Tuesday, April 27, 2010 5:02:15 AM
National Day of Prayer: Franklin Graham Deserved to Be Booted
David Corn [ http://www.politicsdaily.com/bloggers/david-corn ]
Posted: 04/23/10
Imagine if a leading American imam decried Christianity as an "evil" religion and then was invited to participate at a National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon. How would conservative pundits, shouting heads, bloggers and politicians react? There would be denunciations, calls for rescinding the invitation, demands for explanations from the Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and questions hurled at the Obama White House. Fox News execs could only be happier if this occurred during sweeps weeks. But if a prominent Christian evangelist described Islam as an "evil" religion and subsequently received a similar invitation, would the same thing happen?
Well, the answer to that question is no. Franklin Graham, a brand-name evangelist (as the son of Billy Graham), has repeatedly denigrated Islam -- not Islamic fundamentalists who engage in terrorism, but the entire religion. In 2001, after 9/11, Graham said that Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion [ http://cbs11tv.com/watercooler/Franklin.Graham.Islam.2.265296.html ]." Five years later, he told [id.] ABC News this was still his view. He added, "Do they want to indoctrinate me? Yes. I know about Islam. I don't need an education from Islam. If people think Islam is such a wonderful religion, just go to Saudi Arabia and make it your home." And in a CNN interview [ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0912/10/ec.01.html ] last year, Graham reiterated this sentiment, calling Islam a "very violent religion."
Thus, Graham probably ought not to be at the top of the invitation list for an ecumenical prayer session. But he was indeed asked to speak at the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event on May 6. The invitation was not issued by the Pentagon brass; it came from the Colorado-based National Day of Prayer Task Force, which has been helping the Pentagon mount this event and which is run by Shirley Dobson, the wife of controversial conservative Christian leader James Dobson. Why the Pentagon is partnering with this fundamentalist outfit, which has been criticized for trying to turn the National Day of Prayer (established six decades ago by an act of Congress) into a Christian right celebration, is another story [ http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames/52 ]. (In 1999, Dobson's NDP Task Force said that every one of its volunteers "must be a Christian" with a "personal relationship with Christ.")
After learning of the invitation extended to Graham, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group, objected [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100421/ap_on_re_us/us_day_of_prayer_military ] to his participation, noting Graham's presence would offend Muslim employees at the Pentagon and could imperil U.S. troops by riling up Muslim extremists. The Defense Department announced it would consider rescinding the invitation. And the Council on American Islamic Relations joined the call for disinviting the evangelist. In a statement, the group said, "To have an individual who calls Islam evil and claims Muslims are enslaved by their faith speak at the Pentagon sends entirely the wrong message at a time when hundreds of thousands of our nation's military personnel are currently stationed in Muslim countries."
When such cultural skirmishes -- or religious wars -- break out, I root for sanity and reconciliation. Teachable moment, right? Though it's probably a mistake for government agencies, including the Pentagon, to get mixed up with a Christian right group to put on a National Day of Prayer, here was a chance for Graham to engage in healing, to call a truce. But he chose not to do so. And Fox News helped him make matters worse.
While the Pentagon was pondering what to do about Graham, he appeared [ http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220005 ] on the conservative cable network on Thursday morning. When "Fox and Friends" host Gretchen Carlson asked if Graham still believes Islam is "evil," he did not take the mending route. Instead, he gave no direct response but said,
I love Muslim people. . . . I want Muslims everywhere to know . . . that Christ can come into their heart and change them. . . . They don't have to die in a car bomb . . . to be accepted by God. . . .They can be free through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.
With a tone of surprise -- or was it indignation? -- in her voice, Carlson noted that the Pentagon was considering excommunicating Graham from the prayer event. She asked Graham if this signaled "an assault against Christianity, against prayer."
Go back to the scenario at the top of this column. Would Carlson pose a similar question to an imam or rabbi who had denigrated Christianity as "evil"? Is the Pope Jewish? ("You called Christianity 'evil,' and now they don't want you to speak at a Pentagon prayer service. Is this an attack on prayer?")
Had Graham used this dust-up as an opportunity to reexamine his past rhetoric and reach out to the Islamic community, this year's National Day of Prayer could have been quite useful. But he opted to stick to his fundamentalist views -- which, unsurprisingly, is what most fundamentalists do. On Thursday afternoon -- perhaps after watching Graham's interview on Fox -- Pentagon officials yanked Graham's invitation [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_day_of_prayer_military (the post to which this is a reply, in full next below) (AP stories last only so long on Yahoo!)].
That decision was a no-brainer. But in addition to showing the public that he's unwilling to reconsider his extremism, Graham has placed the National Day of Prayer into the glare of public scrutiny. That's not good for the folks organizing it. These social conservatives hijacked this event years ago -- and they have gotten away with it mainly because not many reporters pay attention to it. The National Day of Prayer -- it sounds innocuous. The Graham imbroglio may now prompt journalists and others to take a closer look and wonder why the Pentagon and other government agencies have joined forces with extremist social conservatives. (In 2008, James Dobson accused Barack Obama, the future commander-in-chief, of "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible," and he claimed that if Obama were elected, there would be pornography on prime-time television, terrorist attacks across the United States, complete economic catastrophe, and a nuclear attack on Israel.) Moreover, is a National Day of Prayer necessary? Especially at the Pentagon? I assume the guys and gals in the foxholes don't need reminders to pray.
UPDATE: Sarah Palin--of course--has weighed in on the Graham controversy. Outraged with the Pentagon's decision to bounce Graham, she wrote [ http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=382386913434 ] on her Facebook page,
It's truly a sad day when such a fine patriotic man, whose son is serving on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan to protect our freedom of speech and religion, is dis-invited [ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/21/army-weighs-rescinding-invitation-evangelist/ ] from speaking at the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer service. His comments in 2001 were aimed at those who are so radical that they would kill innocent people and subjugate women in the name of religion.
Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can't abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame. Yes, things have changed.
If she had read the above column--or anything else on this tussle--she would have known that Graham's comments (in 2001 and later years) have not been aimed at Islamic radicals, but at the entire faith of Islam. She has gotten the fundamental fact of this case wrong.
© 2010 AOL News. © 2010 AOL Inc.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/23/national-day-of-prayer-franklin-graham-deserved-to-be-booted/ [with comments]
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Franklin Graham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Graham
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Army disinvites Graham to Pentagon Prayer Day
In this Sunday, May 24, 2009 file photo, Franklin Graham prepares to give the invocation before …
AP – FILE
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Thu Apr 22, 7:52 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Evangelist Franklin Graham's invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer service has been rescinded because his comments about Islam were inappropriate, the Army said Thursday.
Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, in 2001 described Islam as evil. More recently, he has said he finds Islam offensive and wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins.
Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said Graham's remarks were "not appropriate."
"We're an all-inclusive military," Collins said. "We honor all faiths. ... Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation had raised the objection to Graham's appearance, citing his past remarks about Islam.
Collins said earlier this week that the invitation to attend the National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon wasn't from the military but from the Colorado-based National Day of Prayer Task Force, which works with the Pentagon chaplain's office on the prayer event.
As co-honorary chair of the task force, Graham was expected to be the lead speaker at the May 6 Pentagon service. Country singer Ricky Skaggs was expected to perform.
Since Graham's invitation was rescinded, the task force has decided not to participate in the military prayer service, Collins said.
The decision suggests a growing sensitivity in recent years among senior Pentagon officials to the divide between the U.S. military and Muslims. Graham attended a Pentagon prayer service in 2003, despite objections by Muslim groups.
Graham said he regrets that the Army felt its decision was necessary. In a statement, Graham said he would continue to pray for the troops to "give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country."
Nihad Awad, national executive director of Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Graham's invitation would have sent "entirely the wrong message" at a time when troops are stationed in Muslim nations.
"Promoting one's own religious beliefs is something to be defended and encouraged, but other faiths should not be attacked or misrepresented in the process," Awad said.
Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the prayer task force, said Wednesday that U.S. leaders have called for a day of prayer during times of crisis since 1775 but the tradition is under attack.
"Enough is enough," said Dobson, wife of conservative Christian leader James Dobson. "We at the National Day of Prayer Task Force ask the American people to defend the right to pray in the Pentagon."
She called on President Barack Obama to appeal a ruling by a federal judge in Wisconsin last week that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional because it amounts to a call for religious action. The judge did not bar any observances until all appeals are exhausted.
The Obama administration said Thursday it would appeal.
Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said Graham shouldn't have been invited in the first place.
"I want to say this is a victory, but in a way it's a Pyrrhic victory because it shows how far this got," Weinstein said. "We're not exactly doing cartwheels."
Weinstein said he hopes someone more "inclusive" will be invited to replace Graham.
Collins said there was no word yet on who would lead the event.
Associated Press writer Dan Elliott in Denver contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_day_of_prayer_military [with comments]
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MRFF Demands that Pentagon Disinvite Franklin Graham from NDP Event
Chris Rodda [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda ]
Senior Research Director, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; author, "Liars For Jesus"
Posted: April 21, 2010 04:09 PM
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation [ http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/ ] (MRFF) has sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, demanding, for the reasons explained in the letter, that Franklin Graham be uninvited as the keynote speaker for the Pentagon's upcoming National Day of Prayer event. The request for MRFF's assistance from a group of Muslim military personnel and DoD employees at the Pentagon, which is enclosed with the letter to Secretary Gates, follows.
April 19, 2010
Dear Secretary Gates,
On behalf of a courageous community of United States military personnel and DoD employees of the Muslim faith at the Pentagon who have contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) for help regarding the choice of Franklin Graham as the speaker for the Pentagon's May 6, 2010 National Day of Prayer event, MRFF hereby demands, for the reasons explained below, that the Pentagon Chaplains Office immediately rescind its invitation to Mr. Graham and choose a more appropriate and inclusive speaker for this high profile event. (See attached request for MRFF assistance.)
You may recall the outrage of the Muslim community, as well as members of other religious faiths, when Mr. Graham was invited to speak at the Pentagon in 2003 -- outrage prompted particularly by Mr. Graham's statements following the attacks of 9/11 in which he called the whole of the religion of Islam "evil" and "wicked." Mr. Graham has never retracted or apologized for these statements, and, in fact, was still defending them as recently as December 2009 in an appearance on CNN.
MRFF also strongly objects in the most fervent magnitude to the Constitutionally noxious affiliation of the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event with the National Day of Prayer Task Force (NDPTF). This illegal affiliation violates the Joint Ethics Regulation (DoD 5500.7-R) regarding the strictly prohibited endorsement of a non-federal entity (Section 3-209), and DoD Instruction 5410.19, which, likewise, prohibits the providing of a selective benefit or preferential treatment to any organization (Sections 6.7.1 and 6.7.2).
By making it a regular practice to have the NDPTF's honorary chairman, who this year is Franklin Graham, as the designated keynote speaker for the Pentagon's event, and by using the promotional materials supplied by the NDPTF, the Pentagon Chaplains Office has clearly turned the Pentagon's event into an official NDPTF event. No other interpretation is reasonable, rational, or possible.
There is, of course, no issue with the Pentagon Chaplains Office hosting an NDP event. The outrageous issue, in the instant matter, is the Pentagon's hosting of an event affiliated with the NDPTF, a private organization headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. The NDPTF has become the de facto "official" sponsor of the National Day of Prayer, and, by its comprehensively exclusive restrictions and blatantly sectarian requirements, has made all NDPTF affiliated events exclusively fundamentalist Christian in scope, message, and nature.
