit prompted the city to change its policy. Mayor Tom Tomzak said he personally respects Turner's right to pray in the name of Jesus Christ but that pragmatics overruled. He and other council members simply wanted to protect the city from lawsuits, Tomzak said. But he'd hoped the appeals court would offer a different opinion. "I was hoping for more clarity," Tomzak said. "We need clarity on this, religion is such an important part of community life." Lawyers from the Charlottesville-based Rutherford Institute filed suit for Turner and plan to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, said John Whitehead, the institute's director. The city is represented for free by the Hunton & Williams law firm and the People for the United Way Foundation. "Religion is not the important issue in this case," Whitehead said. "The important issue is if the government has the right to decide who can speak in their meetings." Turner's attorneys argued prayers held to open City Council meetings are not government speech and so are protected from free speech restrictions. They also argued that because the council allows prayers which reference "Almighty God" and "Heavenly Father," getting rid of "Jesus Christ" equals discrimination, Whitehead said. In the opinion, O'Connor wrote, "We hold that Fredericksburg's prayer policy does not violate Turner's Free Speech and Free Exercise rights." She wrote that the city's policy makes the prayers more inclusive and does not violate Turner's First Amendment rights to free speech. Whitehead said he didn't know how long it will be before lawyers are ready to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he said there was "a good chance" the case will be heard, with four conservatives and "a swing vote" on the bench. "I don't believe the last say-so in the matter should be left up to Justice O'Connor, so I intend on going ahead to the Supreme Court," Turner said. Amy Flowers Umble:
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 7/24/2008
MsD
(posted by
Mandrake
, Aug. 1, 2008 9:11 am)
Ask SMF how communism would corrupt this Country. Examine our government today and what the people are demanding from the government and we seem to be headed 5 degrees east of socialism. It might be wise to remind people that "the government" is not George Bush, but the Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch, all of whom appear to be heading left in lockstep, although the CiC proclaims himself a conservative. My personal view is to pursue whatever course enhances liberty
are y'all gonn argue with Nicea?
(posted by
Tamerlane
, Aug. 1, 2008 7:30 am)
The council of Nicaea in 325 C.E. stated that Jesus Christ was God; co-equal , co-eternal and homousious (i.e., "of one nature") with the Father. Thus, by elevating Jesus to an ascendent position by insisitn on invoking Jesus' name, Turner is, in fact, a practicing polytheist, as are all Christians who insist on invoking Jesus' name vice the other co-equals. The lack of scholarship and erudition that most have RE: their own religion is shocking.
Belief not required
(posted by
Shawanga
, July 31, 2008 6:27 pm)
Your belief in Hell is not a prerequsite to your going there. Rev. Turner is just trying to prevent as many people as he can from entering the "lake of fire".
Yes, these blogs can be very entertaining
(posted by
msdaisy
, July 31, 2008 3:36 pm)
And some of the attitudes and comments are quite interesting, or should I say bizarre? (Have you encountered SMF yet?) Woof! He thinks I’m a communist trying to corrupt this whole country and I should go live in China. Ha! I think it’s the anonymity that gives them all the courage to post what ever crosses their minds, rational or not.
Friendly debate is very rare
(posted by
Mandrake
, July 31, 2008 9:22 am)
in this venue; sometimes I am amazed at the uglyness of the ignorant postings and on the other end the smugness of the few who know better but chose to play in the dirt nonetheless. I suppose it is a microcosm of the mood in America today...extreme polarization and intolerance. Your Father was a wise man...never accept anything at face value unless you examine it closely and challenge weakness and assumptions. That's why parents face a momentous task today...and many are failing it seems.
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