Why I hate the National Day of Prayer

[Booko]

That's ridiculous, and not just because I'm LDS. It's because I hate that sort of thing. You can't pray because you supposedly believe in a different Jesus, or you aren't Christian so apparently you don't pray. Baloney my phoney! *Sigh* Life I guess.

One place I worked, the Director announced in front of the entire staff that she was going to have a prayer meeting in her office during lunch hour for someone who in the office who had died.

When I went to go into her office, she closed the door in my face without a word. Missed my nose by two inches. Nice,huh?

I've read Baha'i Prayers in very conservative churches before, and no one was upset by anything in them. I can't think of anything in any of the prayers that would run counter to any Christian beliefs.

 

[Krie]

I personally think that if someone feels like they want to participate in something like prayer they should do so on their own accord. Not b/c a day says so.

 

[evearael]

They call it the "National Day of Prayer" but don't allow members of the 4th largest church in the nation to participate. That's all there is to it. I think they should do away with the whole thing. Ever since a few years ago when the organization told members of the LDS church that they could not pray at the "National Day of Prayer," I see the entire thing as way too political.

That is absolutely terrible though, sadly, not too surprising. It needs to be dismantled or all inclusive. Discrimination because of religion should not be condoned by our government.

 

[Bishka]

I personally think that if someone feels like they want to participate in something like prayer they should do so on their own accord. Not b/c a day says so.

True, but this National Day of Prayer is supposed to unite people, unfortunaley it's doing the opposite.

 

[standing_alone]

True, but this National Day of Prayer is supposed to unite people, unfortunaley it's doing the opposite.

Unite people? Certainly not all people. Just religious ones.

 

[Katzpur]

One place I worked, the Director announced in front of the entire staff that she was going to have a prayer meeting in her office during lunch hour for someone who in the office who had died.

When I went to go into her office, she closed the door in my face without a word. Missed my nose by two inches. Nice,huh?

That is positively disgusting! I don't even have words to explain how angry that makes me.

 

[Booko]

Unite people? Certainly not all people. Just religious ones.

Apparently not even all of us...

 

[Bishka]

Unite people? Certainly not all people. Just religious ones.

Yeah, sorry, came out wrong. :bonk:

 

[standing_alone]

Apparently not even all of us...

Well yeah, but Becky said "supposed to unite people," so I meant that to mean that it should include all religions - the present case for this National Day of Prayer nonesense had nothing to do with my response.

 

[Mathematician]

And of course the media doesn't report this story at all; instead it feels we need to have even more discussions over the War in Iraq and President Bush's approval rating. :areyoucra

 

[standing_alone]

Yeah, sorry, came out wrong. :bonk:

No need to apologize for that.

 

[SoyLeche]

Well yeah, but Becky said "supposed to unite people," so I meant that to mean that it should include all religions - the present case for this National Day of Prayer nonesense had nothing to do with my response.

I think Becky is right though - it is "supposed" to unite all Americans - I'm pretty sure that's what it was set up for. The problem is, it was a bad plan, and hasn't come anywhere near to accomplishing what it was "supposed" to do - right off the bat it ostracized Non-Theists, and soon thereafter the Wrong-Kind-of-Theists were kicked out too. It doesn't change the origional intention - which is what Becky said.

You Go Becky!!!! :disco:

 

[jonny]

I notice that Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson, heads up an organization that promotes the National Day Of Prayer by helping to organize local prayer events. This seems significant to me because the Dobson's Focus On the Family has in the past been pretty anti-Mormon (the irony of that to me is that Mormonism seems to me at least to be a Christian denomination that promotes the family even more than most do!)

Jonny, I'm not a Christian, as you know, but I find this anti-Mormonism wrong on so many levels that I consider it outrageous.

Thanks for the sympathy. Luckily, the views of the top are not always the views at the bottom which is demonstrated by the local churches pulling away from the lead organization and doing their own thing the past few years. They really can't stop anyone from praying and organizing their own events, but it seems that if a group is going to "take charge" of organizing this event that it shouldn't be specific to any religion. We should celebrate that America is a country with diverse beliefs and respect all of these beliefs.

 

[Sunstone]

Thanks for the sympathy. Luckily, the views of the top are not always the views at the bottom which is demonstrated by the local churches pulling away from the lead organization and doing their own thing the past few years. They really can't stop anyone from praying and organizing their own events, but it seems that if a group is going to "take charge" of organizing this event that it shouldn't be specific to any religion. We should celebrate that America is a country with diverse beliefs and respect all of these beliefs.

I could easily wish more people like you, Jonny, would rise to the top of these organizations, for you express a vision for America than is infinitely more appealing than the petty efforts of some jerks to exploit such things as National Prayer Day to ram their bloated prejudices down the collective throat of Americans. Given the abuse of it, I would be for eliminating the day, except that I think prayer means so much to so many people it would be cruel to them to do so. Hence, I think the best approach is to take back the day from the jerks who took it from the rest of the people in the first place.

In my earlier post, when I said I'm not a Christian, I meant to imply that I have no dog in this fight. But maybe that's changed. Now that I've got a religion (Girls on Trampolines) for perhaps the first time in my adult life, I might soon be thinking about participating in the next prayer day to beseech the Powers That Be for bouncier trampolines. Just thought you should know that. At any rate, call on me if there are any petitions to be signed!

 

[lamb of God]

i never understood the whole national day of prayer. in my mind is mostly just a showboating event. "look at me, i am this great and wonderfull person who prays for all this good stuff". praying is a blessing, do it privatly,do not hide your faith, but don't go showing it off either.