It seems prayer still upsets some people. Please read....


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 neighbour's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and 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.'

Yup becasuse religion is so pure, and with religion in your heart it imposible to do anything wrong.

Religion is made up by people, therefore incapable of being pure. BUT GOD'S LOVE IS PURE!

This prayer hits the nail on the head and applies to all nations, for we are one world under the CREATOR!!!!!!!
GOD's to all!!!!!!!

Whose god was he speaking to? Might not have been my god or gods. Respectfulness of all gods must be held to regardless to how moved one is by their own god.

Religion belongs at home not in our government. Lets make sure that we follow this rule so we are respectful to all.

A political speech disguised as a prayer.

I guess there’s no limit on how low people will stoop to get their personal agendas out there.

Yeah really, this speech sounds like Nazi Fascism from the 1940’s.

You can’t put religion into law. That would be a fascism dictatorship.

Why would the church be against helping the poor??? No welfare?

Sounds more like a speech made by a right-wing business owner.

I don’t think Christ would approve of this political speech disguised as a “prayer”.

Actually abra, it sounds alot like the (I dislike to generalize but this is the only place I have heard it)southern prejudice religious rhetoric you hear from the south. Among other things they believe all minorities want to do is live off the welfare system and that the religious are the right and all others are evil and unAmerican.

In their eyes traditional Americanism is white and Christian. They never put into account that this country was based from those fighting against exactly what they are trying to do in this country today. They want to create a religious monopoly and persecute those unlike them.

I know this will bring them out but it is true. However ugly it may be.

This has always been a huge debate if religion should stay out of politics. I personally believe it should be seperated, yet for some reason many believe it should be included.

I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his or her opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. Those who denies to another this right, makes a slave of him or herself to their present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it."

Perhaps it is not unusual for every generation to, in one way or another, have a crisis of conscious, of opposing idealogies, that is polarizing and divisive, the one side sure that the other is inspired by the devil.

It is the truly virtuous one that can set aside all prejudice and suspicion when considering another's belief in direct opposition to his own. Unfortunately it is not easily done!

Thomas Paine a favorite of mine lived to see the intrigue and vitriol rampant in the newly United States' first administration.
George Washington oversaw open political warfare and attempted character assassination between his Secretaries of Finance and State, as of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson respectively.
At odds were the ideas of Federalism (a strong central government) versus Republicanism (less centralized government, power to the states); exactly how it was thought best the new country should be run. But it went further than that. Between Hamilton and Jefferson, it got personal and ugly and here is why it continues today believe it or not.

It became nasty as if they believed in two different Gods.

And it didn't get resolved. I repeat today that it is a debate that exists even now, and shows little sign of abating.

I believe that religion and politics are not discussed in polite company, as it gets personal and ugly. For it follows that if one does, one will eventually come upon another that believes just the opposite, and never the twain shall meet.

It seems as if humanity is both inspired and cursed by religion and politics, it brings together a few against the many, invites dogma, fear, and violence; and is apparently essential, in some fundamental way, for human civilization to exist.

Perhaps within religion and politics lie the essential elements of humanity that haltingly propels civilization; ever stumbling forward.

Perhaps it is not essential as many believe. In the long run I am sure this will be a problem for many years to come.

I am sure there will be many who will give their 2 cents worth of theory into conclusion about how I think of this.

cheers

I think the forum where that prayer was done it's wrong. I agree with the fact that religion must be set appart from politics. It's just a bad bad mix.
However, as a prayer it says a lot of truth. It just had to be done in a church or in a congregation where all of the people had the same train of thought.

Taking God out of our government is why we are where we are in our government........I Bless the prayer team Open Bible Church has on the steps of Washington D.C. Now that is a team to pray for....they have done some amazing things.....

no one stoops better then you abra. roglh

Why is it that free speech is open to everyone, except for Christians who pray?

Its not, its open to anyone, but religion does not have a place in politics.

Right on wyatt........visit the Christian Coffeehouse anytime my friend....I think you will love it......and that goes for anyone......good peoples in that one. Not that they are not good people here....just lost people....

poppycock

I'm sure minister Joe Wright's said the prayer with good intentions. And I don't doubt that the Central Christian Church has done some very good things. I personally don't find the prayer offensive. I do however disagree with the forum it was said in. It has obviously offended some people. We have the freedom of religion in this country or freedom of no religion. I believe by saying this prayer is inappropriate for the opening of a senate session. Seems like it may exclude some people because of religious beliefs. We all have a right to our own opinion or beliefs. Saying this prayer in this setting Makes me think politics is saying we should all have the same opinion and beliefs.

Of course that is your opinion.

Personally, I would like to think that the most powerful person in the world who carries the "football" feels like they have to answer to a higher power. I would like to think that those who make our laws has something of a moral road map to which they guide themselves.

Has a proclaimed aethist or agnostic ever come close to being elected President?

That's the same thing as saying that Christians don't have the right to free speech. The guy said what he believes. He was called there to pray for them. He gave the prayer he thought was right. Your problem is...? Oh right, he's a Christian.

So Christians don't believe in helping the poor?

Are all Christians against welfare?

Who's ideals is this man asking God to support?

Clearly he's not in line with the wish of Jesus.

I wonder what God he's praying to?

I guess anyone can call themselves a "Christian" these days and they'll blindly get support from everyone else who identifies with that label, even if the things they are praying for are against the teachings of Christ himself.

Support the Christians! To hell with Christ!

Sounds like a great motto.

Keep up the good work.