50 days ago
LODI, CA - After several hours of impassioned debate, Lodi City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday night to allow uncensored prayer for all denominations before the city's public meetings.
With nearly 800 people at the Hutchins Street Square Theatre Wednesday for a public forum on the controversy, council members voted 5-0 to shift from a non-denominational invocation at the start of city council meetings to open uncensored prayer.
David Diskin with Lodi United, part of the group who spent the past four months organizing efforts to abolish prayer before city meetings, said the vote will most likely move the debate from the council floor to a courtroom.
"If they continue to invoke these specific dieties and mentioning Jesus' name, then there is the likelihood that we will continue this issue and that there might be a lawsuit," Diskin said.
Lodi councilwoman Susan Hitchcock said the council listened to the opinion of the peole of Lodi and wasn't concerned about a lawsuit
"Those legal ramifications did not rise to the level to where they interfered with us doing what had to be done," Hitchcock said.
"I think the Lodi City Council took a stand," prayer supporter Greg Goehring said. "They are holding on to a very precious freedom that we've enjoyed since the founding of our country and it would be a shame to give that up."
The conflict began brewing in May when the Lodi City Council went through with their usual public prayer before a meeting. But during that meeting, someone in the crowd took exception to the display of religion in a government setting.
That person complained to the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the complaint soon got back to the city council.
Since May, the prayers was non-specific to any religion.
The vote was preceeded by several hours of debate as opponents and supporters of religious invocations squared off.
"I don't see Jesus Christ's name in the Constitution," said prayer opponent Robin Rushing.
"It would be going against the precidents of this nation for 220 years to say that we no longer want uncensored prayers in an invocational moment," Reverend Dale Edwards said.
After the public debate, councilmembers voted between four different possible solutions: eliminating prayer completely; changing the prayer to a moment of silence; keeping the non-denominational prayer with strong enforcement; or allowing fully uncensored prayer.
News10/KXTV
