Category: Guest Column
National Day of Prayer
I must confess that I’ve never been a participant in the National Day of Prayer nor the primarily evangelical driven, See You At the Pole. These events just don’t sit well with me because I’m not sure non-Christians would be actually welcome to lead the prayers as “equally” relevant to the ears of the divine. Mostly, this feels like another form of theocratic government and helps support the misguided or intentional misinformation that the United States was founded as a “Christian” nation. The founders, many of them, were at best deists fleeing a government that believed in and practiced “manifest destiny.” Odd how our country has become like the “Lords and surfs” of that continent of so long ago.
Please don’t misunderstand, I’m all for prayer and praying for our nation and our leaders is an important thing to do, but the National Day of Prayer is one example of how Christianity is “privileged” in our nation rather than under attack. A friend and peer of mine does a much better job of giving voice to my concerns in his latest post on “Along the Way.”
National Day of Prayer Misunderstands both Nation and Prayer
by Rev. David CobbI’m proud of the God and Country award I earned as a Boy Scout. I’m also passionate about preserving the freedom of those whose religion is different from mine as well as of those who profess no religion at all.
We Christians don’t need a National Day of Prayer to work together for the people Jesus called us to serve: the poor, the hungry, the sick, the disabled, and the oppressed. We need a government that protects religion without promoting it, ensuring all of us the freedom to pray or not as we please.
National Day of Prayer misunderstands who we are as a nation. It also misunderstands the source and power of genuine uncoerced prayer.
Nostalgia for “Stop and Think”
EJ Dionne’s words in the Washington Post today are applicable for living in our time. Actually, they are applicable to any age and across several disciplines, even religion. Stop and think.
Stop and think about the behavior of the current crop of Republican lawmakers, and opinion makers, in Washington and in some states as well. Their behavior and rhetoric are observational evidence of the cognitive dissonance that has taken over their party and is the foundation for my next statement. The current crop of Republican leaders in Washington, and in some states, are only interested in governing in a one party rule system where the current form of Republicanism has all the power. The message and policies serve to strengthen white America against those whom embrace the melting pot upon which the American experiment relies. To be fair, those persons probably embrace the melting pot ideal as long as persons of color understand their “place” which is equal, and possibly social mobile, but only to a point. The changing color of leadership in America frightens many in our Nation.
The recovery following the financial crash has seriously benefited the connected investor class only. The policies of austerity are creating a “Lords and Peasant” society in America in the 21st century in the name of decreasing the debt for the Nation’s future generation. Cognitive dissonance. If those in Congress and the Senate wished to solve the nations problems they would be working with POTUS rather than against him. Stop and think. When President Obama embraces a Republican idea then Republicans are immediately against it. The observational evidence attests to this conclusion: the current Republican leadership and opinion makers not only want this Democratic President to fail no matter what it does to the country, they really don’t want a non-white President to succeed because then it will be easier for other non-whites and gasp, even a woman, to be elected President of these United States. The evidence is out there if you get away from the Washington Times and FoxNews. Stop and think. That is what The Daily Show and the Colbert Report do and why they are compelling, Truth telling, and funny. Maybe it is why many people get their news from these two shows rather than “straight” news. These United States need the fourth estate to do their job rather than make money for the corporation.
The Culture of PreConception
EJ Dionne Jr | The Washington Post | April 24, 2013I’d acknowledge that none of us can get through the day without making a lot of assumptions. All of us have intellectual, ideological and moral commitments that we bring to bear upon what we think about almost everything.
But the hyperpolarization of our moment has sped up the rush to (contradictory) judgments, a practice further accelerated by new technologies. We have less patience than ever with the often pain staking task of gathering facts. We are better informed yet seem more efficient than ever in manufacturing conspiracy theories.