This is cause for outrage.
The city of Carlsbad, California, is facing allegations of violating religious freedom by instructing two chaplains to cease praying in the name of Jesus Christ. The First Liberty Institute (FLI) has filed a complaint with the Carlsbad City Council, accusing City Manager Scott Chadwick of directing fire chaplain Denny Cooper and police chaplain J.C. Cooper to stop using Jesus’ name in their prayers. This directive was reportedly given to each chaplain in separate discussions in April.
The FLI’s complaint argues that this order infringes on the chaplains’ religious beliefs and deprives first responders of the spiritual support that the chaplains have provided through nearly two decades of volunteer service. Kayla Toney, an FLI counsel who authored the complaint letter, stressed that the chaplains cannot in good conscience exclude Jesus’ name from their prayers. She urged the City Council to allow chaplains to pray according to their faith traditions, as they have in the past.
Toney also refuted Chadwick’s assertion that praying in Jesus’ name constitutes harassment and creates a hostile work environment for non-Christians. She argued that this interpretation is legally flawed and that the directive instead fosters a hostile environment for the chaplains and other religious individuals in Carlsbad. Toney noted that, despite increasing hostility towards religious people in the U.S., recent legal developments are favorable to religious freedom.
She cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Kennedy v. Bremerton, which overruled the “Lemon Test” that had previously been used to exclude religious expressions from public life. This ruling emphasizes historical and traditional practices, supporting public prayers by chaplains that are consistent with their religious beliefs. This legal shift is seen as a positive development despite ongoing challenges.
The Christian Post sought comments from Carlsbad city officials regarding the complaint but had not received a response at the time of publication. In a related legal precedent, the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway upheld the right of a New York town to include Christian prayers in official meetings, affirming that such legislative prayers are consistent with the Establishment Clause and serve to solemnize public proceedings.
I noticed a glairing omission in this article that being just WHY did they exclude using the name of Jesus ??? The article carefully avoids the reason which I find suspecious
Chadwick said that praying in the name of Jesus was “harassment, created a hostile work environment, and lifted one religion above another.” The city councillor said J.C. and his dad Denny could use whatever name they wanted for God, except the name ‘Jesus.’