To begin with, all NDPTF volunteers must subscribe to the following "Statement of Belief," a statement which universally excludes not only all non-Christians and non-religious, but, in point of fact, even many Christians themselves.
"I believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, the atoning work of his shed blood, his resurrection and ascension, his intercession and his coming return to power and glory. I believe that those who follow Jesus are family and there should be unity among all who claim his name."
But even more incontrovertibly, NDPTF event coordinators must agree, by subscribing to the following statement, to restrict any participation beyond simply attending an event to Christians and only Christians.
"I commit that NDP activities I serve with will be conducted solely by Christians while those with differing beliefs are welcome to attend."
The NDPTF also has an "Official Policy Statement on Participation of 'Non-Judeo-Christian' groups in the National Day of Prayer," which states:
"The National Day of Prayer Task Force was a creation of the National Prayer Committee for the expressed purpose of organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values. People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs."
While the NDPTF, of course, has every right, as a private organization, to organize exclusively Christian events and to prohibit the participation of non-Christians, the Pentagon Chaplains Office absolutely cannot endorse or provide a selective benefit to this non-federal entity by shamefully, disgracefully, and unconstitutionally affiliating the Pentagon NDP event with it.
Given the heinously hurtful, bigoted, and very public continual statements of Mr. Graham against the entirety of the religion of Islam, and his position as honorary chairman of the NDPTF, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation hereby demands that the Pentagon Chaplains Office immediately rescind its invitation to Mr. Graham, permanently distance itself from the NDPTF, and simply do the right thing; to wit, make the Pentagon NDP event inclusive of all honorable and noble United States military personnel and DoD employees, regardless of religious beliefs, who wish to participate.
Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, Esq.
Founder & President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org
Enclosure
CC:
President Barack Obama
John M. McHugh - Secretary of the Army
Ray Mabus - Secretary of the Navy
Michael B. Donley - Secretary of the Air Force
Admiral Michael Mullen - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General James E. Cartwright - Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General George W. Casey, Jr. - Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Admiral Gary Roughead - Chief of Naval Operations
General Norton A. Schwartz - Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
General James T. Conway - Commandant of the Marine Corps
Request for MRFF's assistance from Muslim military personnel and DoD employees at the Pentagon:
Dear Mr. Weinstein,
We request the assistance of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation with a matter that concerns all Americans. As Muslim members of the U.S. military and the Pentagon worship community, we are dumbfounded that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office has invited Mr. Franklin Graham to be the guest speaker at the National Day of Prayer at the Pentagon on May 6, 2010.
Seven years ago, the Pentagon Chaplain's Office invited Mr. Graham to speak at the Pentagon, dismissing the concerns of the Pentagon Muslim worship community, as well as those of the Muslim community at large. At that time, the Pentagon chaplain claimed a lack of knowledge of Mr. Graham's opinions on Islam and Muslims. The current Pentagon chaplain made the same claim and dismissed our concerns by stating that Mr. Graham's comments are old news anyway.
That anyone serving in the Pentagon now could claim a lack of knowledge of Mr. Graham's very public, negative comments about Islam and Muslims stretches the limits of credulity. Mr. Graham never retracted his previous bigoted statements ("We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it [Islam] is a very evil and wicked religion."). And, as recently as December 2009, in a CNN interview with Campbell Brown, Mr. Graham reiterated his negative views of Islam and Muslims by stating, "But there are millions of wonderful Muslim people. And I love them. I have friends that are Muslims and I work in those countries. But I don't agree with the teachings of Islam and I find it to be a very violent religion." We have attached an excerpt of the interview transcript, as well as a link of the video, for your information because it contains even more troubling statements by Graham.
The bigoted viewpoints repeatedly expressed by Mr. Graham, without retraction or apology, contradict not only Department of Defense policy but also our overall national policy, as articulated by President Obama. Once again, we hope and pray that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office will reconsider its invitation to Mr. Graham and instead invite more inclusive and honorable clergy persons to speak at the Pentagon.
Respectfully,
Members of the Pentagon Muslim Community
Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for Franklin Graham, has confirmed to the Associated Press [ http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/04/20/group_wants_evangelists_pentagon_event_canceled/ ] that Graham has not changed his views on Islam.
Copyright © 2010 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/mrff-demands-that-pentago_b_544998.html [with comments]
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Franklin Graham cut from Pentagon event
April 22, 2010
http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/2010/04/franklin-graham-cut-from-pentagon-event/ [with (. . .) comments]
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Palin: "Nation suffers ... as Mr. Graham is uninvited to speak" at National Prayer Day
April 23, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004230003 [with comments]
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Johnson Jr. blows gasket over Army's decision to rescind Rev. Graham's National Prayer day invite
April 23, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004230009 [with comments]
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Fox hosts Franklin Graham who attempts to convert Muslims away from "evil" Islam so "they don't have to die in a car bomb"
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220005 [with comments]
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Fox News' Islam problem
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/research/201004220037 [with comments]
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Fox News' Carlson and Hoover call reaction to Franklin Graham's comments on Islam "unfortunate"
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220064 [with comments]
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Fox News' Johnson offers every excuse for Graham's anti-Muslim rhetoric, including 9-11
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004220010 [with comments]
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Hannity defends evangelist Franklin Graham's attack on Islam
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220070 [with comments]
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Religion part of our nation’s history
Chris McDaniel
April 25, 2010
LAUREL —
In 1952, a joint resolution passed by Congress declared a national day of prayer. It was signed by President Truman. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Since then, each president has signed a yearly proclamation encouraging, not mandating or coercing, Americans to pray. Further recognizing our remarkable religious heritage, all 50 state governors have signed similar proclamations.
