Allah forgive them--they're imbeciles

May 6, 2004 1:32 PM

Have You Prayed Today?*
Today is the National Day of Prayer in the US (I had never heard of it). Oliver North!?! is the honorary chairman this year. Here are the President's remarks today. Meanwhile, Larry Flynt is calling for a different sort of prayer today.
*Muslims and Mormons need not apply.
"We're in an election year, and we believe God cares who's in those positions of authority," said Mark Fried, spokesman for the National Day of Prayer Task Force. "But we're not endorsing a candidate, just praying that God's hand will be on the election." The private task force, which operates from the Colorado headquarters of the Christian organization Focus on the Family ....
... since the mid-1980s the ceremony has been organized by the nonprofit task force headed by two prominent evangelical women: Vonette Bright, widow of Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright, and Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. She also made no apologies about the task force's exclusion of Muslims and others outside of the "Judeo-Christian tradition" from ceremonies planned by the task force on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across the country. "They are free to have their own national day of prayer if they want to," she said. "We are a Christian task force."
posted by amberglow (26 comments total)

Aren't Muslims included in the Judeo-Christian tradition?
posted by dfowler at 1:34 PM on May 6, 2004

He's our God and we won't share him with any stinking Mormons or Catholics
posted by homunculus at 1:42 PM on May 6, 2004

Americans do not presume to equate God's purposes with any purpose of our own. ...
Our part, our calling is to align our hearts and action with God's plan, in so far as we can know it. - George W. Bush

"I don't care how holy somebody claims to be," God said. "If a person tells you it's My will that they kill someone, they're wrong. Got it? I don't care what religion you are, or who you think your enemy is, here it is one more time: No killing, in My name or anyone else's, ever again." - God
posted by Wulfgar! at 2:00 PM on May 6, 2004

god bless us all, everyone.
posted by clavdivs at 2:06 PM on May 6, 2004

Larry Flynt is always such a class act!
posted by substrate at 2:28 PM on May 6, 2004

They're just trolling...
posted by Fantt at 2:31 PM on May 6, 2004

Dear God, please make those Iraqi prisoners shut up. Prison isn’t supposed to be fun. It’s not fricking day-camp, you know? In addition, I think it would be cool if the prison guards did that thing where they make the Iraqis hit themselves while saying, “Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!” Also, could you have them film it and then upload the video to the net? Thanks.
posted by wfrgms at 2:32 PM on May 6, 2004

Would I be correct in thinking that Satanism is within the Judeo-Christian tradition?
posted by biffa at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2004

homunculus's link is NSFW.
posted by alms at 2:42 PM on May 6, 2004

Whoa, either that wasn't there when I linked it or my mind blocked out the image. Sorry about that.

*shudders*
posted by homunculus at 2:55 PM on May 6, 2004

homunculus, don't sweat it. It wasn't there when I first clicked the link either. But, for the record, I like it, especially the GOP tattoo on the hiney ... extra plus good!
posted by Wulfgar! at 2:58 PM on May 6, 2004

anybody have a contracostatimes account?
posted by badstone at 3:33 PM on May 6, 2004

And isn't Ollie North honourary chairman or something this year?

Beyond satire.
posted by lerrup at 3:39 PM on May 6, 2004

anybody have a contracostatimes account?

Try BugMeNot.
posted by majcher at 3:43 PM on May 6, 2004

Odin Akbar!
posted by moonbiter at 3:53 PM on May 6, 2004

I love it. Ollie North and Religion, two frauds that go great together.
posted by skallas at 4:14 PM on May 6, 2004

Ah, Mormon life. The secularists/athiests and the Christian Right both have it in for you. But strangely enough a lot of us keep voting republican.

Recently, apparently on Rush Limbaugh while Rush was in Rehab:

"Basically, Rumsfeld is a pussy, and what we ought to be doing is bombing the madrassas, not bribing them or working with them...

It's like the Mormons back in 1840, says Grand Rapids. They refused to accept the American way of life, they each wanted like 25 wives or something, so we took care of them." [via Calpundit]

But perhaps more interestingly, the Interfaith Group in my town is rescheduling the day of prayer out of a desire to avoid the exclusionary tactic. This is very gracious of them, and perhaps more so because of the demographics here. The perceived and real slights that happen when you're in a minority can sometimes make it harder to keep respect for the majority.

But maybe gracious isn't the right word. Perhaps "Christian" works.
posted by weston at 5:52 PM on May 6, 2004

Would I be correct in thinking that Satanism is within the Judeo-Christian tradition?
Sort-of, in that it wouldn't exist without it, though it is a contrarian position. :)

Incidentally, the same argument that excludes Muslims and Mormons also excludes Jews, who do not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and in theory are waiting for a Messiah who has not yet appeared. (Same argument excludes Zoroastrians and Ba'hais and Branch Davidians for that matter.) Their invitation of Jewish rabbis is hypocritical pandering. Which, given that they are Republicans and evangelicals, is to be expected.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 5:59 PM on May 6, 2004

I think its a pretty neat idea.
posted by sgt.serenity at 6:16 PM on May 6, 2004

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
posted by moonbiter at 7:37 PM on May 6, 2004

Cut it out moonbiter, if theists followed that advice then they shouldn't ever congregate. The whole 'putting on airs' is part of being religious. Nice quote, but it fails in practice, like most scripture.
posted by skallas at 10:48 PM on May 6, 2004

skallas: You're right, and I have no business quoting biblical scripture. The entire business raises my hackles, being one of those that think that it is best not to mix politics and religion in an official, state-sanctioned way, but I'm just being snarky.
posted by moonbiter at 12:26 AM on May 7, 2004

moonbiter, this National Day of Prayer thing is yet another example of Render Unto Caesar getting walked all over.
posted by alumshubby at 5:20 AM on May 7, 2004

"If a person tells you it's My will that they kill someone, they're wrong."

If only. God clearly instructs the Israelites to kill and pillage several times in the Bible. Here's a site I just came across called Evil Bible Quotes.
posted by callmejay at 9:54 AM on May 7, 2004

How the hell is this legal/constitutional?

homunculus's link is NSFW.
That TOTALLY made me click it...
posted by mimi at 10:35 AM on May 7, 2004

Incidentally, the same argument that excludes Muslims and Mormons also excludes Jews, who do not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and in theory are waiting for a Messiah who has not yet appeared.

Errr....Mormons don't acknowledge Jesus as Messiah?

I must be a very confused Mormon, then....
posted by oissubke at 10:57 PM on May 8, 2004