It’s no secret that I’m for the separation of church and state, but to be honest it’s never really bothered me that Congress prays before each session. I’m so much more worried about the bills they pass during the session that they could begin by sacrificing a chicken for all I care.
But see, here’s the thing: if you’re going to allow prayer in a government setting, you have to allow all kinds of prayer, from all faiths and religions. But when a Hindu delivered a prayer before Congress in his own faith. Christians protested.
You can see the CNN video here. One of them yelled that it was an "abomination." If you ask me, it’s their behavior that’s an abomination. Jesus had a word for these kinds of people: hypocrites.
So I would hope that most Christians will chastise these people for their despicable behavior. And then, just maybe, consider that people might have a point when they talk about separating church and state.
Just one more thought: how much do you want to bet that these three people will call their arrest "persecution against Christians"?
If they allow prayer, should they not allow anti-prayer? “For the good of all, may people stop believing in silly superstitions and bronze-age nonsense…”
Just one more thought: how much do you want to bet that these three people will call their arrest “persecution against Christians”?
Oh, that’s a given. I’m sure the very presence of the Hindu preacher was “anti-Christian persecution”.
And on a lighter note, sacrificing chickens is far more productive than much of what Congress does. Maybe a shipment of poultry to D.C. is in order…
Lord Kenneth is right. Too many Christian fundamentalists have embraced the notion that their religion, which makes up such a huge majority of Americans, is actually a tiny, persecuted minority. That’s what gives them the gall to screech so about one Hindu invocation.
On the brighter side, not all American Christians are so hostile. My grandmother’s Lutheran church recently held a series of classes to help members understand and seek common ground with buddists and other religions.