Post by Prayer in the House on Aug 19, 2004 11:25:34 GMT -5
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
theyheard:"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 confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and
call it Pluralism.
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.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to
the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of
Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.
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 anything."
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personally I do feel everyone has a right to believe what they wish. I do not agree that presenting this prayer in this fashion was the proper or right thing to do. I can understand how others would feel trapped into feeling that this preacher was pressing his values onto others. That alone may be part of the reason many walked out. Religion and government rarely see eye to eye.
One of the greatest attributes we have in this wonderful country is the freedom of speech and the right to religious freedom. And with that we must also be respectful to those who do not agree with your own beliefs. It has to work both ways in order for our system to be successful. Freedoms cannot unjustly force themselves upon another's beliefs. Perhaps this man could have still gotten his points across without doing it the way that he did?
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
theyheard:"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 confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and
call it Pluralism.
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.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to
the center of Your will and to openly ask these things in the name of
Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.
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 anything."
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personally I do feel everyone has a right to believe what they wish. I do not agree that presenting this prayer in this fashion was the proper or right thing to do. I can understand how others would feel trapped into feeling that this preacher was pressing his values onto others. That alone may be part of the reason many walked out. Religion and government rarely see eye to eye.
One of the greatest attributes we have in this wonderful country is the freedom of speech and the right to religious freedom. And with that we must also be respectful to those who do not agree with your own beliefs. It has to work both ways in order for our system to be successful. Freedoms cannot unjustly force themselves upon another's beliefs. Perhaps this man could have still gotten his points across without doing it the way that he did?