Sessions in the Ohio House of Representatives regularly open with a prayer from an invited member of the clergy. The House has Guidelines for them: prayers should be non-denominational, non-sectarian and non-proselytizing, and they should avoid contentious subjects. They go on to provide: "In order to ensure that the above guidelines are met, we are asking that you submit a copy of your prepared remarks at least 72 hours prior to the session day for which you are scheduled. Failure to do so will prohibit you from delivering your prayer. If it is determined that the prayer is of a denominational, sectarian or proselytizing nature, we will ask for it to be changed to conform to the guidelines."
The Columbus Dispatch reported yesterday that House Clerk Laura Clemens has sent a memo to all House members saying that increasingly ministers are ignoring the guidelines. In particular their prayers are becoming more sectarian. Apparently the memo was sparked by an invocation several days ago in which Rev. Keith Hamblen, pastor of Lima, Ohio's Calvary Bible Church, referred to Jesus several times, spoke favorably of church-sponsored schools and mentioned bills up for debate that day, including a controversial proposal on regulating strip-clubs.
Raymond Vasvari, former legal director for the Ohio ACLU, said the House has a problem. If, in trying to assure that prayer is non-sectarian, it reviews invocations of invited ministers in advance, this is akin to an illegal prior restraint. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]
