SAVECALIFORNIA.COM NEWS RELEASE
October 1, 2009 -- For Immediate Release
Jesus' name again allowed in Lodi city council prayers
5-0 vote to allow unrestricted prayers is resounding defeat for atheist groups
Sacramento, California -- After months of debates, protests, emails, calls, faxes, petitions, lobbying, news conferences, and more, the Lodi City Council voted 5-0 late Wednesday night to allow ministers to pray at the beginning of council meetings however they wanted. It's a resounding defeat for atheist activists and a 180-degree reversal of the city attorney's unfortunate edict in May that pastors could no longer pray in Jesus' name.
"Lodi, Turlock and Tehachapi have all resisted the empty threat of an atheist group that claimed praying in Jesus' name was unconstitutional," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, a statewide pro-family, pro-child organization which has been urging Californians to protest the atheists' attacks on religious freedom.
"Praying in Jesus' name is not only biblical, it's constitutional," said Thomasson. "Even the United States Supreme Court recognizes this, which is why ministers pray today without restriction to open up sessions of Congress and state legislatures. It's completely constitutional for pastors to pray unrestricted at local government meetings because they're on American soil too."
The victory in Lodi was the result of four pro-family organizations -- Pray in Jesus Name Ministries, Christian Community Concerns, Alliance Defense Fund and SaveCalifornia.com -- all playing different roles fighting for the same goal: the freedom to pray in Jesus' name at city council meetings for the sake of good government.
In August, SaveCalifornia.com held a news conference and co-sponsored a rally led by former Navy chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt outside Lodi City Hall . In September, SaveCalifornia.com helped more than 1,000 people email the Lodi councilmembers to educate them on the original meaning of the First Amendment and subsequent rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court.
LEGAL BACKGROUND
U.S. Supreme Court rulings allow for prayers at government meetings, whether in Jesus' name or not »
The constitutionality of prayers at public meetings »
Public prayer is constitutionally-protected religious freedom »
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SaveCalifornia.com is a leading West Coast nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing children and families. We stand for marriage and family, parental rights, the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, financial freedom, and back-to-basics education.
