Christian Right Activists Disrupt First Hindu Prayer In Senate: "This Is An Abomination"

Run time: 01:38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9To30Hz7A   Posted on YouTube: July 12, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: July 12, 2007 By DU Member: ariesgem Views on DU: 3863

 
Today was a historic first for religion in America's civic life: For the very first time, a Hindu delivered the morning invocation in the Senate chamber — only to find the ceremony disrupted by three Christian right activists.

The three protesters, who all belong to the Christian Right anti-abortion group Operation Save America, and who apparently traveled to Washington all the way from North Carolina, interrupted by loudly asking for God's forgiveness for allowing the false prayer of a Hindu in the Senate chamber.

"Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight," the first protester began.

"This is an abomination," he continued. "We shall have no other gods before You."
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), serving as the presiding officer for the morning, immediately ordered them taken away — though they continued to yell at the Hindu cleric as they were headed out the door, shouting out phrases such as, "No Lord but Jesus Christ!" and "There's only one true God!"

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/12/christian_right_activists_disrupt_hindu_chaplain_in_the_senate

I wonder if they are part of the terrorist organization that hid Eric Robert Randolph all those years in North Carolina?

:puke:

that thinks all of this superstition should be banned in public settings and the Constitution amended with freedom "from" religion replacing freedom "of". :wtf: :crazy:

of other views? How OPPRESSED they are?? They are SOOOO much better than those intolerant Muslims in the world. I felt badly for the Hindu speaker, I really did.

to see such tolerance?

:puke:

I'm all confused now.

Should be the headline.

This was allowed to happen. That group should be listed as a known terriost group and their members tracked like other terriost groups. Such persons wouldn't have been allowed in Chambers. Groups known for deadly terriost acts, should be allowed members of the Senate or the House.

Yet these folks were allowed. Hmmm..

This is perfect. I've tried to explain to alot of people about group prayer. That some folks are being left out. And how many would have issues if every member really was allowed a chance to lead the prayer. They just don't get it. They walk around with blinders on, thinking everyone has the exact same views.

"who apparently traveled to Washington all the way from North Carolina"

"Simple people.... mumble mumble... travelled far... "

(from the episode "Mary, Joseph and Larry", Season 3)

The Hindu faith is full of such beauty, and for these people to come all the way to Washington to crap on the first invocation delivered by a Hindu is just... saddening. We've fallen so far in terms of public civility.

:cry:

By a press release from that self-serving slug, Flip Benham:

http://www.christiangallery.com/BenhamLiesAboutPaulHill.html

http://www.gayday.info/news/1998/houston_chronicle_980531.asp

http://www.refuseandresist.org/repro/art.php?aid=914

http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2003/07/rev-flip-benham/

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/news-articles-press/politics-policy-issues/abortion-access/flip-benham-11575.htm

People like these scum make me ashamed of our country.

get rid of prayers to open Senate sessions.

:hi:

:thumbsup:

What they want is a Christian theocracy. They don't want freedom of religion.

A bumper-sticker idea that's been in the back of my mind for some time now. This incident just might bring it to the fore and result in my actually having one printed up...

"Wars of Religion" poem by noted poet William Stafford: "Our god can lick your god."

like me!

Personal favorite running along those lines. Little more heathen than atheist though.

while I'm in the shower.

They managed to disrupt the FIRST time a Hindu delivered the invocation, and managed to come off like blazingly intolerant shitheels!!!

What's funny is, they quote JEWISH law (no other gods before you--that's from the 10 Commandments, that old Moses brought down the hill to the JEWS--Jesus wasn't on the scene at all back then!) while they're bellowing about no Lord but Jesus Christ! Gee, they sure could find room for those ten Jewish rules in their theology, now, but they're gonna have a coniption if a Hindu offers an opening prayer?

If "theology is dead," as they whine, they're the ones who grabbed it, threw it to the ground, and stomped the crap out of it!!! I've just never seen such stupidity and absence of logic in my life!

I have no problem with religion in the public sphere. Freedom of religion is a basic right.

However, official government should remain neutral i.e. hands off.

Not a promotion of any faith or religion.

As we become a more pluralized society, we must seriously reconsider these types of gestures on the part of government(assuming of course that government will simultaneously stay out of our majority religion esp. Christianity).



Let just have the government remain neutral.

Its that the Senate has a tax paid position for a regular Christian Chaplain that holds regular invocations in the senate. This was an outreach program that the extremist Christians decided to dump on because they were satisfied with having their prayers read in the senate the other 364 a year.

implies no public displays of religion (or ties to) in the public sphere (that is to say all forms of government, including local, schools etc..). No tax exemptions, no legal right to marry etc...

religion is to be kept to the private sphere where it belongs. Then if a politician or another public servant want to attend religious services etc.. there is no problem with that. But they should do it as private persons, not as representatives for their institutions.

