MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. promoted religion when he invited a Christian group to speak to deputies, according to a federal judge. .S. District Judge Lynn Adelman decided Tuesday that the presentations violated the U.S. Constitution's clause barring governments from promoting a religion. "These presentations amounted to religious proselytizing," Adelman wrote. "The effect of the defendants' actions was to promote religion and to do so coercively." Elmbrook Church members formed the Fellowship of Christian Centurions last year and invited law enforcement officers to join as a way of dealing with stress. Clarke invited the group to make a presentation at a conference, and its members later spoke at roll call, which deputies are required to attend, Adelman said in his decision. A Catholic and a Muslim deputy objected, but Clarke continued to allow the presentations, the judge's order said. Adelman scheduled a Nov. 6 hearing to discuss remedies for the violation. Roy Felber, president of the Deputy Sheriff's Association, said no one should be forced to listen to a religious message at work, and letting one group make a presentation could open the door to others. The union official said he wished the issue could have been solved short of a lawsuit. "I wish we could sit down and talk," he said. "Unfortunately, the only way we can communicate with the sheriff is through the courts. It's not productive for him or us." Clarke did not immediately respond to a call to his office by The Associated Press seeking comment on the ruling. But he said last year when the lawsuit was filed that no one's rights had been violated and he just wanted to let deputies know the group was an option. "It's not a prayer meeting. It's kind of like an informational meeting," Clarke said. "Unfortunately, we live in an era where some people will make even God the enemy." (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)