Multi-Faith Prayer?
I’ve been watching Fox News most of the past 2-3 days, following the Hurricane reports. Gotta say, some of those reporters walk the edge of incredibly brave and straight up stupid! Walking right up to the levee as salty waves crash and splash everywhere, wind so strong you can barely keep your jacket on, much less stand up straight.. it’s crazy! And yes, I still wish I was one of the guard members that had been activated and sent over there. (Though, I think they may have been pulled out from the city before the worst of it hit.)
The effect it’s had on politics is interesting too, causing a lot of changes to the RNC this week. The President isn’t coming. Much shorter sessions. Even canceling parties and donating the money that would’ve been spent on them to charity. But what caught my attention is the “Prayer Breakfast” that someone had. I’m sorry, I mean the “Multi-Faith Prayer Breakfast.” How does that even work?
I can see this going two ways
Option number the first: Someone stands up and recites this carefully scripted, empty speech of a prayer that doesn’t offend anyone. No mention of Allah, Jesus, Buddah or whoever else. Just some God or Deity who might be out there. Somewhere.
Option number the second: Find enough Pastors, Priests, Zen Masters and Sith Lords to represent a variety of “faiths,” let them each have five or ten minutes to make a public prayer to their god and hope no one gets killed in the process.
Personally, I find both a bit repulsive. If I’m going to pray, I don’t want to be praying some empty prayer. And if someone is praying for me, I definitely don’t want them faking some speech! I want them taking it to Jesus Christ, whatever the issue. And the second one option.. well, you probably want to ban the light sabers and suicidal zealots for one. It just sounds dangerous. Besides that, sitting around quietly while someone else honours a fake God just seems wrong somehow.
Of course, this is politics and you have to be able to find middle ground, right? Err.. Thoughts anyone?
11 Responses to “Multi-Faith Prayer?”
It’s crap. Republicans have no spines.
Lol, can i be one of the sith lords???? haha. yea it is crap now. i mean where is the church to stand up against this when you need it. o wait, they’re all sitting on their butts waiting for their blessings to roll on around. its sickening. when are we as christians going to stand up and speak out against it for once? i mean every muslim in the world would be going on riots right now, if they had a multi-faith prayer thing going on in one of their countries. at least they have backbone. christians nowadays, american christians at least, have become soft…they don’t realize that this is a spiritual battle. everything is ok and accepted now, because God, o well, He’s a loving God. Yea He is…but he has standards and expectations to live up to. we have been called to be light and salt to the world…the american church has been growing pretty dim and tasteless lately. the church in america has become one big community of panzies (and granted, i’m not saying all the churches are like that). however most christians need to grow some balls and stand up for whats right. God is a God of absolutes…right and wrong. there is no middle ground with Him. either your going to pray to Him, or your not. i don’t know about everyone else, but i don’t want my God, the God of abraham, isaac and jacob, the one who sent His only Son to die for my sins, and rise 3 days later, to be included in the same prayer that every dead god is in. you pray to Him or leave Him out of it. don’t bring Him down to the same level as Mohammed, Budah, Krishna or anybody else. He is God, the Great I Am, period.
Ha! Sith Lords… and when they don’t invite them, Bush’ll get flack for it…
It does sound wrong. “Multi-faith” means one of three things, that all faiths are the same, or that we don’t know which faith is real, or that we really don’t believe in this stuff anyway, so why not have all of them? I think the last is more common.
Just cut out the prayer breakfast and include prayer elsewhere. Maybe even at breakfast. Few people will complain if it’s a Christian prayer, so long as prayer isn’t the main event. But doing it this way is only going to nauseate the very people they’re trying to attract.
The fact that Christians right now are not going on riots, is what defines the difference between Christian and Muslim.
The fact is, listening to somebody else pray does not compromise your faith. It’s not like your going to convert them by plugging your ears. Christians believe every person should be able to practice their faith freely, and without obstruction (as long as it’s within moral bounds), in government, when you have different faith’s, it’s only right and good for the Christians to bear with those who are in error, for the cause of liberty.
(btw), Jake, you should textilize your comments.