That's the basic concept in France and even if not regulated in law, praxis in most European countries (including Turkey). That's why we keep those problems at bay...

- Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi

:evilfrown:

I've always held the opinion that Gandhi will be viewed 2000 years from now much like Jesus is today. Unfortunately, deifying the man would have been the absolute LAST thing that he would have wanted for his legacy to be.

We demonize religious fundementalism elsewhere. This extremism is no different than the Taliban.

But these evil bigots were still a runner up to the #1 supreme bigot in America Mr Bill Oliely who will probably come in defense of them tonight.

By about 1000 years.

that Krishna which pre dates Christianity by at least 1000 years and Judaism by at least 400 years was one of the models for the Christian SUN GOD (Jesus).
Another was Horus which pre dates Christianity by more than 2000 years.

Of course Horus & Krishna never really existed, neither did the later version Jesus. All 3 are fictional characters.

These lunatic Christians are disgusting, but the real problem is that we even allow "government sanctioned" prayer of any kind in the freaking Senate to begin with, how much more blatantly against "Separation between Church & State" could that possibly be?

too bad the protesters didn't listen to the words of the prayer, which was addressing THAT which is in each of us.

Tatsam Asi.

" (...) "We shall have no other gods before You."
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), serving as the presiding officer for the morning, immediately ordered them taken away — though they continued to yell at the Hindu cleric as they were headed out the door, shouting out phrases such as, "No Lord but Jesus Christ!" and "There's only one true God!" (...) "

If there's only one true God, then why did he feel the need to forbid you to worship to 'other gods'? You said it yourself: "We shall have no other gods before You." That means you're contradicting yourself even when you utter only two sentences!

Geez, these people are morons! And why is there praying in the Senate anyway?

For some reason, I can't watch it on DU. :shrug:

See how much respect and love for their fellow man people calling themselves "Christian" have?

That isn't the action of the pious; that's the action of thugs.

I live in Oregon, a state many of you may have heard is quite "unchurched". And, during my lifetime, we've taken a very relaxed personal view toward religion.

Consequently, in my life, I've gone through personal piety reawakenings as well as returns to an apathetic state.

I'll think of myself as Christian the rest of my life, but I doubt I'll identify myself as Christian as long as the face of Christians in this country is of sanctimonious, self-righteous, thuggish bullies. The contempt for our shared society they have is obvious; I find it appalling, they think it a virtue, to go to the halls of the People and show such disrespect.

The evangelical church in America is not worthy of respect; it's too drunk on temporal power.

Thanks, you Christianists, Thanks, Pope "Benedict". I almost fell back in love with the church, but you reminded me why I was alienated in the first place. At least, now, I know it's not my fault; it's yours

the steam engine, wax records, and painting on cave walls? I mean, c'mon, we're supposed to be evolving. Work with me people.

We got the friggin Nazi-Youth Pope of Gloom ™ declaring last week that the Catholic Church is the only true religion. Not to be outdone, the Protestant Taliban™ here in the US is storming the Capitol vomitting up their brainwashed fantasies about some poor radical who was executed 2000 years ago. I mean, fer Christ's sake, leave the poor Hindu's alone. At least they are generally peaceful.

I agree that it is ridiculous as a source of scientific or ontological data. If these people could simply hold thier own cultural values without feeling the need to convert people, I would see no problem. Unfortunately they are rabid cretins with no sense of perspective. I sometimes wonder if this was a failed attempt to be funny on the part of Loke...

The talibornagain strike again. Did this even make the MSM?

or whatever it is they normally use to target women's health clinics.

They're very emotionally disturbed.

In fact, taxpayers are paying huge salaries for the House and Senate Chaplains --
especially in the House -- the salary was over like $330,000 per annum a long time ago --
plus benefits, health care, etal -- and at one time included a chauffeured car!!!

If Congress wants "prayer" they should pay for it themselves -- and it should be done in private.

At any rate, they should have volunteers providing prayer --
and there should be as many females as males.

Religion has no place in the state. Church and state have only ever lead to people being disemboweled and thrown down pyramids, people being burned alive, etc.

It's a good thing that nothing besides readers digest or the bible is worth reading. Otherwise people might be tempted to think, and thinking makes baby jesus cry :banghead:

I read the headline and thought -- "oh which state is this?"
Oh...it's THE Senate

:eyes: