Kansas Senate opens session to Prayer (chain email and my reply)

[rpgamerd00d]

Here is the chain email I got. My reply is below:


This Pastor has guts!! Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of
their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of
the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:
"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know
Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks,
Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding
negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response
to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and
wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God." If possible, please pass this prayer on to your
friends. "If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything." Think about this: If you forward this prayer to
everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world.
How many people in your address book will not receive this p! rayer? Do you have the guts to pass it on?




This was my reply to the email list:

"This is a classic example of a violation of the 1st Amendment. How many muslims, jews, hindus, pagans and athiests were forced to listen to this in a governmental setting? How many people in Kansas now feel that they must live in fear for worshipping a different religion that isn't 'sanctioned' by the Kansas government? This kind of thing is totally unacceptable in a Senate that claims to represent all people of all religions. It is complete hypocracy to claim to support civil rights only to supress them at their convienence.

This is exactly why we, as Democrats, have to fight hard to eliminate politicians that think this sort of thing is acceptable. Its why the Democratic party supports every person's right to worship as they see fit or not at all, instead of having a single religion forced upon them. Its why the Democratic party ensures that all Americans are free to exercise their own beliefs without the government passing laws or taking a position consitent with only a single set of beliefs.

I have forwarded this email to the ACLU, and I hope they will take action to stop this kind of violation of our Constitutional Civil Rights from ever happening again in our country."

[JeffR]

1. K&R

Well done!
:toast:

[rpgamerd00d]

2. Thanks :) -nt

[JeffR]

3. My pleasure

And I'll kick it again. Seems like no-one has noticed this.
:kick: