Liberal Maryland Senate President Refuses Prayer Before Session if it Includes Jesus' Name

Frederick News-Post ^ | Clifford G. Cumber

[sureshot]

Senate prevents preacher's prayer

ANNAPOLIS -- Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller barred a Frederick County preacher from offering the opening prayer in the Senate on Wednesday because he refused to remove a reference to Jesus.

The Rev. David N. Hughes, of the 100-member Trinity and Evangelical Church of Adamstown, was prevented from entering the Senate chamber -- on Mr. Miller's orders -- after senators objected to the reference at the end of the prayer: "In Jesus' name, amen."

The senators threatened to boycott the session if the phrase was not struck from the Rev. Hughes' prayer.

As a Vietnam veteran, the Rev. Hughes said he had fought for certain American values, one of which was freedom of religion.

"It just makes me feel that they've taken away my right as an American to pray, and this is the seat of government, and that's scary," he said.

He was invited to give the prayer by Sen. Alex Mooney, R-Frederick. Adamstown is part of Mr. Mooney's district.

"I'm shocked by the response. I've never had this happen in 26 years" of being a pastor, the Rev. Hughes said.

Mr. Mooney said: "I'm concerned about where the state of Maryland is going. Last year, the Ten Commandments was removed from the War Memorial park where veterans are buried in Frederick city. Now a Vietnam veteran is denied the right to pray before the Senate."

A Senate clerk voiced initial objections to the prayer after Mr. Hughes handed over a copy of what he intended to read, he said. There would be senatorial "uproar" if the Rev. Hughes made the reference to Jesus, she told him.

When Sens. Ida Ruben, D-Montgomery, and Gloria Hollinger, D-Baltimore -- both of whom are Jewish -- heard of the reference, they approached Mr. Mooney and the Rev. Hughes to ask him to strike the line because it could offend non-Christian members of the Senate. Mrs. Ruben is the Senate president pro tem.

Both said they would stay off of the chamber floor if the Rev. Hughes spoke the prayer as written.

Before speakers lead the Senate in prayer, they are given instructions to respect the consideration of non-Christians in the chamber, Mrs. Ruben said.

Even so, the Rev. Hughes refused to leave out the reference. Sen. Nancy Jacobs, R-Harford, acted as a mediator, Mrs. Ruben said, trying to persuade the pastor to change his mind.

Mrs. Ruben asked the Rev. Hughes if he would substitute "Messiah" for "Jesus," she said.

He declined to alter the text.

"This is my faith," he told them.

Soon after, while standing in hallway behind the Senate chamber with Mr. Mooney and waiting to give the prayer, the Senate's sergeant at arms informed the Rev. Hughes that Mr. Miller had issued an order not to let the Adamstown pastor in.

"President Miller has decided not to let your preacher on the floor," the sergeant told the Rev. Hughes and Mr. Mooney as the sergeant closed the chamber door.

In the interim, Sen. Patrick J. Hogan, D-Montgomery, said the prayer.

Mr. Miller did not return a call seeking comment.

The news traveled fast. Calls objecting to the Rev. Hughes' treatment were made to the Senate president's office Wednesday afternoon, a secretary in his office said.

"Something must have happened in there," Mr. Mooney said. "They (the senators) must have gone to Miller and said they were going to walk off the floor in protest ... and I guess they were going to encourage others to do so."

Mrs. Ruben said that the senators asked simply to be excused from the floor during the prayer.

General Assembly prayer is an issue Mr. Mooney addressed in early February in a letter he sent to constituents.

"Maryland has historically been a leading state showing tolerance of different religious expression," he said in that letter. "I hope we will continue to tolerate other religious beliefs and allow people to pray in a way appropriate to their faith."

That does not just mean the Christian religion, Mr. Mooney said. He has invited four people to give the Senate prayer, three of whom were Jewish.

"One is Christian, and they deny him," Mr. Mooney said. "It's just not fair. I think I've shown I'm not trying to force one kind of prayer on the Senate."

But the Rev. Hughes would return if invited, he said -- on one condition.

"I told Sen. Mooney that I would be glad to come back and pray the prayer that I had originally written," he said.

And that is the condition on which Mr. Mooney said he would reissue the invitation.

The reference was a single line at the end of the prayer, the Rev. Hughes said. "I wasn't going to ram it down anyone's throat."

[sureshot]

We need to freep this Liberal. Freedom of Religion... unless your in Maryland I guess

[TommyDale]

Yesterday morning, when President Bush was visiting Camp LeJeune, NC, the invocation was given "in the Name of Jesus". I have been waiting for someone to compain. So far, no one here has mentioned it.

