Homosexual Pastor Prays for Oklahoma State House

I am VERY SAD that my State Rep, Scott Martin voted to let this happen !

This and other things that Mr. Martin is doing this week at the Oklahoma State Capitol is making think what kind of Republican he is !

Hat Tip to Jamison @ The Musings of a Muskogee Politico

Homosexual Pastor Prays for House Session

Yesterday, State Rep. Al McAffrey (the only openly homosexual member of the legislature) sponsored the 'Pastor of the Day', the Reverend Dr. E. Scott Jones, Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ, Oklahoma City.

Before praying, Dr. Jones made the following comments:

Mr. Speaker and esteemed representatives, I thank you for the opportunity to be present with you today as chaplain for the day. I want to thank my representative and good friend, the Honorable Al McAffrey for the invitation. I would also like to acknowledge guests who are present in the gallery – members of my congregation, the Cathedral of Hope, United Church of Christ. Joining them are dear friends, my wonderful parents, and my loving partner, Michael Cich.

Dr. Jones is openly homosexual. And to my knowledge, he is the first openly homosexual pastor to become Pastor of the Day at the State House.

Later in the session, Rep. McAffrey moved to place Jones' prayer in the House Journal, a common practice, but State Rep. John Wright (R, Broken Arrow) objected. In my observations of the state legislature, I have never seen a legislator object to placing a prayer in the Journal, but then again, I have never heard of a homosexual pastor become Pastor of the Day.

A vote then ensued, and the prayer was placed in the Journal by a vote of 64-20, with 17 excused. The vote was as follows, with Republicans italicized:

* Aye: Armes, Auffet, Bailey, Banz, Billy, Brannon, Brown, Cannaday, Carey, Collins, Cooksey, Cox, Denney, Derby, DeWitt, Dorman, Fields, Glenn, Hamilton, Harrison, Hilliard, Holland, Hoskin, Inman, Jones, Jordan, Joyner, Kiesel, Kirby, Lamons, Luttrell, Martin (Scott), Martin (Steve), McAffrey, McDaniel (Jeannie), McMullen, McNiel, McPeak, Miller, Morgan, Morrissette, Nelson, Peters, Peterson, Pittman, Pruett, Renegar, Richardson, Roan, Rousselot, Schwartz, Scott, Sears, Shannon, Shelton, Sherrer, Shoemake, Shumate, Smithson, Steele, Thompson, Watson, Williams, Mr. Speaker. -- 64

* Nay: Blackwell, Christian, Coody, Duncan, Enns, Faught, Johnson, Kern, Key, Liebmann, Moore, Murphey, Osborn, Ownbey, Reynolds, Ritze, Sanders, Terrill, Thomsen, Wright (John). -- 20

(Okie Campaigns here, Have to ask how many of the "Excused" just ran out of the House Chamber for the Vote ?

We all know that Shane Jett like to do that !

And I think it's very odd that "Pit Bull" Wesselhoft was AWOL from the Vote !)

* Excused: Buck, Dank, Hickman, Jackson, Jett, Kouplen, McCullough, McDaniel (Randy), Nations, Ortega, Proctor, Sullivan, Tibbs, Trebilcock, Walker, Wesselhoft, Wright (Harold). -- 17

Dr. Jones has a blog, and posted about the incidient here, here, and here. The Daily Oklahoman had an article here.
The House Journal is here (the vote occurs at the end).