Though the federal proclamation has been part of a national tradition for at least 58 consecutive years, an enduring appreciation of our unique Judeo-Christian foundation has been an essential component of American life since before the republic’s inception.
The first written government document in our nation’s history, the Mayflower Compact, helped establish the very first colony “for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith.”
It wasn’t the only early government document that openly embraced religion. Religious origins of our society also include the first colonial grant to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584, the first Charter of Virginia in 1606, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1638 and the charter of privileges granted by William Penn to Pennsylvania in 1701.
Since then, freedom’s attachment to religion has grown stronger. God has been specifically acknowledged in all state constitutions, in addition to the Declaration of Independence, which clearly recognizes Him as our Creator, Supreme Judge and Protector.
The national motto remains “In God We Trust,” and it is proudly enshrined in our currency. In verse four of our National Anthem, we sing “In God is our trust” and “Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a Nation.”
Seeking divine guidance, Congress opens each day in prayer, and the United State Supreme Court starts each session with “God save the United States and this Honorable Court.” Public officials swear an oath to uphold the constitution “so help me God.”
United States Supreme Court decisions have also understood our unique religious appreciation and freedoms. In fact, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay expressed in 1816, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
In 1892, the Supreme Court case of Holy Trinity v. United States specifically noted the religious history of our country. After a detailed examination of traditions, declarations and customs, the Court clearly explained: “These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”
The Court’s noteworthy and widely accepted acknowledgment that “this is a Christian nation” was shortly followed by yet another ruling in 1931 which found that Americans are a “Christian people” and a 1952 opinion where Justice William O. Douglas, noted that “we are a religious people and our institutions presupposes a Supreme Being.”
In fact, justices serving our highest Court have clarified on seven occasions the foundational role of the Ten Commandments in the development of our legal system, and there are over one-hundred references to the commandments in the reported decisions of the state supreme courts.
Despite our extensive religious history, only a fraction of which is described above, a United States Federal District Judge in Wisconsin ruled last week that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, even though it had stood unchallenged for more than 58 years, including 11 presidential administrations.
In an embarrassing display of judicial activism, Judge Barbara Crabb found that the wholly unforced and merely encouraged Day of Prayer somehow violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits the making of a “law respecting an establishment of religion.”
A sign of the times, perhaps, it’s remarkable how much and how quickly things have changed.
Her ruling ignores past legal precedent and common sense. Representing hostility born amid an antireligious counterculture, the ruling is a symptom of the greater culture war which revolves around the abolishment of the values and traditions of Western civilization.
Make no mistake, our nation’s founders would be appalled to find a nation which appears to bristle with hostility to all things religious.
Though the Constitution’s framers did occasionally disagree regarding the role of religion in government, an overwhelming majority considered the exercise of religion an indispensable part of liberty. John Adams echoed this popular belief, when he noted, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
There is a universal language pervading the republic’s long and notable history; it affirms that ours is a religious nation.
It is true that our government does not sanction an official or legally-preferred religion or church, since the First Amendment specifically and rightly forbids such intrusion. For our people to remain truly free, it is incumbent that we are all free to practice our particular religion, in accommodation with others and in accordance with the founding principles of the republic.
Nevertheless, a written proclamation that simply encourages the free and voluntary exercise of a fundamental and protected Constitutional right in no way violates the founder’s understanding or any reasonable interpretation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
Judge Crabb’s irrational ruling, which purports to actually defend the First Amendment, does nothing less than unravel the very protections she cleverly claims to preserve.
Let’s pray her ruling is reversed.
Chris McDaniel is a Mississippi State Senator representing Jones County. He can be contacted at cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov.
© 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
http://leadercall.com/opinion/x993513100/Religion-part-of-our-nation-s-history
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Chris McDaniel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McDaniel
http://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig#hl=en&rls=ig&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
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compare/contrast (items linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=36944958 and preceding and following (and http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=42960603 and http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=48542595 and preceding and following)
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Obama Pays His First Visit to Billy Graham, Prays With Him
Bruce Drake
Posted: 04/25/10
President Obama had his first meeting with Rev. Billy Graham on Sunday, stopping at the Blue Ridge Mountains retreat of the 91-year old evangelist on his way to West Virginia to eulogize the 29 coal miners who died there.
"The President had a private prayer and conversation with Rev. Graham," said White House spokesman Bill Burton. "He is extraordinarily gratified that he took the time to meet with him."
Graham issued a statement after the meeting, saying ""I am pleased to have had President Obama in my home this afternoon. I want to encourage Christians everywhere to pray for our president and for all those in positions of authority and especially for the men and women serving in our military."
The Charlotte Observer [ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/25/1397862/obama-to-visit-graham.html ] said Graham's son, Franklin, who also was on hand, said "Daddy reminisced a little bit about the first time he met a president, Truman. My father told the president that he stays out of politics (now). And the president said, 'I wish I could.' "
The Observer also quoted Graham spokesman Larry Ross as saying that Obama had told Graham, as have other chief executives, how lonely, demanding and humbling the presidency can be.
Obama had been supposed to meet Graham during the 2008 campaign when he was at a nearby resort preparing for a debate with Republican John McCain. But Graham, in frail health, was not well enough that day to meet Obama and the visit was put off. Obama did speak to Graham by telephone on his birthday last November.
During the call, they talked again about meeting and Obama, who had been on a getaway weekend with First Lady Michelle in nearby Asheville, made the 15 mile trip to Graham's Montreat home.
"Reverend Graham has obviously been an important spiritual leader for past presidents and for the American people for decades," said Burton. "He's a real treasure for our country. The president appreciates the opportunity to visit him at his home."
On Graham's health, Burton told reporters while Obama was inside that it "sounds like he's pretty good. Sounds like he's got some of the creaks that come with advancing age bu he's still as sharp as he ever was."
