A pastor who prayed at the opening of Monday's New Jersey Senate session will not be invited back, because his prayer condemned same-sex marriage, the Star-Ledger reported.
A Senate committee intended to forward a bill designed to give homosexual couples the right to civil unions that day.
The Rev. Vincent Fields said he didn't plan to mention gay marriage, but "the Holy Spirit took over."
"We curse the spirit that would come to bring about same-sex marriage," he prayed. "We ask you to just look over this place today -- cause them to be shaken in their very heart in uprightness, Lord, to do what is right before you."
Senate President Richard Codey said invocations are not supposed to be political or divisive, and Fields went out of bounds.
"He will not be back," he said.
Fields said Codey's sentiment does not bother him; he does not regret the prayer.
"We're living in a time now where we've got to take a stand spiritually," he said. "We're literally setting ourselves up for God to turn His back on us, and if we do, we'll have the chaos (that's) in other countries in this country."
