JUDGE BANS RELIGIOUS PRAYER FROM BURBANK CITY COUNCIL.Byline: Donna Huffaker Staff Writer A Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court judge on Thursday banned ``religious prayer'' from being said at the beginning of Burbank City Council meetings. Ending a lawsuit filed last year by a Jewish activist, Judge Alexander Williams III ruled prayer itself does not infringe on a person's constitutional rights. But naming a deity, such as Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. , makes it religious prayer and violates the First Amendment, he said. Burbank Vice Mayor Bob Kramer said Friday he was disappointed and shocked by the judge's ruling. During the lawsuit, the council continued to open its meetings with religious prayer by members of the Burbank Ministerial Association, but Kramer said that will stop at next Tuesday's meeting. ``I think it's a blow to freedom of speech to have to tell these ministers what they can and cannot say,'' he said. ``We don't want to do that.'' In his ruling the judge wrote: ``The court fully understands the reluctance of the City Council and the Burbank Ministerial Association to dictate the content of prayer. All that is required is an advisement Deliberation; consultation. A court takes a case under advisement after it has heard the arguments made by the counsel of opposing sides in the lawsuit but before it renders its decision. ADVISEMENT. that sectarian prayer as part of City Council meetings is not permitted under our Constitution.'' Williams' ruling agreed with attorney Roger Jon Diamond's argument. ``Nondenominational non·de·nom·i·na·tion·al adj. Not restricted to or associated with a religious denomination. Adj. 1. nondenominational - not restricted to a particular religious denomination; "a nondenominational church" prayers are fine. But you shouldn't favor one religion's god over another,'' said Diamond, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Irv Rubin Irv Rubin (April 12, 1945 – November 13, 2002) was chairman of the militant Jewish Defense League from 1985 to 2002. Rubin was born in Canada, but after experiencing widespread anti-Semitism in his home city of Montreal, he and his parents and sister moved to the neighborhood , the executive director of the Jewish Defense League The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a militant Jewish organization whose stated goal is to protect Jews from anti-Semitism.[1] Founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York City in 1968, its self-described purpose was to protect Hasidic Jews from harassment in Brooklyn, and to . Rubin sued the city after a Mormon invoked the name of Christ during an invocation invocation, n a prayer requesting and inviting the presence of God. before the City Council last year saying, ``and we express our gratitude and our love in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.'' Rubin, who was not in court for Thursday's ruling, said praying to Jesus Christ would be like renouncing his faith as a Jew. Burbank Chief Assistant City Attorney Juli Scott disagreed with Williams' decision but was unsure whether the City Council would want to appeal. She said it was a tough case for all parties concerned. |
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