Graham, who suffers from failing eyesight and hearing, now has had meetings with 12 presidents including Obama and has been a frequent guest at the White House. Three former presidents -- Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton -- helped the evangelist dedicate the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. in 2007.
Also present was Graham's son, Franklin, who has been in the midst of a controversy after the military rescinded an invitation [ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126202223 (perhaps a good long-term link to the AP story second above)] to him to attend a prayer service at the Pentagon.
The Pentagon disinvited the younger Graham because of remarks he made in 2001 describing Islam as evil. An Army spokesman called the remarks "not appropriate." The May 6 event was organized by the National Day of Prayer Task Force of which Graham is honorary co-chair. The task force coordinates the event with the Pentagon chaplain's office.
Franklin Graham said the subject came up during the visit and that Obama had said he'd look into it, but Graham didn't know if he would be re-invited, according to the Observer.
© 2010 AOL News. © 2010 AOL Inc.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/25/obama-pays-his-first-visit-to-billy-graham/ [with comments]
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also (items linked in):
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=46114753 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=45045062 and preceding and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=4185835 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=4394464 and preceding
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=6130196 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=6343274 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=16232592 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=30868988 and preceding
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=33022696 and preceding and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=26772965
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=32537671 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=39632707 and preceding
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=45592650 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=45634866 and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=49235477 and preceding and following
David Corn [ http://www.politicsdaily.com/bloggers/david-corn ]
Posted: 04/23/10
Imagine if a leading American imam decried Christianity as an "evil" religion and then was invited to participate at a National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon. How would conservative pundits, shouting heads, bloggers and politicians react? There would be denunciations, calls for rescinding the invitation, demands for explanations from the Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and questions hurled at the Obama White House. Fox News execs could only be happier if this occurred during sweeps weeks. But if a prominent Christian evangelist described Islam as an "evil" religion and subsequently received a similar invitation, would the same thing happen?
Well, the answer to that question is no. Franklin Graham, a brand-name evangelist (as the son of Billy Graham), has repeatedly denigrated Islam -- not Islamic fundamentalists who engage in terrorism, but the entire religion. In 2001, after 9/11, Graham said that Islam "is a very evil and wicked religion [ http://cbs11tv.com/watercooler/Franklin.Graham.Islam.2.265296.html ]." Five years later, he told [id.] ABC News this was still his view. He added, "Do they want to indoctrinate me? Yes. I know about Islam. I don't need an education from Islam. If people think Islam is such a wonderful religion, just go to Saudi Arabia and make it your home." And in a CNN interview [ http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0912/10/ec.01.html ] last year, Graham reiterated this sentiment, calling Islam a "very violent religion."
Thus, Graham probably ought not to be at the top of the invitation list for an ecumenical prayer session. But he was indeed asked to speak at the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event on May 6. The invitation was not issued by the Pentagon brass; it came from the Colorado-based National Day of Prayer Task Force, which has been helping the Pentagon mount this event and which is run by Shirley Dobson, the wife of controversial conservative Christian leader James Dobson. Why the Pentagon is partnering with this fundamentalist outfit, which has been criticized for trying to turn the National Day of Prayer (established six decades ago by an act of Congress) into a Christian right celebration, is another story [ http://www.thenation.com/blogs/capitalgames/52 ]. (In 1999, Dobson's NDP Task Force said that every one of its volunteers "must be a Christian" with a "personal relationship with Christ.")
After learning of the invitation extended to Graham, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a watchdog group, objected [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100421/ap_on_re_us/us_day_of_prayer_military ] to his participation, noting Graham's presence would offend Muslim employees at the Pentagon and could imperil U.S. troops by riling up Muslim extremists. The Defense Department announced it would consider rescinding the invitation. And the Council on American Islamic Relations joined the call for disinviting the evangelist. In a statement, the group said, "To have an individual who calls Islam evil and claims Muslims are enslaved by their faith speak at the Pentagon sends entirely the wrong message at a time when hundreds of thousands of our nation's military personnel are currently stationed in Muslim countries."
When such cultural skirmishes -- or religious wars -- break out, I root for sanity and reconciliation. Teachable moment, right? Though it's probably a mistake for government agencies, including the Pentagon, to get mixed up with a Christian right group to put on a National Day of Prayer, here was a chance for Graham to engage in healing, to call a truce. But he chose not to do so. And Fox News helped him make matters worse.
While the Pentagon was pondering what to do about Graham, he appeared [ http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220005 ] on the conservative cable network on Thursday morning. When "Fox and Friends" host Gretchen Carlson asked if Graham still believes Islam is "evil," he did not take the mending route. Instead, he gave no direct response but said,
I love Muslim people. . . . I want Muslims everywhere to know . . . that Christ can come into their heart and change them. . . . They don't have to die in a car bomb . . . to be accepted by God. . . .They can be free through faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone.
With a tone of surprise -- or was it indignation? -- in her voice, Carlson noted that the Pentagon was considering excommunicating Graham from the prayer event. She asked Graham if this signaled "an assault against Christianity, against prayer."
Go back to the scenario at the top of this column. Would Carlson pose a similar question to an imam or rabbi who had denigrated Christianity as "evil"? Is the Pope Jewish? ("You called Christianity 'evil,' and now they don't want you to speak at a Pentagon prayer service. Is this an attack on prayer?")
Had Graham used this dust-up as an opportunity to reexamine his past rhetoric and reach out to the Islamic community, this year's National Day of Prayer could have been quite useful. But he opted to stick to his fundamentalist views -- which, unsurprisingly, is what most fundamentalists do. On Thursday afternoon -- perhaps after watching Graham's interview on Fox -- Pentagon officials yanked Graham's invitation [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_day_of_prayer_military (the post to which this is a reply, in full next below) (AP stories last only so long on Yahoo!)].
