FREDERICKSBURG, Va., May 23 (Christian Newswire). The Fredericksburg City Council has told the Rev. Hashmeal Turner that he is not allowed to pray in the “Name of Jesus,” at City Council meetings.
There will be a vigil on Tuesday, May 23, at 7:00 P.M., in front of the Fredericksburg, Virginia, City Hall building ( 715 Princess Anne Street).
The Rev. Hashmeal Turner filed an historic federal lawsuit against the City of Fredericksburg arguing that his First Amendment rights are being violated.
This marks the first time a lawsuit of this nature has been filed in federal court.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments, “We are gathering in support of the Rev. Hashmeal Turner’s right to pray according to his own faith tradition. No one should be told how they are to pray by civil authorities. The First Amendment affords every American the right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience and faith practice. By denying Councilman Turner the right to pray in the ‘Name of Jesus,’ the City of Fredericksburg is crushing the principles of religious freedom and liberty. Both are cornerstones of a free and open society.”
I look forward to a legal victory for free speech as this works its way through the courts.