20 Oklahoma Reps object to Clergy Prayer

Wow, this is a short take, but since we talked about Rick Warren’s invocation a bit, let’s hit a bit closer to my hometown.  On the opening day of the new years’ legislature, a UCC pastor gave the invocation .  And invocations are always recorded in the minutes.

But someone objected to it being recorded and placed in the official record.  Why?  Because the pastor is gay and referenced his partner in the prayer preface.  And since someone objected, it was put to a vote as to whether the prayer should be included in the minutes.  And this is where it gets both shameful and comical:

Twenty legislators, including Rep. Kern voted against recording the prayer. Sixty-seven voted in favor. And get this: as many as seventeen fled the room so they could be counted as absent.

Source: Box Turtle Bulletin 

Seriously, what kind of “hate the sin, love the sinner” is that?  Are 20 people really scared enough of catching gay that they would vote to strike a clergy’s words from the minutes?

Sad.