City goes light on invocations
By Carlos Illescas Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:11/21/2006

Aurora - Jesus and Muhammad are out. But God, in a general sense, is OK.

New guidelines on what can be said during invocations at the beginning of City Council meetings have led to a ban on specific references to religious figures.

Many clergy members have objected to the restrictions. They say if they can't pray the way they want to, then they don't want to pray at the meetings at all.

"I really am disappointed," said the Rev. Jay Yousling of Prairie Ridge Community Church, who has given the invocation several times but won't likely do so again under the current guidelines. "I was proud of Aurora (leaders) that they were not extreme in their thinking.

"Tolerance doesn't mean only one way. Tolerance allows for differences."

Now the city is struggling to book anyone to give the invocations. For the past half-dozen or so meetings, Mayor Ed Tauer has given ecumenically ambiguous invocations. At Monday's council meeting, instead of an invocation, he asked for a moment of silence. the rest