That decision was a no-brainer. But in addition to showing the public that he's unwilling to reconsider his extremism, Graham has placed the National Day of Prayer into the glare of public scrutiny. That's not good for the folks organizing it. These social conservatives hijacked this event years ago -- and they have gotten away with it mainly because not many reporters pay attention to it. The National Day of Prayer -- it sounds innocuous. The Graham imbroglio may now prompt journalists and others to take a closer look and wonder why the Pentagon and other government agencies have joined forces with extremist social conservatives. (In 2008, James Dobson accused Barack Obama, the future commander-in-chief, of "distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible," and he claimed that if Obama were elected, there would be pornography on prime-time television, terrorist attacks across the United States, complete economic catastrophe, and a nuclear attack on Israel.) Moreover, is a National Day of Prayer necessary? Especially at the Pentagon? I assume the guys and gals in the foxholes don't need reminders to pray.
UPDATE: Sarah Palin--of course--has weighed in on the Graham controversy. Outraged with the Pentagon's decision to bounce Graham, she wrote [ http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=382386913434 ] on her Facebook page,
It's truly a sad day when such a fine patriotic man, whose son is serving on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan to protect our freedom of speech and religion, is dis-invited [ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/21/army-weighs-rescinding-invitation-evangelist/ ] from speaking at the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer service. His comments in 2001 were aimed at those who are so radical that they would kill innocent people and subjugate women in the name of religion.
Are we really so hyper-politically correct that we can't abide a Christian minister who expresses his views on matters of faith? What a shame. Yes, things have changed.
If she had read the above column--or anything else on this tussle--she would have known that Graham's comments (in 2001 and later years) have not been aimed at Islamic radicals, but at the entire faith of Islam. She has gotten the fundamental fact of this case wrong.
© 2010 AOL News. © 2010 AOL Inc.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/23/national-day-of-prayer-franklin-graham-deserved-to-be-booted/ [with comments]
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Franklin Graham
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Graham
=====
Army disinvites Graham to Pentagon Prayer Day
In this Sunday, May 24, 2009 file photo, Franklin Graham prepares to give the invocation before …
AP – FILE
By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer
Thu Apr 22, 7:52 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Evangelist Franklin Graham's invitation to speak at a Pentagon prayer service has been rescinded because his comments about Islam were inappropriate, the Army said Thursday.
Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, in 2001 described Islam as evil. More recently, he has said he finds Islam offensive and wants Muslims to know that Jesus Christ died for their sins.
Army spokesman Col. Tom Collins said Graham's remarks were "not appropriate."
"We're an all-inclusive military," Collins said. "We honor all faiths. ... Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths."
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation had raised the objection to Graham's appearance, citing his past remarks about Islam.
Collins said earlier this week that the invitation to attend the National Day of Prayer event at the Pentagon wasn't from the military but from the Colorado-based National Day of Prayer Task Force, which works with the Pentagon chaplain's office on the prayer event.
As co-honorary chair of the task force, Graham was expected to be the lead speaker at the May 6 Pentagon service. Country singer Ricky Skaggs was expected to perform.
Since Graham's invitation was rescinded, the task force has decided not to participate in the military prayer service, Collins said.
The decision suggests a growing sensitivity in recent years among senior Pentagon officials to the divide between the U.S. military and Muslims. Graham attended a Pentagon prayer service in 2003, despite objections by Muslim groups.
Graham said he regrets that the Army felt its decision was necessary. In a statement, Graham said he would continue to pray for the troops to "give them guidance, wisdom and protection as they serve this great country."
Nihad Awad, national executive director of Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Graham's invitation would have sent "entirely the wrong message" at a time when troops are stationed in Muslim nations.
"Promoting one's own religious beliefs is something to be defended and encouraged, but other faiths should not be attacked or misrepresented in the process," Awad said.
Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the prayer task force, said Wednesday that U.S. leaders have called for a day of prayer during times of crisis since 1775 but the tradition is under attack.
"Enough is enough," said Dobson, wife of conservative Christian leader James Dobson. "We at the National Day of Prayer Task Force ask the American people to defend the right to pray in the Pentagon."
She called on President Barack Obama to appeal a ruling by a federal judge in Wisconsin last week that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional because it amounts to a call for religious action. The judge did not bar any observances until all appeals are exhausted.
The Obama administration said Thursday it would appeal.
Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation said Graham shouldn't have been invited in the first place.
"I want to say this is a victory, but in a way it's a Pyrrhic victory because it shows how far this got," Weinstein said. "We're not exactly doing cartwheels."
Weinstein said he hopes someone more "inclusive" will be invited to replace Graham.
Collins said there was no word yet on who would lead the event.
Associated Press writer Dan Elliott in Denver contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_day_of_prayer_military [with comments]
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MRFF Demands that Pentagon Disinvite Franklin Graham from NDP Event
Chris Rodda [ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda ]
Senior Research Director, Military Religious Freedom Foundation; author, "Liars For Jesus"
Posted: April 21, 2010 04:09 PM
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation [ http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/ ] (MRFF) has sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, demanding, for the reasons explained in the letter, that Franklin Graham be uninvited as the keynote speaker for the Pentagon's upcoming National Day of Prayer event. The request for MRFF's assistance from a group of Muslim military personnel and DoD employees at the Pentagon, which is enclosed with the letter to Secretary Gates, follows.
April 19, 2010
Dear Secretary Gates,
On behalf of a courageous community of United States military personnel and DoD employees of the Muslim faith at the Pentagon who have contacted the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) for help regarding the choice of Franklin Graham as the speaker for the Pentagon's May 6, 2010 National Day of Prayer event, MRFF hereby demands, for the reasons explained below, that the Pentagon Chaplains Office immediately rescind its invitation to Mr. Graham and choose a more appropriate and inclusive speaker for this high profile event. (See attached request for MRFF assistance.)
