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If you are in a mixed company, you seek a common ground. If you pray to G-d, you do not jeopardize any of your Christian beliefs and remain on common ground with Christians of all denominations, Jews, Muslims, and Hindu.

Thanks for the insult in preface to your response to me. I won't respond in kind.

If the minister's conscience bids him to pray "in Jesus name" anytime he prays (and we're not debating whether or not that in itself is appropriate), then to expect him to DROP the "in Jesus name" is to make the minister violate his own conscience.

Personally, in this situation if it were me, I would seek common ground, and pray to God, because my conscience is not bothered by saying the name "God", and omitting the ending of "in Jesus name." But maybe this minister is different. I know that there are some fundamentalist Christians (as well as Christians of other stripes) who would feel that it was a form of denying Christ NOT to finish a prayer with those words.

Maybe had the minister been aware of the fact that he wasn't supposed to say Jesus name, he would have declined the offer to lead the prayer, due to a violation of his conscience.

Firstly and most importantly, I did not mean any offense in my words to you: I found what I thought was a logical error and stated so. If my words were too strong and made you feel that I am attacking you personally, I assure you that that was not the case and apologize.

Secondly, I thank you for being the first person on this thread who said exactly the same thing as I.

There so many facets to the issue. You are right, no one has the right to ask someone to change his prayers. This is what most people on this thread think has happened: a bunch of Leftists, orignally from Jewish families, are asking a Christian not to be one. If this were the case, I would be offended, too --- for all my Christian friends and my Christian fellow citizens.

BUt this is not the case: there is a difference between a (i) private prayer or prayer within the congregation, (ii) a prayer in a mixed company, and (iii) leading mixed company in prayer. Not every good person can be a leader. If someone, as these senators did, question the ability of the minister to LEAD a mixed group in prayer, this is not an affront on his person of his beliefs.

Unfortunately, many see this as a Jewish-Christian issue. It is not. There are differences between Catholics and Protestants, and other denominations. If I were a Christian of any denomination and led purely Christian but mixed congregation in prayer, I would still be concerned in finding common ground rather than emphasizing the differences. To me, this is a question of tact and not theology.

THere is, of course, another aspect of it: GIVEN that this happened, what would be my reaction to it? I personally (I Am Jewish)would note but have no problem at all letting the prayer stand as stated. I have said many times on this forum and on this thread in particular, that I would like to see thins nation returning to its Christian roots. I Would like to see more prayer, and I think (true) Jews and Christians have a common opponent --- atheistic socialism. I personally would be willing to overlook the theological differences among --- and urge my Protestant and Catholic friends to do the same --- for the sake of unity. And not just as a "tactical" device: ideally, I would like us all respect our differences. Your beliefs do not diminish mine.

So, in my mind, the senators that made a big deal out of this are wrong. They also gave a wrong reason in their filed complaint. I wish I were a part of their consituency to let them know.