Praying for political ends
As if calling Obama a socialist, a racist, and a Hitler isn't enough, some conservatives have finally taken the gloves off. They are now openly and brazenly praying for him.
The Liberty Council, affiliated with Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, has created an "Adopt a Liberal" program, and identified those in power who need to become "a good influence on our Nation's culture."
So far so good, until you find out their defintion of "good influence." They seem to have reduced Christianity to homophobia, gun rights, anti-abortion, and fear of socialism and immigrants. So I guess it's not a surprise that most Democrats are on the list of those needing prayer. Perhaps they should add Jesus himself to the list, since Jesus was a known egalitarian who taught against fear and violence. And unlike most modern, right-wing Christians, he was silent about homosexuality.
Nonetheless, I understand the impulse to pray. When you have no ability to influence events gone horribly wrong, prayer is what you turn to. I remember praying before Colin Powell was about to give his big Iraq War speech to the UN Security Council. I figured that Bush was already beyond the reach of prayer but that Powell might still be vulnerable, especially since the war was about to violate every tenet of his own "Powell Doctrine."
I prayed that Powell would find his backbone and dramatically warn everyone that the whole thing was going to be a huge disaster. Instead, he waved a vial of anthrax in front of the TV cameras and used his credibility to move public opinion towards invasion. Then as now, God is steadfast in favoring free will over setting things right.
I'm not a big believer in petitionary prayer, and not just because of Colin Powell. I figure God is going to do what God is going to do. If God changed course based on impassioned pleading, there would be more lottery winners and fewer unplanned pregnancies in the world.
Instead, God takes the long view. Let people invade other countries and transfer wealth to the privileged and gut government agencies. Eventually economic meltdowns and hurricanes and history will unmask them. And let others attempt to provide health care reform or a stronger social safety net or a fairer distribution of resources in the world. Amid all the screeching and lying and praying, it might actually happen. Especially if enough of us demand that those in authority be "a good influence on our Nation's culture."
So, I guess I'll say thanks for thinking of us, Liberty Council. Being prayed at is much more pleasant than being yelled over or lied to. Perhaps they can even find it in their hearts to pray for the common good. Health care reform can use all the help it can get at this point.
3 comments
VF
Thanks for exposing the politicizing of even prayer. Right wing Christians have taken Jesus and the Bible and tried to turn them into their own pawns for establishing their world view. At first they were fairly successful, but then the Biblical reality of man’s sinful, selfish nature caught up with them, unfortunately (for them) including themselves and they are now broken, desperate, and running scared. Since the Bible clearly mandates serving the poor and crying out for justice, they ironically have gotten their wish because that is exactly what a lot of people, secular and Christian, are doing, despite right wing prayers and initiatives to the contrary. Until the church at large disavows this unBiblical turn away from loving God and loving your neighbor, the 2 great commandments, it will continue to be discredited. Fortunately it has a manual to get it back on track and some are heeding it. Thanks for your insight.
This is a good post.
Shay
As a Baptist preacher I knew down in Louisiana once warned me, “God always answers your prayers. He just doesn’t always answer them the way you hope He will.“
Most Recent Opinion Comments
eugh….I remember that sex ed class and i’m pretty sure I know the teacher you’re referring to. that place was hell.
Love the story about sex ed at the middle school. That’s what I do every day for my job—it’s so exciting to see students engaged in material many adults and parents assume is above their understanding or maturity level. Thanks for sharing! Oh, and if you…
“Rag Doll” by Aerosmith is a great accompanying song when you are throwing a tennis ball onto the floor to bother the people below you.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/agriculture/2010-09-01/south-farms-taking-aim-birds-noise.html If U of I did any research into repelling birds, they would use a very silent but effective high output LASER instead of adding noise pollution to the already olfactory polluted area http://www.allpestco.com/2009/06/laser-bird-deterrent-or-laser-gun-vs-birds/
What sticks in my neck is that most noise (unwanted sound) is a violation of the law. So why is it often so difficult to get the authorities to address the issue? Why are the anti-social elements so protected? These lowlife induviduals now seem to have the…
Spirit echoes - http://www.iainandjane.com/work/silentsound/index.shtml