You may recall the outrage of the Muslim community, as well as members of other religious faiths, when Mr. Graham was invited to speak at the Pentagon in 2003 -- outrage prompted particularly by Mr. Graham's statements following the attacks of 9/11 in which he called the whole of the religion of Islam "evil" and "wicked." Mr. Graham has never retracted or apologized for these statements, and, in fact, was still defending them as recently as December 2009 in an appearance on CNN.
MRFF also strongly objects in the most fervent magnitude to the Constitutionally noxious affiliation of the Pentagon's National Day of Prayer event with the National Day of Prayer Task Force (NDPTF). This illegal affiliation violates the Joint Ethics Regulation (DoD 5500.7-R) regarding the strictly prohibited endorsement of a non-federal entity (Section 3-209), and DoD Instruction 5410.19, which, likewise, prohibits the providing of a selective benefit or preferential treatment to any organization (Sections 6.7.1 and 6.7.2).
By making it a regular practice to have the NDPTF's honorary chairman, who this year is Franklin Graham, as the designated keynote speaker for the Pentagon's event, and by using the promotional materials supplied by the NDPTF, the Pentagon Chaplains Office has clearly turned the Pentagon's event into an official NDPTF event. No other interpretation is reasonable, rational, or possible.
There is, of course, no issue with the Pentagon Chaplains Office hosting an NDP event. The outrageous issue, in the instant matter, is the Pentagon's hosting of an event affiliated with the NDPTF, a private organization headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. The NDPTF has become the de facto "official" sponsor of the National Day of Prayer, and, by its comprehensively exclusive restrictions and blatantly sectarian requirements, has made all NDPTF affiliated events exclusively fundamentalist Christian in scope, message, and nature.
To begin with, all NDPTF volunteers must subscribe to the following "Statement of Belief," a statement which universally excludes not only all non-Christians and non-religious, but, in point of fact, even many Christians themselves.
"I believe that the Holy Bible is the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only One by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God. I believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, the atoning work of his shed blood, his resurrection and ascension, his intercession and his coming return to power and glory. I believe that those who follow Jesus are family and there should be unity among all who claim his name."
But even more incontrovertibly, NDPTF event coordinators must agree, by subscribing to the following statement, to restrict any participation beyond simply attending an event to Christians and only Christians.
"I commit that NDP activities I serve with will be conducted solely by Christians while those with differing beliefs are welcome to attend."
The NDPTF also has an "Official Policy Statement on Participation of 'Non-Judeo-Christian' groups in the National Day of Prayer," which states:
"The National Day of Prayer Task Force was a creation of the National Prayer Committee for the expressed purpose of organizing and promoting prayer observances conforming to a Judeo-Christian system of values. People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs."
While the NDPTF, of course, has every right, as a private organization, to organize exclusively Christian events and to prohibit the participation of non-Christians, the Pentagon Chaplains Office absolutely cannot endorse or provide a selective benefit to this non-federal entity by shamefully, disgracefully, and unconstitutionally affiliating the Pentagon NDP event with it.
Given the heinously hurtful, bigoted, and very public continual statements of Mr. Graham against the entirety of the religion of Islam, and his position as honorary chairman of the NDPTF, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation hereby demands that the Pentagon Chaplains Office immediately rescind its invitation to Mr. Graham, permanently distance itself from the NDPTF, and simply do the right thing; to wit, make the Pentagon NDP event inclusive of all honorable and noble United States military personnel and DoD employees, regardless of religious beliefs, who wish to participate.
Michael L. "Mikey" Weinstein, Esq.
Founder & President
Military Religious Freedom Foundation
www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org
Enclosure
CC:
President Barack Obama
John M. McHugh - Secretary of the Army
Ray Mabus - Secretary of the Navy
Michael B. Donley - Secretary of the Air Force
Admiral Michael Mullen - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General James E. Cartwright - Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General George W. Casey, Jr. - Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Admiral Gary Roughead - Chief of Naval Operations
General Norton A. Schwartz - Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
General James T. Conway - Commandant of the Marine Corps
Request for MRFF's assistance from Muslim military personnel and DoD employees at the Pentagon:
Dear Mr. Weinstein,
We request the assistance of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation with a matter that concerns all Americans. As Muslim members of the U.S. military and the Pentagon worship community, we are dumbfounded that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office has invited Mr. Franklin Graham to be the guest speaker at the National Day of Prayer at the Pentagon on May 6, 2010.
Seven years ago, the Pentagon Chaplain's Office invited Mr. Graham to speak at the Pentagon, dismissing the concerns of the Pentagon Muslim worship community, as well as those of the Muslim community at large. At that time, the Pentagon chaplain claimed a lack of knowledge of Mr. Graham's opinions on Islam and Muslims. The current Pentagon chaplain made the same claim and dismissed our concerns by stating that Mr. Graham's comments are old news anyway.
That anyone serving in the Pentagon now could claim a lack of knowledge of Mr. Graham's very public, negative comments about Islam and Muslims stretches the limits of credulity. Mr. Graham never retracted his previous bigoted statements ("We're not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He's not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It's a different God, and I believe it [Islam] is a very evil and wicked religion."). And, as recently as December 2009, in a CNN interview with Campbell Brown, Mr. Graham reiterated his negative views of Islam and Muslims by stating, "But there are millions of wonderful Muslim people. And I love them. I have friends that are Muslims and I work in those countries. But I don't agree with the teachings of Islam and I find it to be a very violent religion." We have attached an excerpt of the interview transcript, as well as a link of the video, for your information because it contains even more troubling statements by Graham.
