Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs informed a federal judge in Houston today the agency has reconsidered its position on religious-specific prayer at Houston National Cemetery, agreeing a pastor can utter “Jesus Christ” during his Memorial Day prayer.

“(The agency) will let the prayer go on this Monday,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Hindrichs told U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes.

Hughes slapped down the agency on Thursday, saying it can't stop a pastor from using the words "Jesus Christ" in his Memorial Day invocation at Houston National Cemetery.

"The government cannot gag citizens when it says it is in the interest of national security, and it cannot do it in some bureaucrat's notion of cultural homogeneity," Hughes wrote in his order, granting the Rev. Scott Rainey's motion for the court to intercede. "The right to free expression ranges from the dignity of Abraham Lincoln's speeches to Charlie Sheen's rants."

Rainey, lead pastor at the Living Word Church of the Nazarene, asked Hughes to prevent the cemetery's caretaker, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, from telling him what he can say in a prayer on Memorial Day after the agency asked him for the first time to submit the prayer for review.

"I was shocked," Rainey said. "I've heard of this happening in other states and other locations."

Read more:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7583145.html#ixzz1NZfTfzpQ


what i do not understand is why would the VA want this stopped? i'm an atheist, and anyone can say it as much as they want and it wouldn't bother me any. glad there is a judge that can still see some reality. good for her

telling a pastor not to use jesus christ is like telling a atheist not to use reason

That one made no sense to me to begin with. Why would you forbid a pastor of a specific religion to not say their God or Goddesses name?! At that point, why have a prayer at all?!

thats kind of what i was wondering... i thought religious tolerance was a two way street, but it seems that we are supposed to bend over for everyone elses religion, while they do not need any tolerance. if someone is offended by jesus, what makes them think that people are not offended by their religion?

who says you're "suppose to bend over for everyone else's religion", moe???

who stopped the prayers in schools, or before a high school sporting event? it wasn't the atheists, and it wasn't the jews... so who does it leave? i understand there are many different religions, but do they all not supposedly teach the same thing?

muslim,hebrew and christianity are all abrahamic religions,so yes you are correct and they are one big disfunctional family i might add

Honestly wasnt there something about freedom of speech in one of your thingy's. I thought that in America you could be yourself and speak freely

I actually remember it being atheists who lead the charge to stop prayer in school or AT school functions,,,,,

I guess nobody is serious about separation of church and state. I am.

lol... you can, it just depends on what you say...

that's not why they were trying to ban the words Jesus Christ in his speech..the article said it was going against religious tolerances,meaning it offended another religion...i'm an atheist and i could care less who says JC, whenever or where ever..

so am I, allow people to worship or not, without restrictions ,,,,

make no laws abridging their worship, and make no laws MANDATING it

and Im fine,,,

i'm not for it, nor am i against it... but does seem silly to waste money debating it...

My bad. I thought the issue was about this story.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/video-obamas-faith-questioned-by-minn-state-legislature-chaplain-sparks-outrage.html

I read the op carelessly

I think they should let him say anything he wants. And if someone of another religion wants to say a prayer to any other God like Allah or Lucifer they should let them do that too.

By the way, the link you posted did not go to any article.

yea. i noticed that.. it was in the newspaper this morning, on the front page, but they moved or deleted the web article already...i'll see if i can find it, there was a bunch more to it.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7583145.html

looks like they just reworded it a bit...

BIG BROTHER CONTROLLING THE INTERNET NEWS.

big "brother" barry...

Nah, that's gone out the window many decades ago.