People are entitled to peace and quiet. That gift has been lost and once lost is hard to regain. Anti-noise activitists fight for everyone’s right to have peace and quiet. Thanks to those that fight for our right to peace and quiet.
Most Recent Comments
Illinois has simply had no luck at all in these Mizzou games. None. I think maybe we’re do for a couple of bounces to go our way. If we get one or two (or sever or eight) breaks, I think it’s a win.
Jason, Savoy could easily join the CPL tax district, which is probably closer to most Savoy residents than the Tolono library is. But my impression is that Savoy residents as a whole don’t want to pay the cost of the CPL (Tolono’s library taxes are cheaper), even…
Sorry, but I am lagging behind on updates to the map. Also, some construction projects were delayed from their original start date. On a more positive note, I am putting together a map of haunted houses in Central Illinois. I have a few plotted already, and I…
I’ve never gotten the privilege of all the services CPL cardholders get. I just want to be able to go out of my way to drive to the CPL to check out books, pay fines, maybe buy some coffee, and enjoy the library. None of those activities…
These days, there is more to using a library than checking out books. At one time, paying into the Lincoln Trails system probably would cover the expenses incurred by other libraries in the system. Now, with Internet, videos, coffee shops, wireless Internet hubs, etc., I suspect the…
(speaking as a Savoy resident) By paying taxes to support a member of the LTLS, we are paying our “fair share” to use any LTLS library—Tolono, Champaign, Urbana, etc. This is how library systems work. The 6% of CPL’s circulation represented by Tolono users is NOT significant…
I would be interested to hear more about the “word on the street”—how are individual hauling companies fulfilling their promise to recycle?
Timbo makes a smart, sound argument. Reread it.
I joined on 09-09-09 after living here over a year, and having to listen to my dad tell me how his best friend is, like, #27 or something crazy like that, and how said friend never lived further than 50 feet from the Illini Inn while going…
And, I might add, no one is being prevented from using the Champaign library. They are just being asked to pay their fair share if they are going to use it as their primary library.
The equation is pretty simple here. If you want social services, then pay the taxes required to run those social services. These things only work if everyone puts in their fair share. As a heavy user of the Champaign Library, I say bravo to this new policy.
What is the increased marginal cost of serving a resident of Savoy or Mahomet? I suspect negligible. What is the increased revenue to be realized by this new policy? I suspect very little. Aside from these financial aspects, what are the most probable results from this new…
Looks like you are also all members of the killer sideburns club.
Thanks for the article, Ben. I was not familiar with this band until now and even though I won’t be able to attend the show on Friday they are now on my radar. A *good* jam band is hard to find, and these folks appear to fill…
Nice article, love the Dead quote in the beginning. If they can get down here to Central FL I’ll definitely be heading out to the show. Some of my friends have finally stopped wincing when I say “jam band.“ I’ve now tried my best at more descriptive…
@Annie: Yeah, my bad. That was the best part! Drinking + memory exercises = fun @Rob: According to Ask the English Teacher, “My dictionary says ‘drunk’ is an archaic past tense of ‘drink.‘“ We’re all about the new grammar around here.
Katie, have the residents of Savoy and Tolono thought about having their taxes raised a little to help their public library expand? That’s a possibility for them. And then everybody wins.
Most Popular Articles (14 days)
- Camp Rantoul Report: August 20, 2010
- Withershins: the hardest working band in Champaign
- Champaign to close recycling drop-off center

- Pygmalion schedule changes, Emeralds and new Erin Fein project added
- The Burlington Coat Factory Mosque

- Meet the new blog on the block
- CU Pride Fest review
- Flatlander fundraising off to a tasty start
- The right thing changes from state to state
- Garbage doesn’t just “go away”
Recent Searches
- derby (118 Results)
- 1592 (7 Results)
- Susan Toalson (3 Results)
- Gabe (4 Results)
- Bond (97 Results)
- Bond (97 Results)
- Gabe (4 Results)
- bond (97 Results)
- bond (97 Results)
- dan schreiber (34 Results)
- gillespie (129 Results)
- Men Against Sexual Violence MASV (1 Results)
- 8684 (1 Results)
- Men Against Sexual Violence MASV (1 Results)
- great cover up doug hoepker (13 Results)
- great cover up (589 Results)
- C-U Circle (32 Results)
- 4130 (1 Results)
- elsinore (123 Results)
- elsinore (123 Results)

Facebook
Twitter
Full Site
Events Calendar


























Sorry, but I am lagging behind on updates to the map. Also, some construction projects were delayed from their original start date. On a more positive note, I am putting together a map of haunted houses in Central Illinois. I have a few plotted already, and I…