Prayer

Note to Mailbag contributor Bob Hastings, who believes he needs to pray more for his civic leaders (“Fuzzy reasoning from this council,” May 26). Don't waste your time. Instead, use your vote, the only power you have over them, to drum out of office Gary Brick, Dave Golonski and Jess Talamantes. This triumvirate is responsible for $1 million a year of taxpayer money siphoned off for employee bonuses, while at the same time cutting city services, including public safety. They gave $2 million to the golf course while year after year ignoring needed repairs at the closed Verdugo Municipal Pool.

Molly Shore HILLSIDE -- "God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, The better the world will be." The words were written by Confederate Army chaplain Edwin McKendree Bounds (1835-1913) after his hometown of Franklin, Tenn., was decimated on Nov. 30, 1864, in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Now, more than a century later, the chaplain's words will be remembered at a community-wide Concert of Prayer set for 6 p.m. Sunday at Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church of Burbank.

Rosette Gonzales The National Day of Prayer didn't attract large crowds of worshipers to St. Finbar Church, but of the handful who gathered in the sanctuary Thursday, many would have stopped by anyway. "After I have lunch, I usually come to church," said Mark Flores, a Disney employee. "In my daily life, I'm so busy ... I have to give some time to God." St. Finbar Church hosted an interfaith praise and worship service from noon to 2 p.m., welcoming all to lift their hearts and the nation to God in prayer.

Paul Clinton DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES -- A Jewish activist and his attorney left a Los Angeles Superior Court courtroom Friday confident about their effort to prevent Burbank from allowing sectarian prayer before City Council meetings. L.A. Superior Court Judge Alexander H. Williams asked the two sides to return Nov. 16, when he is likely to render a final decision on the issue. After more than four hours of arguments and testimony, Santa Monica attorney Roger Jon Diamond boldly predicted that Rubin would prevail.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Maintaining the stance that city officials shouldn't tell ministers what they can or cannot say during invocations, the City Council decided to appeal a judge's ban of prayers specific to one religion. In closed session Tuesday, the council unanimously decided to contest a Nov. 16 ruling from Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alexander Williams. In public remarks following the vote, council members brushed off criticism that the city's hands-off policy on prayer content perpetuates an exclusionary atmosphere at meetings.

Ryan Carter Members of the Burbank City Council are mulling over how far they will go for "Jesus Christ," as they consider whether to appeal this week's state appellate court decision upholding a ban on sectarian prayer prior to City Council meetings. The council will meet in closed session with city attorneys on Sept. 17 to discuss Monday's decision by three appellate judges, who validated a county judge's November 2000 decision to prohibit references to a religious deity during council meeting invocations.

Paul Clinton CIVIC CENTER -- Despite their setback in Superior Court, city officials are defending the city's hands-off policy on prayer at City Council meetings. Because they don't play a role in choose who delivers the prayer or dictate what is said, council members and the city's lawyers insist the policy is both fair and legal. They assert they were unfazed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alexander Willams' denial of Burbank's request to toss out a Jewish activist's lawsuit.

Prayers before government meetings: A refreshing spiritual boost for citizens and city officials or a reckless assault on the United States Constitution? The answer depends on who you ask. A Jewish activist's visit to the City Council has raised that sticky question in Burbank, where invocations by members of the city's religious community have been a part of council meetings for as long as anyone can remember. City officials have been quick to defend Burbank's prayer policy as constitutionally protected, but their arguments do little to dissuade those who say that religion should have no role in the political process.

Laura Sturza HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- This year, the observance of Ramadan, a month of practices designed to increase spiritual purity, has been particularly poignant for the Khan family. Bibi Khan has lived in the United States since 1981. Like her 15-year-old daughter, Yasmin, she cried as she spoke about the ways that recent world events have transformed their experience of this most holy time of year. "This Ramadan, we're especially conscious of the misfortunes of people, people who celebrated this year without family members," said Khan, 48, "We're more appreciative of the freedom we have being American Muslims."

Ben Godar Invoking the name of Jesus Christ or any other deity will remain prohibited at City Council meetings. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the city of Burbank's appeal in a case that banned such religious references at council meetings. Justices reviewed the case late last week, and announced their decision without comment, a court official said. Jewish activist Irv Rubin filed the lawsuit in 1999 after a Mormon bishop used the phrase "Jesus Christ" in a prayer before a council meeting.

This weekend's opening of “The Dark Knight Rises” was tragically marred early Friday by a shooting in an Aurora, Colo., movie theater in which a gunman killed at least 12 people and wounded 59 others. In response to the tragedy, a gala “Dark Knight” movie premiere scheduled in Paris was canceled, and the campaigns for the White House were put on hold for a day of mourning. President Obama ordered flags outside all public buildings to be lowered to half-staff and said, “There are going to be other days for politics; this I think is a day for prayer and reflection.” Locally, Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena public safety officials stepped up security measures at area theaters to protect the throngs of fans that will inevitably continue to fill movie theaters.Warner Bros.

Note to Mailbag contributor Bob Hastings, who believes he needs to pray more for his civic leaders (“Fuzzy reasoning from this council,” May 26). Don't waste your time. Instead, use your vote, the only power you have over them, to drum out of office Gary Brick, Dave Golonski and Jess Talamantes. This triumvirate is responsible for $1 million a year of taxpayer money siphoned off for employee bonuses, while at the same time cutting city services, including public safety. They gave $2 million to the golf course while year after year ignoring needed repairs at the closed Verdugo Municipal Pool.

Hundreds of people gathered early Thursday for the 37th annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast in the Rancho neighborhood under the themes of encouraging youth, coming together to better the community and having faith in one's abilities to help others. Mayor Dave Golonski said everyone faces challenges, and that while Burbank isn't perfect, residents pull together to make things happen. City officials, school leaders and faith-based groups gathered to hear guest speaker Jay Schroeder - a former NFL quarterback who played for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Raiders and others - touch on the theme of having faith and using your God-given abilities to help others.

Prayer is one of the most difficult, most intimate things you can do. You open yourself up and sometimes admit things that you wouldn?t tell anyone. It?s also one of the harder things to explain. I?ve already had to scrap twice what I had planned for this week?s column. I?ve had to consider all the questions: How do you pray? Why do you pray? When do you pray? With whom? Who prays more? Who prays less? Who prays not at all? And above all: What is prayer? If I attempted to answer the above questions, my editors would have a fit at the enormity the piece.

CNN reported last month that two Florida school administrators face contempt charges and possible prison time for saying a prayer at a school luncheon. They face a non-jury trial Sept. 17. Do you believe authorities went too far in filing contempt charges against these two men for saying a prayer at a school luncheon? Or should these men be “taught a lesson” on the separation of church and state by giving them jail time?   First, let’s clarify that the event in question was primarily a gathering of adults, booster club members and others who helped with a school project.

The Muslim holy month of fasting begins today and, for the first time, local followers of the faith will have a nearby location to meet and practice their traditions together in what can otherwise be a lonely and challenging period of self-restraint, community leaders said. Muslims abstain from food, drink and sexual activity during daylight hours for the month of Ramadan, which follows the lunar calendar and will last until Sept. 19 this year. While local Muslims have either gone without attending traditional evening prayer services or have driven to other mosques in the past, this year will be different, said Mahmoud Nouh, spokesman for the Islamic Center of Glendale.