I toyed with the idea of submitting something to the Evolved Homechooling Thinking Parents collection of posts this month; the topic was April 30th, aka National Spank Out Day / National Day of Prayer / National Day of Reason, each of which sounded interesting to me. I delayed to the point of missing the deadline because 1. I’m a little intimated by the term “thinking parents’ and am not sure I even qualify as one and 2. for a week now, I’ve been nursing a migraine which making “thinking” painful and hopeless. More than usual.
I actually wrote a post about the National Day of Prayer a month ago, on April 1st, April Fools’ Day, ironically. It was my response to one of those articles that leave you wondering if you’ve inadvertently made your way to a parody site, like the Onion. If not a parody piece, it would’ve made a nice April Fools’ joke. But, alas, these kinds of stories are usually true.
I haven’t read the other EH posts yet and don’t know if anyone else has made the point that I’m going to make which is that National Day of Prayer is very similar to Religious Freedom Day which I wrote about back in January. Both days have been hi-jacked by “task forces” with narrow sectarian agendas too obvious to ignore.
I believe that National Day of Prayer has as little to do with prayer, as “teaching the controversy” has to do with science, as “moments of silence” have to do with private reflection, as Religious Freedom Day has to do with “First Amendment guarantees,” as “Bible curriculum” has to do with “cultural literacy,…” These are all finely orchestrated, well-designed tools designed to trick and deceive; to “Reclaim the Land” and return her to her Christian roots…
Reposted from April 1, 2008:
Lies for Prayers in Texas
I actually had to read these articles (links at bottom) twice in order to sort out all the double-speak and get at what is being reported.
Basically, the city of Plano (TX) has been caught committing Religious Viewpoint Discrimination when it ignored a request by a local pastor to hold an evangelical Christian prayer service at Plano City Hall on this year’s National Day of Prayer. Apparently, as the pastor was informed, the city’s Multicultural Outreach Roundtable (MCOR) had already made plans to use the council chambers that day for a polydenominational observance of National Day of Prayer. (05/01/08 revision: MCOR was asked by the City of Plano to organize the event for 2008.) In response, the pastor, Roy Frady of Plano’s Willow Creek Fellowship Church, contacted Dallas-based Liberty Legal Institute (LLI), which sent letters to city officials informing them of the constitutional issues at stake.
Hiram Sasser with LLI explains:
I think this is a big deal because this is for the National Day of Prayer event, and we want to make sure the people who are participating in these prayer events can do so from the religious viewpoint of their own choosing rather than having the government impose a particular religious viewpoint and say they don’t like a Christian message.
City officials reversed their decision after hearing from his firm. “Just because they don’t like Pastor Frady and his group with an exclusively Judeo-Christian viewpoint … did not give the city a right to preempt his event by allowing some other multi-faith group to come in there and reserve it against the city rules,” says the attorney.
I added the following in comments on my original post, which gives a little background on the pastor’s likely motivations:
I think that this church is linked to the Willow Creek Association network of “like-minded, action-oriented churches” driven by a calling to “reach increasing numbers of lost people and grow them into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” In other words, I’m assuming that this pastor’s desire for a government-sanctioned venue is part of his church’s outreach efforts and theocratic vision. More creepiness here.
links:
Texas pastor once again allowed to use city hall for Nat’l Day of Prayer service 4/01/2008
City officials in Texas accused of religious discrimination 3/18/2008
Plano Prevents Pastor from using Council Chambers on National Day of Prayer 3/14/2008
Americans United: National Day of Prayer (and FAQs)
Your kidding right? Did you see the crap I posted for it? I basically wrote a post about why I didn’t write a post. Old blogging trick in the book :)
As the creator and I guess caretaker of Thinking Parents, I officially proclaim you a thinker. Of course, the next subject is a creative writing exercise…
I just read your post and now I’m thinking that we should organize a National Prayer Out Day in remembrance of children like the one you reference. Do you think Shirley Dobson would guide us through the process? Tell us which forms to fill out and such?
Thanks for proclaiming me “thinker” :)
I need all the reassurance I can get! Especially after a week of migraine-induced brain drain.
I’m holding out until National Day of Slayer, myself. Any holiday that requires you to skip work and play metal loudly is OK by me.
Oooh. Satanic speed metal music. I obviously don’t get out enough.
LOL @ The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren’t just about celebrating; they’re about forcing it upon non-participants.
Don’t you mean non- combatants? ;-)