Rabbi Gets Kicked Out of Arizona City Council Meeting After Protesting Christian Prayers

February 13, 2016
by Hemant Mehta

For some reason, the Chino Valley City Council in Arizona used to begin meetings with invocations delivered by elected officials (which the law doesn’t permit). So for a couple of weeks, while they decided on a legal alternative, the council members promised to skip the invocation during meetings.

That was what Rabbi Adele Plotkin needed to hear. She had no desire to listen to Christian prayers at government meetings.

But earlier this week, when she went to the meeting, she learned that Mayor Chris Marley (who is also a local pastor) would indeed be delivering a prayer, going back on his word. After he finished by invoking the name of Jesus, she protested what he said, and was soon led out of the chambers by a police officer:

Plotkin said that appearing to approve of worshiping Jesus is considered idolatry in her faith. She said she has been in communication with representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union and they are interested in Chino Valley’s invocation policy.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2016/02/13/rabbi-gets-kicked-out-of-arizona-city-council-meeting-after-protesting-christian-prayers/