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Orange County Atheists |
Travis was kind enough to record and transcribe multiple weeks of invocations from the Anaheim City Council - and they're full of language that the Burbank decision has found to be against the law. The transcribed text is below the fold here - if people are interested in the MP3 files of the invocations, let me know and I'll post them.
Invocations at City Council Meetings
City of Anaheim
http://anaheim.net
October 17, 2006
Rabbi Mortimer Keifer
Mr. Mayor, honorable council members and fellow citizens. I thank you for this opportunity to share these moments of invocation with you again.
Less than 24 hours ago the Jewish people gathered here in Anaheim at Temple Beth em let concluded its most sacred opportunity for soul searching and for truth searching. Beginning at 5:45pm of Sunday and ending at 7:25pm of yesterday, with no food or drink passing our lips we let pass from our lips words of prayer and hope. In our ideology we are encourage to locate the causes of life dissatisfactions within ourselves. It is not the fault of those who do not share our beliefs, it is not the fault of one political party or another, it is to be accepted as our fault, whatever it be.
We are not that insecure or small of spirit, that the need to locate responsibility for whatever ills we believe have afflicted our society or community must be placed on the shoulders of others. The key passage explicitly states in the panea katu enu. Literally "it is because of our very own sins that what we did not want to happen but we did not believe whatever happened has in fact happened to whatever extent in our lives."
Shakespeare recognized this truth as indispensable from mature individuals in the crafting of an honorable society when he had Julius Caesar articulate his belief at the fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in our selves that are underlings. In that accepting responsibility for our deeds and for the consequences of the beliefs we hold which bring those deeds to attention. Honest people begin the painful process of examining or reexamining their values, creeds, and beliefs. That the consequences of who we actually are bring joy, healing, comfort and peace to all others and not anything else.
Amid the praying and fasting, the singing and preaching, our liturgy inserts the prayer that our zidonote that was deliberate and intentional errors of judgment and dead be transmuted into shigagote - inadvertent and unintentional. And to deeds which may be repealed, reversed or made better. Thus our prayer for our dear fellow citizens who have taken upon themselves the burdens of absence from family, and sometimes moments of calamity from community, in running for, being elected to, and serving in office for the betterment of the lives of all of us, can only be that right be your guide, that errors in voting and legislating be the kind which can be changed by more righteous thinking and that accepting responsibility for what transpires in this chamber be deemed a privilege.
In the language of our people, I wish us all a shanat al va auna tu ka, the year 5767, bring to all of us in Anaheim and wherever we hold people who are dear to us goodness and kindness, harmony and community. May god bless us all and Anaheim. Let us all say, Amen.
September 26, 2006
Pastor Randy Collins, Rock Chuch in Anaheim
Shall we pray. Our most gracious heavenly father, thank you for a free country to live in where we are able to ask you for guidance in our civil and governing decisions. Today is a new opportunity to serve others and we are grateful for this privilege. Thank you for these, our leaders that you have given us to govern over the important issues of our communities and over our city. Grant to our Mayor and city council your wisdom and your discretion throughout tonight's meeting and in the days ahead. We ask that you provide insight to each one of them regarding the best solutions that will insure safety, peace, and hope to the people of Anaheim. We pray these things in your name, Amen.
September 12, 2006
Designated pastor wasn't present, so council member Sudu performed it.
Please, in the memory of 9/11 and free to all this, our firefighters, policemens, and all the people who died have a moment of silence before I start my prayers.
Please join me in this prayer. From the point of light within the mind of god, let light stream forth into the minds of men, that light descend on earth and bless the Orange County and Anaheim city. Of the kind of love within the heart of love, that love streamed forth into the hearts of men. From the center where the will of god is gone, that the purpose guide the little wills of men. The purpose which the masses know and serve, from the center which we call the race of men, that the plan of love and the light work out. May seal the door where evil dwells. Let the light and love and power to store the planet earth. Amen.
August 22, 2006
Judith Af Sahid, Bahai spiritual assembly of Anaheim [3:19]
Thank you, this is very appropriate, because part of my invocation deals with tests and difficulties. It is with great pleasure that I represent the Bahais of Anahim today. The bahai faith is based on unity, one god, unity of all religions, and unity of humanity under the sight of god. Unity and peace may seem like a distant dream in these days. The focus of peace and unity may be veiled by many things, one of which may be tests and difficulties in our lives. The bahai writings indicate that trials, tests, and difficulties are gods gifts to make us stronger. To build our character and fortitude so we should be thankful for them, and remove this veil. Another veil to peace and unity are the trying events, upheavels in the world, strife, contention, and wars, which are so evident lately. Again the bahai writings: Humanity is promised that the rueness wars shall pass, and the most great peace will come. And thereby another veil will be lifted, so that peace and unity will come into focus. The time for this most great peace has not yet come, and until that time we must pray to god for strength, assistance, guidance, and protection. Therefore I offer the following prayer from the bahai writings for us all.
