The Freedom From Religion Foundation has written a letter of complaint to the Bakersfield City Council over delivering Christian prayers at its meetings. A resident of the California city who is an FFRF member first alerted the Foundation.
The Foundation has 2,200 members in California and over 14,000 nationwide.
The Foundation’s letter, written by Staff Attorney Rebecca Kratz, was sent Nov. 20 to Mayor Harvey Hall and Vice Mayor Zack Scrivner. It states the objections to the nature of the invocations, which courts have ruled must be nondenominational and nonsectarian.
A review of the invocations, transcribed from September to November 2009, shows that all but one ended with specific references to Jesus Christ, “in Jesus’ name,” or “in your son’s name.” In one prayer, “Father,” “God,” or “Lord” was used 21 times.
Fr. Joseph Chaffey of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church began his Sept. 9 prayer: “O Master Lord our God, the source of all life and immortality, the author of all created things, both visible and invisible . . . ” He concluded: “Deliver this city and all cities . . . from evil assault . . . that we may always offer thanksgiving unto you, the original Father . . . your only begotten son and the all-holy good and life-giving spirit, now and forever and into ages of ages.”
A prayer by Church of God Pastor Haywood Cox closed with, “Lift up your countenance on these your servants . . . And we pray this in the name of your Dear Son. Amen.”
Kratz said the prayers “do not fall into the narrow exception of constitutionally permissible government-sponsored prayer outlined by the Supreme Court.” In the case of Marsh v. Chambers, the Supreme Court held that prayers must not be “exploited to proselytize or advance any one, or to disparage any other, faith, or belief.”
Kratz told Bakersfield officials that “this practice inappropriately alienates any non-Christians and non-believers in Bakersfield.”
Further, she noted, “By hosting sectarian prayer, which tend to show preference for Christianity, the Council is inappropriately entangling itself with religion.
“The constitutional rights of citizens to participate in government meetings such as the Council’s monthly meetings should not be predicated upon being subjected to Christian-based prayers,” she pointed out.
The Foundation recommends the City immediately discontinue official government prayers at legislative meetings; however, to comply with constitutional mandates, the City must, at a minimum, make its invocations nondenominational and nonsectarian.
