Both sides speak out on Texas Governor, Rick Perry, prayer lawsuit. Also, video on the Texas prayer event controversy.
Faith News Note:
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Rick Perry over his national prayer event scheduled for August 6th in Reliant Stadium in Houston called “The Response”.
Freedom From Religious Foundation Statement: “Perry’s actions as governor give “official recognition” to a devotional event, endorse religion, have no secular rationale, and seek to encourage citizens to pray and nonChristians to convert to Christianity.These actions violate the Establishment Clause by “giving the appearance that the government prefers evangelical Christian religious beliefs over other religious beliefs and non-beliefs, including by aligning and partnering with the American Family Association, a virulent, discriminatory and evangelical Christian organization known for its intolerance.”…”The federal lawsuit seeks to declare Perry’s participation in the prayer rally and his proclamation unconstitutional, to enjoin his further involvement, and to order corrective action. FFRF seeks to stop further publication of the proclamation, to declare the use of the official state seal of Texas unconstitutional, to order the governor to withdraw permission for the AFA to use his written and videotaped promotions (“Gov. Perry’s Invitation Video”) and radio recordings at their website, to remove links from the governor’s website, as well as enjoining Perry from issuing and disseminating further Day of Prayer proclamations or designations.”
Governor Rick Perry Office: “Governor Perry has been looking forward to the Aug. 6 prayer event, which continues to move forward as planned. He believes it will serve as an important opportunity for Americans to gather together and pray to God, seeking his wisdom and guidance as our nation navigates the challenges before it. The pending litigation will not affect plans for the prayer event at this time.”
Here is Governor Perry’s official invitation:
Gov. Perry’s Invitation to The Response from The Response USA on Vimeo.
And here is an earlier news video about the prayer event.
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