Not to the point we get pushed around…yes we should live in love and harmony with others…however we need to follow Jesus’ example and not allow ourselves to be walked on. that is exactly what is happening. and i don’t use that rioting example saying we should all go out and riot…i just used it to emphasize the point that at least the muslims are devoted and take action instead of sitting around like most christians do. don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying go out and incite terrorism and violence in our streets like they do, but don’t be spineless, politically correct christians either. we need a church that will stand up for what they believe in, not cower behind some excuse. God is not politically correct. He has called us with a higher calling, and we should live accordingly. if we bear with those in error, what kind of liberty are we living in? its not the liberty God has called us to, because He has called us to liberty or freedom from sin. while we need to live a life that is holy and peaceful, that doesn’t mean we have to compromise our faith. again, i don’t want prayers that are going out to all the dead gods to go out to my God. i don’t want Him brought down to their same level…i know He doesn’t want that either. why? Because He is a Jealous God! he desires all of us, not part…He doesn’t share the spotlight with anybody else, besides, there is no other name that can compare to His. anyway, why do we waste our breathe praying to these other gods, their dead anyways, its not like they can do anything for us…
Ahhh the age old discussion of how do we mix our faith and walk with Christ and the real world. As a Christian I want to start this conversation off by saying that we are instructed of Christ to be in the world not of it. Two weeks ago I was sitting at my Aunt’s funeral. All of the appropriate things were said… “She was such a nice lady” “Oh how she will be missed.” Even the minister had all of the right words, but no one offered peace. Words that really comforted me. As the minister gave his “words of comfort” and even tried to quote the bible, I felt like something was missing. As he attempted to pray it was some prayer that had been taught to him in seminary school. One where you don’t bow your head in honor of the Almighty God you are speaking to. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t till I met with Christ that I felt His Spirit come and meet with me and begin to heal to anoint me. What a privilege it is to know that I can meet with my maker. I can walk with Him and know that He is my Comforter. Until my Aunt’s death Christ had only been someone I ran to when I need a 911 fix. Someone I thought and I really mean thought that He was too busy for me. But now through the trials in my life I see that He has compassion for His children. He cared enough to heal someone by just letting them touch the hem of His garment. My Saviour cares for me. Now when I talk to Him, I know that I can come before Him and tell Him all of the deep secrets of my heart. How it hurts, when its broken and when it soars with love. I take comfort in knowing that my God is personal and that I don’t need to pray in unison or a prayer that someone came up with in college. Oh no, when I pray I meet face to face and talk to my Lord.
Prayer is not about politics. I believe that we need to pray for our leaders and that it is by God’s grace that we have leaders that openly and honestly seek His face, but to make it just a point on the agenda at a meeting is so cheap. Yes our nation is a nation where you are free to believe as you choose, but at the end of the day remember that our founding fathers were Christian men. Who sought out this country for many purposes. But in the mist of great adversary they sought out the help of their God. They did it in public and in private. But it was always sought in a personal way.
If we don’t have a personal, candid relationship with Christ, then what’s the point of having a public one?
There’s a penny for my thoughts….
i agree God is a very jealous God and i agree we need to be standing up for what we believe like the muslims (of course in a loving way) but i don’t really think that this one prayer is going to change our faith as christians. we need to respect our authority and show by our actions the God that we serve. but in this situation what are you gonna do? we werent there to say anything. the will for our lives is not to nit pick at the mistakes of this world and get distracted from the big picture. Our calling is to love HIM and love others and obey his commandments. this world is a fallen one and we are in the end times and He will have HIS day of judgment, HE will take his “revenge.”
but when we are in the place to stand up, then stand but looking at something in the past should only encourage us to stand in our times of testing. so let’s learn from this and move to loving and putting ourselves where he wants us. He will give us the opportunity where we have control of what we do, either reject him and just sit back and allow this world scare us and not do anything or we can stand up when it’s our time to! I’m not saying be lazy Christians but until we get our chance and take it then let’s care for the poor and put ourselves in situations to love better and stand up for what matters. this stupid prayer doesn’t change my faith in God it just continually reminds me of the fallen world that we live in and that just makes me want to go out and do more because the time is near and it is my responsibility to be Jesus to those who don’t know him. not by opening my big mouth but by giving my life to others.
man that Stephan kid knows what he’s talking about. man i respect you. keep up the good work and dig into to HIM continually and don’t give in.
that is why, someone, it is very important as chrisitians to vote. we need to let the government know that we want people of moral integrity running the country. however, if voting seems to be too out of the way for us, we won’t even do it…then we sit around complaining about the way the country is heading. or another thing we can do is call our senators or congressmen, and gripe to them…they are our represantatives…we put them in office, they have to represent us and our concerns.
as for the prayer, i still can’t enphasize how important they is they don’t include God with every other god. sure it doesn’t change my faith, but this mere fact and seemingly insignificant detail, is all part of the enemy’s plan and strategy to harm the christians. it already has worked…as we sit back and let prayers be taken out of schools, sure that doesn’t harm us at all…but then all of a sudden muslims can pray in our schools, but christians can’t. over the years, seemingly “insignificant details” have become major problems for us in this day and age. we can’t say merry christmas anymore, or even put a nativity scene in our yards because God forbid we offend other people. people have been trying to take the ten commandments out of our court system, and even take “One nation under God” out of the pledge of allegiance. this nation was founded on Godly principles, derived from the jewish system that Yaweh gave them…not from socrates or plato. yet we have let little things like this come into our daily routine, and look where we are now. we always have to be vigilant, this is war, like it or not. this is what christians in america fail to realize. please, always keep your eyes and heart open because the devil wonders around as a lion seeking whom he may devour…don’t give him that chance!
thanks someone, for the words of encouragement..keep looking Him up as well…He is our only source and strength.
what are your thoughts jake??