Los Angeles, USA - Lancaster, Calif., residents have voted overwhelmingly to continue the city's policy of allowing clergy from different faiths to deliver an invocation at council meetings without restricting references to specific religious figures, including Jesus Christ.
The controversial policy, included on the ballot in Tuesday's municipal elections, passed with about 75 percent of the vote, according to results published by the city.
"This shows me that this community believes in their First Amendment right of free exercise to pray in the manner that the Founding Fathers intended them to pray," said Councilman Ron Smith, who wrote the invocation ordinance and also won re-election in Tuesday's contest. "It is every individual's right to pray to a deity of their own choosing. The policy allows anybody to come and pray."
But critics charge that the policy favors Christians because the majority of people selected to deliver invocations at past meetings represented Christian denominations.
"This means the minority of people who are not Christians will feel alienated and will feel they are not welcome," said Kamal Al-Khatib, president of the American Islamic Institute of Antelope Valley.
Last year, the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California warned Lancaster to quit opening city meetings with invocations containing explicitly sectarian religious references or risk facing legal action.
On Wednesday, ACLU managing attorney Peter J. Eliasberg, a specialist in First Amendment rights, said the group remained concerned about Lancaster's invocation policy.
"We think it's a divisive and exclusive practice in most instances," said Eliasberg, adding that litigation was "one of a number of options we're considering."
Smith, the councilman, said the city was not worried about any potential legal action because "a large majority of citizens voted to continue our policy, knowing that the wolf was barking at our door."
But Eliasberg said that according to the U.S. Constitution, not all decisions — including many issues involving religion — can be decided by the majority.
"If our system were otherwise, then voters could choose to establish Christianity as the official religion in Lancaster, or vote to forbid Jews or Muslims from being elected to the City Council," Eliasberg said.
"The Founders did not want divisive religious issues to be decided at the ballot box."
On Tuesday, Lancaster residents also approved a measure to become a charter city, which would give city leaders greater control over managing municipal affairs.
Additionally, a measure to extend the mayor's term from two years to four years, beginning with the 2012 election, was approved. Incumbent Mayor R. Rex Parris was re-elected to a second term.