Um, what’s the point of doing that? I’m pretty sure nobody is going to get all controversial in an invocation prayer. That is, unless you find the use of the word “Jesus” controversial.
Though invocations have long been commonplace at presidential inaugurations and certain events like graduations or religious services at which presidents are guests, the practice of commissioning and vetting prayers for presidential rallies is unprecedented in modern history, according to religion and politics experts…
“If a similar thing had been done by President Bush’s White House, I guarantee you there would have been a lot of people crying foul,” says Bill Wichterman, deputy director of the Office of Public Liaison under President George W. Bush. “Democrats can do this with immunity, but when Republicans do it, it becomes controversial.”…
[M]any church/state experts are unfamiliar with the program. “The only thing worse than having these prayers in the first place is to have them vetted, because it entangles the White House in core theological matters,” Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said upon learning of the Obama invocations…
James Bing, the pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Fla., said he chose to self-censor his prayer. “For some strange reason, the word Jesus is like pouring gasoline on fire for some people in this country,” he said. “You learn how to work around that.”
What the french? I think this is taking the whole ecumenical thing a wee bit too far. I’m all for religious diversity but, much like political correctness, there is such a thing as taking it all way too seriously. Let the clergy write their own damn prayers, they don’t need (nor want) government help in doing so.
And do I need to point out the Orwellianness of state-sanctioned invocation prayers?
