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A North Carolina pastor was relieved of his duties as an honorary chaplain of the state house of representatives after he closed a prayer by invoking the name of Jesus.
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“I got fired,” said Ron Baity, pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. He had been invited to lead prayer for an entire week but his tenure was cut short when he refused to remove the name Jesus from his invocation.
Baity’s troubles began during the week of May 31. He said a House clerk asked to see his prayer. The invocation including prayers for our military, state lawmakers and a petition to God asking him to bless North Carolina.”
“When I handed it to the lady, I watched her eyes and they immediately went right to the bottom of the page and the word Jesus,” he told FOX News Radio. “She said ‘We would prefer that you not use the name Jesus. We have some people here that can be offended.’”
When Baity protested, she brought the matter to the attention of House Speaker Joe Hackney.
“I told her I was highly offended when she asked me not to pray in the name of Jesus because that does constitute my faith,” Baity said. “My faith requires that I pray in His name. The Bible is very clear.”
When the clerk returned, Baity said he was told that he would be allowed to deliver the day’s prayer – but after that – his services would no longer be needed.
Hackney, a Democrat, and House Republican Leader Paul Stam released a joint statement to FOX News Radio:
“It has been our practice in the North Carolina House of Representatives for many years to request, but not require, that our guest chaplains deliver a nonsectarian prayer. This is intended as a show of respect for all the religions practiced by the members of the House and the people we represent.”
“In this instance, we allowed Pastor Baity to deliver his prayer, without interference, even though it was sectarian in nature. Nonetheless, we will review our procedures and guidelines concerning guest chaplains, and we will make sure we abide by applicable constitutional procedures. The House will adjourn within the next few days, but the results of this review will be publicly available whenever it is complete.”
Baity said he’s not happy with the way he was treated.
“When the state tells you how to pray, that you cannot use the name of Jesus – that’s mandating a state religion,” he said. “They talk about not offending other people but at the same time, if they are telling me how to pray – that’s the very thing our forefathers left England for.”
The Christian Law Association helped Baity draft a letter asking for an apology and an opportunity to return to the state capitol and finish his tenure.
“The First Amendment promises all Americans the free exercise of their religion, which includes the right to pray as their faith requires, even when they are invited to open state legislative sessions with prayer,” attorney David Gibbs told WXII-TV. “We trust that the North Carolina House of Representatives will realize its mistake and will offer Pastor Baity another opportunity to pray without requiring him to use a prayer that is mandated by government.”
Baity said he is still stunned by what happened.
“You would expect this somewhere else – Cuba, Saudi Arabia,” he told FOX News Radio. “You would never anticipate this happening in the United States of America.”
In a word – the pastor said – the decision is “anti-Christian.”
Todd Starnes is a FOX News Radio reporter and author.
This is a disease spreading around our country, to wipe out christainity. Our founding fathers took great pains for this very thing not to happen, and one by one these safegurards are being taken
away. Why is it that it is O.K. to offend a christain and not O.K. to offend Alha? I am so sick and tired of everyone being politically correct, you can not make everyone happy. Our country is a melting pot, but first and formost we represent religious freedom, that is until now, how far are we going to let them push us before we push back?
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,today and always and He is in control of them at the White House as well as everyone else. Jesus loves them alson, they just don't know it yet. We are to love our enemies! And I think we have enemies in the White House. Pray for them, they know not what they do. I sincerely believe we are in the end times and the enemy knows, that too. It is time to stand up and announce that Jesus Christ is LORD! Peg
This is a perfect example of why the government should not be in the religion business, and the best way to protect religious freedom is to keep religious rituals out of our shared civic government events. I see so many comments from people who say this is a Christian Nation, and think that means there should be prayer before government functions, and in schools, etc. This is what you get. I really don't want the government telling me how I should practice my religion or when I should pray. I will decide that for myself.
Please read my response earlier on the "private" practice of religion. The Constitution's protection of religion is to prevent the government (i.e. "civic government events") from suppressing religion in public! No one is telling you how to pray or practice religion or make religious decisions, precisely because of the Constitution's protection. The government was doing that to this chaplain. So you can't turn the argument on its head, and assert that "government shouldn't be in the religion business" by REMOVING "religious rituals" from civic events or schools, etc. if the PEOPLE that elect that government want them there! Don't you see that removing faith from public life, civic life, public schools, etc. is exactly what the dis-establishment clause in the Constitution expressly forbids? It privatizes faith out of any relevant influence in public life, when in fact its influence was recognized as essential to the well-being of the nation by the same people who wrote the Constitution. If they were right about the Bill of Rights, why do you discount entirely their understanding of the political world we have inherited from them! .
Darkness can't exist in the presence of the Light of Truth. This is why Libs must drive out the light from our halls of Justice or they and their deceptive Unjust Untruths will fade away in truth’s presence,as the night fades before the dawn. In their righteous politically correct double-speak,they proclaim that all Gods are created equal. But their words and deeds reveal their true argument, that it is the God of SELF they worship,,, A God who in their own eyes can do no wrong.Remember/November
Your argument lacks logic. If he had applied for a job that he knew would not allow him to pray according to his faith than he would have no recourse, but they (the legislation) give invitations to different ministers across the state each year. This is a custom. His job was to Pray. You do not seek out a Christian minister to open or close your legislative sessions with prayer and thin object to the fact that it is a Christian prayer. Maybe you don't know, but as Christians we are obligated to pray in Jesus name. In fact it is a command given us in the Bible. If you ask a Rabbi to pray I would expect him to address his prayers to Jehovah as I would expect a Cleric to mention Allah. As I understand it is that they do invite ministers of other religions to do the same thing, pray. None of which have been asked not to mention Jehovah or Allah. So why does Jesus have to be singled out. This is not a matter of law or rules it is a matter of censorship of a single distinct faith.
You are forgetting who is the employee and who is the employer. In this country it is still government for , by and of the people. God help us never to forget that.
Ron, agreed!
You, my friend, need to actually read the Constitution before spewing left talking points. Please point me to the section in the Constitution which forbids prayer, or for this matter Jesus.
You may have been listening to left talking points for too long. Because the "separation of church and state" does not exist anywhere in the document. It is an urban myth. That phrase was derived from a Thomas Jefferson writing.
Dear Globtrotter, you are as bad as the Muslim's! How can you say "He will take care of business with all who refuse His name! You do not even know your own faith as you believe he has already risen – so is he coming again? Please explain this to me.
Wow! Jesus kills people who think differently. What a mean, mean dude.
May I suggest you read the New Testament books of John, Luke, Acts, and/or the letters of the Apostle Paul. St.. Paul explains it well in his discussion of the resurrection and future return of Christ. In short, Jesus was born, lived most of his life in Nazareth, ministered approximately 3 years in Palestine, was crucified on the order of Pontus Pilate, rose from the grave, ascended to heaven, and is coming again to judge the world and establish the Kingdom of God in a new heaven and earth at the end of time as we know it. .
No, He doesn't. He will judge everyone, both the living and the dead, by their own words and deeds. Then He DESTROYS DEATH AND HELL. Read the Bible, Dude.