Oak Ridge Today

Rationalists representative tells Council it shouldn’t invoke deities at meetings

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Aleta-Ledendecker-Oak-Ridge-City-Council-Invocation-Jan-11-2015

Aleta Ledendecker, secretary of Rationalists of East Tennessee, told the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, that no gods should be invoked at the openings of their meetings, and the Council should recognize that secular authority in government is not only sufficient but preferable. (Image from City of Oak Ridge video)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 3:34 p.m.

A member of Rationalists of East Tennessee told the Oak Ridge City Council that no gods should be invoked at the openings of their meetings, and the Council should recognize that secular authority in government is not only sufficient but preferable.

“In honor of separation of church and state, no deities need to nor should be invoked at the openings of your meetings,” said Aleta Ledendecker, secretary of Rationalists of East Tennessee. “Doing so gives the appearance if not actual governmental preference to one group of citizens over others.”

It was an unusual invocation. They are generally led by local pastors, ministers, or reverends of various faiths. The secular Monday night invocation by Ledendecker has apparently caused some backlash.

“The City Council is a civic body, not a religious one, so should recognize that secular authority in government is not only sufficient but preferable,” Ledendecker said. [Read more…]

Yoga, Christian contemplation offered at FUMC

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First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge

The First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge is pictured above. (Photo by First United Methodist Church)

 

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For some yoga and prayer go well together because they experience yoga as a way to pray with the body, uniting body, mind, and spirit. For others, yoga, with its careful use of breathing and postures, serves to quiet and focus the mind, thus beautifully preparing us for prayer. First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike, will again be offering classes which combine yoga and Christian prayer. The classes will be led by professional yoga instructors and the Rev. Jenny Caughman.

In these classes, we will practice yoga with conscious awareness of God’s constant presence with us. Yoga can be used to open ourselves up to the spirit. In the words of Fr. Thomas Ryan, when practicing yoga “one creates an atmosphere of calm, peace, and silence without and within, establishing a harmony between body and spirit so that nothing hinders the working of grace, the Holy Spirit. The aim is to bring tranquility to one’s mind from anxieties and problems; and to render it available to the Spirit.” This class will seek to make us increasingly open to the Spirit by integrating Christian contemplative prayer with the practice of yoga. [Read more…]