Oh thou kind lord, we are servants of thy threshold. Taking shelter at thy door. We seek no refuge save only the strong pillar. Turn nowhere for a haven but unto thy safe keeping. Protect us, bless us, support us, and make us such that we shall love but thy good pleasure. Utter only thy praise, follow only the pathway of truth that we may become rich enough to dispense with all save thee, and receive our gifts from the sea of thy benefisince. That we may ever stride to exalt thy cause and to spread thy sweet savors far and wide. That we may become oblivious of self, and occupied only with thee, and disown all else, and be caught up in thee. Oh thou our provider, oh though our forgiver. Grant us thy grace and loving kindness. Thy gifts and thy bestoles, and sustain us that we may obtain our goal. Thou art the powerful, the able, the knower, the seeer, and verily thou art the generous and verily thou art the all merciful and verily thou art the ever forgiving. He to whom repentance is due, he who forgivith even the most grievous of sins.
August 8, 2006
Pastor Roger Frick - Zion Luther church [0:56]
Let us pray.
Dear heavenly most gracious father. We thank you lord that you have given us this opportunity to gather together to be able to, with your wisdom, make decisions that will affect people here in the city of Anaheim and north Orange County. Or to ask that your spirit of wisdom be upon the mayor and each of the council members. Those who are presenting, those that are receiving information tonight. There are so many wonderful things here in Anaheim, from the east to the west and the north and the south. Lord allow your hand, your hand of guidance and mercy and grace and justice and protection be upon the residents and the leaders and those who serve in the various capacities. Lord we give you thanks that we have the opportunity to honor you, honor you tonight, and those who serve in their various capacities. And guide us through all things. In your name dear jesus we pray, Amen.
July 25, 2006
Pastor Roger Stallhut - Calvary Chapel Open Door [0:52]
Blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ. The father of mercies and god of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our tribulation that we be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort which we ourselves our comforted by god. And I think that's the whole essence behind this work that is being done in this city. Father we would like to stop and give you thanks, so good to be able to stand and recognize you as the one who was in charge of the meeting. I ask you lord that you would just pour out your spirit tonight, and just to gifts of wisdom and the gifts of knowledge, and just the words of encouragements, and blessings and yet warnings not move to areas that we are not to move, that we would grant those to those who are making decisions tonight that they would be led by you. So we just ask you to bless this night in jesus name, Amen.
July 11, 2006
Parishioner Galloway, San Antonio Catholic Church [0:26]
Dear heavenly father, we ask a special blessing on all of the wonderful people of our city and its leaders and all of the people here tonight. We ask lord that you give us special direction and special guidance in making sure that we make decisions for the betterment of everyone in our city. In your holy and precious name we pray, Amen.
June 20
Pastor Mark Bovey, Calvary Chapel Anaheim [0:57]
For a long time I wondered what the word invocation meant, and there might be some of you that wondered with me, and what it means is to invoke the presence of god and to ask him to come and bless the city council members and their decisions. Actually in the book of Romans it tells us that they're the ministers of god, watching over us. So let's go ahead and pray, let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for the city council members lord, and for mayor pringle, and father we just thank you so much, lord, for their love for you, and the direction you've given them in beautifying this city, what a beautiful city we are in. And lord we pray for great wisdom for them this day, as they make decisions. And lord we thank you father that you can help them and anoint them and lead them in the ways of righteousness for your namesake. Thank you father, we give you this time tonight in the meeting in jesus name, Amen.
June 13
Pastor Mike Bradorick, Magnolia Baptist Church [1:38]
Oh mighty god, author of all order and rule. We come to you tonight asking you to give guidance and direction to this council of men and women. For they have gathered in this place tonight because you've sovernly placed them here, and the welfare of the people of this community, of Anaheim, depends on them. As we come together tonight, we ask that you give them strength and wisdom, give them wisdom after a hard days work to work still harder at the task of guiding and guarding our community. Give them wisdom to apply their strength in ways beneficial to us all. We ask also that you give to them courage and conviction, for true leadership must come from the heart and the soul, not simply the mind and the will. And cognizant of the pressures and demands that come to bear upon their task, we ask that you give them patience and perseverance. Give them not only the vision to see the right, but the resolve to always do the right, as they have the means to do the right. God of justice and god of mercy, let our prayers be felt by these men and women tonight. Let them know that though the burden of government is heavy, yet we the governed anoint them with our prayers. May they feel our prayers, and may they be reliant on the power of the almighty who answers prayer. To help them guide this city in the ways of justice, compassion, and humility. And for these we ask and give thanks in advance. Amen.