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Does V.A. Have a ‘Jesus Prayer’ Problem?
A Texas pastor who was told he could not pray in the name of Jesus during a Memorial Day ceremony at Houston National Cemetery has been granted a temporary restraining order.
U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes issued the order preventing the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the Houston National Cemetery from ordering Pastor Scott Rainey to remove the name of Jesus from his prayer. The judge ruled that such censorship violated the First Amendment.
“It is very clear that a pastor has a right as a private citizen to speak his mind freely and not have the government censor or edit the content of his speech, said Jeff Mateer, general counsel of the Liberty Institute and the attorney representing Rainey. “Our veterans fought and many died for our religious freedom and to have it stripped away under the façade of inclusiveness is the height of offense to those who have served our country.”
Rainey, the pastor of Living Word Church of the Nazarene, has delivered prayers at the Memorial Day service for the past two years. But this year the cemetery’s director asked him to submit his prayer in writing.
The prayer concluded with the words, “in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.”
“People should be very alarmed that the government was attempting to censor someone’s private religious prayer,” Liberty Institute attorney Erin Leu told Fox News Radio. “That violates the First Amendemnt and it’s clearly unconstitutional.”
Rainey told KRIV-TV that he was contacted four hours later by cemetery director Arleen Ocasio who told him to either remove the words or he would not be allowed to pray.
“I have never said a prayer in my life where I didn’t end it by saying ‘in the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen,’” Rainey told My Fox Houston.
Prior to the judge’s ruling the cemetery director issued a statement explaining why she asked for a more inclusive prayer.
“Our national cemeteries are places for all veterans of all beliefs,” she wrote. “We cannot be exclusive at a ceremony meant to be inclusive for all our nation’s veterans.”
At least one Houston attorney supported the cemetery’s original decision.
“Asking him to be more inclusive is exactly what she should do,” attorney Geoff Berg told My Fox Houston. “That’s the American way. This is a country without a specific religion.”
Rob
May 30, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Wow… In this nation we are free from religion. Each person has been graced by the Ultimate Alien , among these are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness. All freedom comes from above, yet today so many do not wish to recognize the author of freedom & liberty. Furthermore, how would his prayer offend someone? I have not & cannot be offended if some person chooses to pray to any deity, for that is his or her right. It is not the responsibility of any agency, government or otherwise, to instruct people in how to pray or in whose name to pray. God(I refer directly to the Father of our Lord & Savior Jesus the Christ) Help us! If I can say that. If this offends you, grow up!
Connor Hagen
June 2, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Amen!!! :'D Lord help us all, please!!! -_,- (That last emote is someone praying and crying!)
stingraycc
May 30, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Good for the pastor.
Vickie
May 31, 2011 at 10:44 am
I've lived in different places in my lifetime. I would've never imagined going to a school, a cemetary, public office to say I am offended by their prayers and therefore insist they don't pray. Surely, others pray to their Gods and we are respectful of it. Don't like it, don't be present when the Pastor prays.
Chrisanderson
May 31, 2011 at 11:09 am
The left is trying to take the Lord out of America. It won't work. Any Veteran that has been in a battle does believe in the almighty..
Let us all pray for our beloved Veterans and the taking back of America.
America is blessed by the Lord. Good will prevail.
robincalif
May 31, 2011 at 11:11 am
If the word "GOD" offense anyone in this country I have two words for you "GET OUT"
Priss
May 31, 2011 at 11:51 am
If you want to be inclusive, how about inviting leaders of other faiths, rather than asking someone to subvert his own? That makes no sense. Responding out of emotion rather than logic.
Of course, that would be asking people to think beyond their own noses. I mean… inviting others to come and share their prayers?
DixT
May 31, 2011 at 12:56 pm
In Jesus's day that very same thing was happening—followers were being "threatened" with whip lashings "if they continued to use Jesus' name in public"!!! People KNOW there is POWER in that Name—and they continue—over 2,000 years later—to RUN from that Name! Simply amazing. Just because THEY run, doesn't mean the rest of us have to! Clearly a VIOLATION of the First Amendment. Just like the Johnson Act of 1954—which gives the Government the "right" to tell pastors what they can and cannot talk about in the pulpit! This Act has never been challenged in court—because the IRS KNOWS it's "unconstitutional"! Thus, the IRS DOES NOT prosecute pastors for things said from the pulpit that the Johnson Act "prohibits".
nitpicker
May 31, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Good to know you folks will be down with an imam praying in the name of Allah next Memorial Day!
Nika Magbanua
June 1, 2011 at 1:02 am
Where is the freedom of speech there?, I can think America now is heading BACKWARD!, Whys is it the right thing to shot Bin Laden in the face and its not right to call the name JESUS in the prayer? that is a BUNCH of an ASS ! !!
SouthernGrit
June 1, 2011 at 8:16 am
When our government gets involved in issues related to God, The Father, The Son, and The HOLY Spirit it is going to be knocked down every single time. "Every knee shall bow and Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" Romans 14:11. As surely as He created all of us – past, present, and future, His divine prophecies will be fulfilled. All that is written in His word WILL come to pass.
Connor Hagen
June 2, 2011 at 5:11 pm
All that is written in His Word has come to pass, will come to pass, or is passing! Look at Luke 21:5-36.