They want complete elimination.
An atheist organization is urging a California city to discontinue its practice of employing city-sponsored chaplains following a recent prohibition on chaplains praying in the name of Jesus.
The Carlsbad City Council received a complaint from the First Liberty Institute (FLI) after it instructed two chaplains not to pray using Jesus’ name. In response, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) sent a letter to Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn, advocating for the termination of city-sponsored chaplaincies and preventing individuals from disseminating personal religious beliefs on behalf of the city.
Christopher Line, a staff attorney with FFRF, wrote, “The city should offer secular support services and leave the decision to seek religious support up to individuals. Chaplains interpret the world and its issues through a religious lens, which contrasts with the views of nonbelievers.”
Line emphasized that Carlsbad, being a diverse community, offers numerous opportunities for people of various faiths to find support. He argued that the city should maintain a separation from religion and respect all beliefs, including nonbelief.
Additionally, FFRF criticized the FLI’s letter, particularly its interpretation of the Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton. In that case, the court upheld the right of a public high school football coach to pray on the field after games, viewing it as private speech rather than government speech. Line stated, “First Liberty distorts the law by misinterpreting Kennedy v. Bremerton, which recognized a government employee’s prayer as a personal observance rather than an official duty.”
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor commended Carlsbad for upholding the First Amendment and urged the city to maintain the separation between church and state. She dismissed First Liberty’s arguments as baseless.
Last month, FLI Counsel Kayla Toney sent a letter to Carlsbad addressing City Manager Scott Chadwick’s decision to stop fire chaplain Denny Cooper and police chaplain J.C. Cooper from praying in Jesus’ name. Toney argued that the city manager’s stance misinterpreted the law, suggesting that such prayers do not constitute harassment or create a hostile work environment. She asserted that the city manager’s order had ironically created a hostile environment for the chaplains and other people of faith in Carlsbad.
In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in Town of Greece v. Galloway that a New York town could permit ministers to deliver Christian invocations at official meetings. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, stated that legislative prayer, while religious, has historically been viewed as compatible with the Establishment Clause, lending gravity to public business and promoting a higher purpose and common aspirations for a just society.