A Texas lawmaker whose religious affiliation includes atheists and agnostics suggested all religions pray to the same "God of many names" during an interfaith prayer service at the state capitol.
Democratic Rep. Donna Howard of Austin delivered the opening invocation for the Feb. 11 meeting of the 89th Legislative Session with a prayer for "Texans of every religion and no religion" in which she gave thanks for living in a nation, she said, that protects the "freedom of and from religion."
"I'm grateful to live in a country where we have a constitutional right to no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the full exercise thereof, freedom of and from religion," said Howard, a former nurse who has represented her district since 2006.
"In that spirit and with respect for all Texans of every religion and no religion," Howard continued, "we seek guidance for the day before use from the God of our understanding, from that moral compass that calls us to recognize our interconnectedness and our collective work, and to bring to that work the better angels of ourselves on behalf of all Texans whom we have been given the privilege to serve."
She referred to the "Spirit of Life, God of many names" in her prayer and asked ...
