Down on your knees!
According to a full-page ad in the Phila. Inquirer, everyone is to be down on their knees praying at 12 noon (EST? Central) on May 1. . . . Is it too late for me to pray for a president and a government who don’t try to cram religion down our maws?
Wait, what are we supposed to be doing down on our knees?
[sub]Sheesh, you know if Clinton were still in office, we wouldn’t be praying…[/sub]
Is it an invitation or a command?
They just picked May 1st to put a hair up the collective ass of the sort of folk who think that the Bavarian Illuminati are running the show.
Hooray, hooray, it’s the first of May! Outdoor, err, praying starts today!
Great. My city (Brentwood, suburban St. Louis) is hosting an event for the National Day of Prayer… at City Hall. They’re tying it heavily to “supporting the troops.” Maybe I should move to University City.
First Amendment? We don’t need no steenkin’ First Amendment! We got GAWD on our side!
I’m a red, white, and blue American, but sometimes I really hate this country.
Lessee… May 1st at noon I’m supposed to be on my knees praying? Seeing as I work late and will most likely be sleeping, I’ll try to just dream about saying a little prayer that pointless days like this soon fall by the wayside.
Now, I am a Christian, but I’m a non-denominational Christian who had a falling out with his original church because we didn’t share the same ideas, and I’ve yet to find any organized religion that I can agree with. In the meantime, I’m just doing my own religious thing. That goes for for the government yahoos too. If I’m not listening to established religions that have been around longer than our government, I’m not gonna give a rat’s ass about any designated “Prayer Day.”
Maybe it’s because I believe in God that this isn’t really getting my dander up, but really for some of the atheists out there (and I’m guessing Smegma may fall into that group), is it really that big of a deal? You don’t like it, don’t do it. Why would that make you “sometimes really hate this country”?
Well, Crunchy, I don’t really sometimes hate this country, but sometimes it pisses me off.
See, long ago, some guys got together and drafted this real groovy government document called the Constitution. Then they did the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment is part of said Bill of Rights. It forbids guvmint from meddling in religious affairs, and also forbids state-sponsored religion. It really, really does. Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, among others said so.
Problem is: every now and then, some piece of shit politician or lobbyist thinks it won’t do any harm to include blatantly religious things in governmental business, or, have official sanction of religious things from government. It’s illegal. Frankly, I could give a ripe fuck about how religious anyone wants to be, I just don’t want my taxes funding in any way something that is contrary to the law of the land. Got it?
Let us pray that Shrub and every other smegging pol who supports or voted for this roasts in their own private (insert denomination of choice >here<) Hell.
Who are these bastards to drape America with the surplice of religion? They need hot sand enemas, barb wire handcuffs and several sharp impacts to their genital area.
AND THAT’S JUST FOR STARTERS!
Fuck, I’m just about incapable of getting really worked up about this. It has been the continuing aim of Shrub’s administration to blur SOCAS and I’m heartily fucking sick of it. I love this country. I love my freedom from religion. I think Americans of every stripe are some of the most generous and decent people in the world. I just wish the public would see where this sort of smarmy, deistic drivel is leading.
PS: Eve, thanks for putting this in the pit. I’m not overly fond of profanity, but these scum-suckers do not seem to bring out the polite side of me, EVER!
Oh, also, Crunchy, I’m not gay, so I shouldn’t mind those religiously based (but harmless to me) anti-sodomy laws, right? After all, they really don’t affect me, so I oughta just ignore it, eh?
Doesn’t wash.
This is the 52nd National Day of Prayer. It was was mandated by an act of Congress. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1994&dept_id=227937&newsid=7864765&PAG=461&rfi=9
Wait. The National Day of Prayer is on Beltane? Bahahahahaha! I love it!
I for one will be observing it, along with my wife, by using the Episcopal Daily Office of Noonday Prayer at home. I’m welcoming intercessions from the TM; among the ones that occur to me are:
[ol][li]that God will endow the President with the strength of character to respect the rights of his fellow Americans who are not of his religious beliefs, and demand this respect of his Administration[/li][li]that our Government will be led to grant equal civil rights to those Americans who have been deprived of them for reasons of faith-based prejudice, notably gay Americans[/li][li]that all men everywhere will be motivated to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being[/li][li]that in the place of “traditional family values” that espouse hatred of the different, Christians everywhere will turn to the values taught by Jesus, such as love of one’s fellow man and non-judgmentalism[/ol][/li]
Please feel free to add intercessions you think proper to this list, and I urge any of my fellow Christians who are willing to join me in praying for these and other similar intercessions to be added here to please do so.
Let me think here… minus 52… yes, that places it right smack dab in the McCarthy era, doesn’t it?
Mmm, red fun.
You know, even after my year and half or so on the boards, Polycarp still manages to impress me beyond words.
Official days of prayer are the best things that what Lib calls “hand-stabbing atheists” could ever hope for. Anyone seeking to corrupt and demean religion, not to mention swell the ranks of organizations like AA, would do well to add some more government sponsored days of prayer to the calendar.
If all Christians were like Poly, this world would be a much better place.
Poly, all of those things are really, really worth praying for. I still have the greatest difficulty with any government meddling in religion.
Ok, I was just asking - not trying to rationalize or justify the day in any way - and this pretty much sums up the answer. Thanks for the condescending tone that prevailed in your response, though. I don’t get nearly enough attitude during the day. Thank goodness for The Pit!
and on preview:
Ummmm… and what does this have to do with anything we’re talking about? The anti-sodomy laws are outdated and bigoted, that I agree with, but I don’t see any relevance here. Those laws impact a person’s lifestyle, making certain acts illegal between consenting adults.
What we’re talking about here is a simple day of prayer (which subsequent posts show is nothing new). It is not illegal for you to not pray on that day. You will not be fined, imprisoned, or punished in any way for not praying. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it. Unlike the laws you mention, this doesn’t affect anyone’s life in any way if they choose not to comply.
If you ask me, your comparision doesn’t wash.
Now, that said, before you go painting me with some broad anti-Christian (or anti-religion) brush I’m starting to sense you have in your hand there, how about you learn a bit on my views, ok? Not all Christians are Bible-thumping outspoken Jack Chick-clones.
I really don’t want to get into a fight with you over things we seem to basically agree on. I was simply wondering what about a Day of Prayer could invoke the phrase “I really sometimes hate this country” since no one is forcing you to pray (nor have they for the 52 previous National Days of Prayer it seems). I have your answer now, and I respect your answer and your beliefs, and in fact, I agree with you that tax money should not be used to fund religious efforts. It just didn’t occur to me that a lot of money would be needed for a day of prayer, but now I understand that for you it’s the principle of the thing, and that I can understand.
And yet again I wish to carry your love child.
Bravo, Poly.
Peace, Crunchy, I get a chapped ass over separation of church and state issues. Sorry about the nasty tone.