The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) lost another lawsuit, when the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a ruling by an apparently liberal-leaning judge who ordered that praying to Jesus was “illegal” on the floor of the Indiana House of Representatives. However the court said bystanders offended by the prayers have no legal standing to sue, since no taxpayer dollars were spent promoting prayer.
In a statement obtained by BosNewsLife, Judge Roy Moore, who defended Republican and Democratic politicians fighting for the right to pray in Jesus name said he was pleased with this week’s ruling. "Thankfully, the Court of Appeals…reversed the absurd prayer censorship order of the lower court, which means the Indiana House of Representatives does not have to tell its invited clergy that the name of Jesus cannot be uttered in their prayers," he added.
Moore cautioned, however, that "because the plaintiffs in this case should never have been able to proceed with this case, the Court of Appeals was not permitted to decide that the Constitution does not censor Christian prayers."
TEMPORARY BAN
In Ohio, Republican House Speaker Jon Husted reportedly reversed his temporary ban on Jesus prayers following the court decision, overruling Minority Leader Chris Redfern, who had reportedly walked out in protest when a pastor prayed in Jesus’ name.
Yet, similar ACLU battles apparently continue elsewhere. Pennsylvania legislators are considering abolishing prayer "in Jesus’ name" under fear of lawsuits after the "anti-Jesus group" Americans United pressured senators to ban prayers to Jesus on the Senate floor, a WorldNetDaily commentary said.
The same group allegedly threatened Florida commissioners in Osceola County to ban Jesus prayers, saying "they hope things will be resolved without any legal action, but they
aren’t sure what they will do next." In North Carolina, two town councils in Fayetteville and Cumberland County apparently banned Jesus prayers after pressure by ACLU layers.
WorldNetDaily said however local politicians can find support in a 1991 Supreme Court ruling which spoke about the freedom of clergy and individual believers to decide how to pray. "It is a cornerstone principle of our Establishment Clause jurisprudence that it is no part of the business of government to compose official prayers," the Court said in what became known as the Lee vs. Weisman case.
BACKBONE BATTLE
"Lets help these officials find their backbone, before Christians are forced underground like Chinese churches hiding from Communism," said Gordon James Klingenschmitt, a former Navy chaplain who now helps change national policy, restoring the rights of military chaplains to publicly pray "in Jesus’ name" – even in uniform. "Lets take back our country, in Jesus’ name," he wrote in a commentary published by WorldNetDaily.
The fight in different legislatures of the United States about the Jesus prayers, are no isolated incidents, BosNewsLife reported earlier. In September this year, clergy and other citizens gathered around the premises of the Leesburg Regional Medical Center in the city of Leesburg in Florida, to protest the dismissal of a chaplain because he had openly prayed "in Jesus name."
Danny Harvey said he was fired as chaplain in August after using the word Jesus at the end of a prayer. He worked at the facility for nearly eight years. A hospital spokesperson reportedly said that Harvey had been told several times over the last several years that his prayers sparked complaints from patients.
The 49-year-old chaplain said however he would continue to invoke Jesus name in prayers and "To break down all barriers of denominational walls, but just to stand for the common thread of Jesus." Since his termination, Harvey sought legal counsel. (With BosNewsLife reporting and reports from elsewhere in the United States).
