Comments on: Excuse Me, But We Want to Vet Your Prayer

By: ncwoman

ncwoman — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:43:23 +0000

What a fabulous idea! I love it. It could be more on the order of a general statement of good will without reference to any deity and still be called a prayer. Maybe a poem or something from the Buddhist tradition could be adapted so as to be inclusive of everyone, including non-believers.

By: Nanz

Nanz — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:30:52 +0000

This has been a good post to read. Don’t think a prayer is necessary, but a regular format is good to hang these events on. It is a way of bringing in local people as well. A song would be fine, most of us know most of God Bless America or O Beautiful for spacious skies and lets us stand and move about a bit. The pledge of allegiance and a song before the speeches seems adequate.

However if a prayer is wanted what if each event opened with the same prayer, or writing and were delivered by a local person? Persons asked to do so could accept or decline the honor, and it is an honor, and vetting would be eliminated. Also, control over length– good grief, maybe that is the reason for the vetting as much as for content! Haven’t you ever been blindsided by a 10 or 12 minute long prayer?

Or my other suggestion, have a designated prayer-giver travel with POTUS at all times– Michelle? Joe? one of his girls? or rotate it amongst the usual traveling companions? No vetting at all in this method.

I do like the first one. An appropriate prayer, of the perfect length and content, handed to the chosen lucky local for delivery, on a lovely vellum sheet, autographed by Obama and suitable for framing seems right to me. Saves the vetting part, still confers the honor and preserves the prayerful aspect.

By: ncwoman

ncwoman — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:29:08 +0000

To vet or not to vet – should not be the question. Rather, it is nobler to keep the religion out of politics and politics out of religion. Why not begin with the pledge of alligiance instead of a prayer?

By: selise

selise — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:07:58 +0000

why not just tell them “no thanks” it’s a political event?

By: RevDeb

RevDeb — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:00:16 +0000

way late to the party here. Oh well.

I get to open the state senate with a prayer in a week. Though I’d love to give them hell—mostly rethugs—I know better than to say anything that would embarrass my senator who is the one who recommended me for the gig.

I would think that any of us would have the same common sense.

By: joelmael

joelmael — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:53:02 +0000

“If the prayers must be vetted by a political staffer, that’s a sign to me that perhaps this is not the proper venue for a prayer. “

Bingo! I am so reminded of the parable of the pharisee and the publican.

By: shell

shell — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:26:32 +0000

After what Obama has been through with Wright and Warren, who could blame him?

By: eCAHNomics

eCAHNomics — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:01:55 +0000

Of course, there’s no way of making the speaker stick to the script that was vetted, either.

By: MrWhy

MrWhy — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:00:09 +0000

Suppose I were invited to give the opening invocation. What is to stop me from going off script? The Secret Service is going to tackle me? If the policy is to vet everybody with a speaking part, that should include the prayer. None of the ministers asked to deliver a prayer was censored by Obama’s staff. The issue here is separation of church and state, not censorship.

By: selise

selise — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:40:53 +0000

unfortunately, what currently passes for our ‘culture’ seems to require more than a minimal amount of faking certain things.

culture of make believe.