[Sam Cree]

Brought up an Episcopalian and married to a Jew, I don't really have a dog in the religion fight, but I am fairly certain that if Mr. Miller is trying to fulfill the intentions of our founding fathers, he is failing. My belief is that the men who crafted the "separation of church and state" phrase were entirely comfortable that references to Jesus were a part of public and official life.

In other words, Miller is at total variance with the people from whom he derives his authority.

[JeeperFreeper]

Let me see if I got this right. We, the liberals, are tolerant of others' religions, so you, a Christian, cannot exercise your religious freedom in our presence. Did I miss something??

[Chancellor Palpatine]

There is already one atrociously long and insulting thread on this here in this forum.

Prefacing this remark by stating that I am a Christian, I'll say that I have read that to some Jews, an invocation to Jesus in a prayer in which a Jew is participating is idolatry and a violation of the 1st Commandment. Good manners and respect would include considering that, and keeping the prayer as something which reflected that situation - perhaps the Lord's Prayer.

[BFM]

As a Maryland resident I plan to call the objecting senator's offices and express my disgust over their "intolerance of others" of different religions.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

prayer

[sureshot]

Contact info for Senate President Mike Miller
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3700 (toll free)
thomas_v_mike_miller@senate.state.md.us
fax: (410) 841-3910

[templar]

- perhaps the Lord's Prayer.

To avoid offending the Jews? I don't suppose you know where this prayer came from?

[Guyin4Os]

Oh so now the state wants to regulate the content of prayer. This is a restriction of the free pratice of religion. If you ask a person to pray, let him pray what he wishes.

[RonF]

I should think that members of a body to be prayed over have a right to determine whether or not they think that a given prayer is appropriate for the occasion. If the Reverend wishes to pray in his church, or in his home, or silently anywhere, he's free to do so. If he wants to hire out a public facility and pray as he wishes, he's free to do so. If he wishes to pray over the State Senate (or whatever it was ...) then the State Senate should have a say in it. Praying over the State Senate isn't an issue of free speech; it's an issue of being invited to offer speech of a particular type desired by that body, and they have a right to define what it is. If he doesn't like it, he is free to either accede to their wishes, or decline entirely. But it would be quite rude to violate their wishes when a group of them have indicated that they would be offended.

OTOH, if the Reverend wishes to pray out on the public sidewalk for the Senate, then the wishes of the members of the State Senate are unimportant.

[Xenalyte]

The dude's name is Thomas V. Mike Miller? He should be smacked upside the head on grounds of having an obnoxious name. (To start with.)

[JaimeD2]

That's all fine and good, except that this body isn't some private organization. It supposedly represents me, and I have every right and duty to object when they do something I find ridiculous. I'm not religious, but when they invite a Christian to deliver a prayer and later revoke their invitation by saying that Christian remarks from him would be offensive, it's glaringly apparent to me how contradictory they're being. (I live in Maryland, and therefore have a stake in what the State Senate does).

[AngryAmerican]

As another resident of the State of Socialism, er Maryland, I will not be wasting my time complaining about this.

Let's hope Governor Erlich is able establish a move to the right in this state. Maybe 8 years from now, idiots like Miller and Bush (no, not W. but the Maryland Speaker of House) will be home looking for a new job, rather than hold elected office.

[aimhigh]

The general persecution is very close. Too bad most churches aren't prepared.

[RonF]

I actually run into this problem quite a bit myself. As a Scouter, I or someone else often says grace or gives an invocation over a group made up of a mix of Christians and Jews. And occasionally, Hindus and Buddhists. No Moslems in my personal experience yet, but they're out there in uniform too. Anyway, even Christian preachers usually find a way to pray to God, or our Creator, without mentioning Jesus. And I think you'll find that various legislative bodies have Christian clergy (as well as Rabbis, etc.) give invocations over them every day, and those clergy manage to pray to He who created us all by stressing our commonalities, without resorting to that on which we all differ.

[Jhoffa_]

Best headline for this story that I have seen so far.

[Celtman]

Christian preachers usually find a way to pray to God, or our Creator, without mentioning Jesus.

      Then they are CINOs (Christians In Name Only.)

      One of the corollaries of the First Amendment is that the government shall not dictate the contents of a prayer.

[rllngrk33]

In other words, Miller is at total variance with the people from whom he derives his authority.

Miller is also at total variance with his Catholic faith. I know because I've seen him attending Mass at St. John's in Clinton MD. I've also seen him speaking at school meetings in the Church Hall.

[Sam Cree]

This is a pretty annoying story, IMO.