The bigoted viewpoints repeatedly expressed by Mr. Graham, without retraction or apology, contradict not only Department of Defense policy but also our overall national policy, as articulated by President Obama. Once again, we hope and pray that the Pentagon Chaplain's Office will reconsider its invitation to Mr. Graham and instead invite more inclusive and honorable clergy persons to speak at the Pentagon.
Respectfully,
Members of the Pentagon Muslim Community
Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for Franklin Graham, has confirmed to the Associated Press [ http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/04/20/group_wants_evangelists_pentagon_event_canceled/ ] that Graham has not changed his views on Islam.
Copyright © 2010 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/mrff-demands-that-pentago_b_544998.html [with comments]
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Franklin Graham cut from Pentagon event
April 22, 2010
http://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/2010/04/franklin-graham-cut-from-pentagon-event/ [with (. . .) comments]
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Palin: "Nation suffers ... as Mr. Graham is uninvited to speak" at National Prayer Day
April 23, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004230003 [with comments]
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Johnson Jr. blows gasket over Army's decision to rescind Rev. Graham's National Prayer day invite
April 23, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004230009 [with comments]
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Fox hosts Franklin Graham who attempts to convert Muslims away from "evil" Islam so "they don't have to die in a car bomb"
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220005 [with comments]
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Fox News' Islam problem
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/research/201004220037 [with comments]
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Fox News' Carlson and Hoover call reaction to Franklin Graham's comments on Islam "unfortunate"
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220064 [with comments]
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Fox News' Johnson offers every excuse for Graham's anti-Muslim rhetoric, including 9-11
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/blog/201004220010 [with comments]
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Hannity defends evangelist Franklin Graham's attack on Islam
April 22, 2010
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201004220070 [with comments]
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Religion part of our nation’s history
Chris McDaniel
April 25, 2010
LAUREL —
In 1952, a joint resolution passed by Congress declared a national day of prayer. It was signed by President Truman. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Since then, each president has signed a yearly proclamation encouraging, not mandating or coercing, Americans to pray. Further recognizing our remarkable religious heritage, all 50 state governors have signed similar proclamations.
Though the federal proclamation has been part of a national tradition for at least 58 consecutive years, an enduring appreciation of our unique Judeo-Christian foundation has been an essential component of American life since before the republic’s inception.
The first written government document in our nation’s history, the Mayflower Compact, helped establish the very first colony “for the Glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith.”
It wasn’t the only early government document that openly embraced religion. Religious origins of our society also include the first colonial grant to Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584, the first Charter of Virginia in 1606, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1638 and the charter of privileges granted by William Penn to Pennsylvania in 1701.
Since then, freedom’s attachment to religion has grown stronger. God has been specifically acknowledged in all state constitutions, in addition to the Declaration of Independence, which clearly recognizes Him as our Creator, Supreme Judge and Protector.
The national motto remains “In God We Trust,” and it is proudly enshrined in our currency. In verse four of our National Anthem, we sing “In God is our trust” and “Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a Nation.”
Seeking divine guidance, Congress opens each day in prayer, and the United State Supreme Court starts each session with “God save the United States and this Honorable Court.” Public officials swear an oath to uphold the constitution “so help me God.”
United States Supreme Court decisions have also understood our unique religious appreciation and freedoms. In fact, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay expressed in 1816, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
In 1892, the Supreme Court case of Holy Trinity v. United States specifically noted the religious history of our country. After a detailed examination of traditions, declarations and customs, the Court clearly explained: “These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”
The Court’s noteworthy and widely accepted acknowledgment that “this is a Christian nation” was shortly followed by yet another ruling in 1931 which found that Americans are a “Christian people” and a 1952 opinion where Justice William O. Douglas, noted that “we are a religious people and our institutions presupposes a Supreme Being.”
In fact, justices serving our highest Court have clarified on seven occasions the foundational role of the Ten Commandments in the development of our legal system, and there are over one-hundred references to the commandments in the reported decisions of the state supreme courts.
Despite our extensive religious history, only a fraction of which is described above, a United States Federal District Judge in Wisconsin ruled last week that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, even though it had stood unchallenged for more than 58 years, including 11 presidential administrations.
In an embarrassing display of judicial activism, Judge Barbara Crabb found that the wholly unforced and merely encouraged Day of Prayer somehow violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits the making of a “law respecting an establishment of religion.”
A sign of the times, perhaps, it’s remarkable how much and how quickly things have changed.
Her ruling ignores past legal precedent and common sense. Representing hostility born amid an antireligious counterculture, the ruling is a symptom of the greater culture war which revolves around the abolishment of the values and traditions of Western civilization.
Make no mistake, our nation’s founders would be appalled to find a nation which appears to bristle with hostility to all things religious.
Though the Constitution’s framers did occasionally disagree regarding the role of religion in government, an overwhelming majority considered the exercise of religion an indispensable part of liberty. John Adams echoed this popular belief, when he noted, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
There is a universal language pervading the republic’s long and notable history; it affirms that ours is a religious nation.
It is true that our government does not sanction an official or legally-preferred religion or church, since the First Amendment specifically and rightly forbids such intrusion. For our people to remain truly free, it is incumbent that we are all free to practice our particular religion, in accommodation with others and in accordance with the founding principles of the republic.
Nevertheless, a written proclamation that simply encourages the free and voluntary exercise of a fundamental and protected Constitutional right in no way violates the founder’s understanding or any reasonable interpretation of the First Amendment’s establishment clause.
Judge Crabb’s irrational ruling, which purports to actually defend the First Amendment, does nothing less than unravel the very protections she cleverly claims to preserve.
Let’s pray her ruling is reversed.
Chris McDaniel is a Mississippi State Senator representing Jones County. He can be contacted at cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov.
© 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
http://leadercall.com/opinion/x993513100/Religion-part-of-our-nation-s-history
---
Chris McDaniel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McDaniel
http://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig#hl=en&rls=ig&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
http://news.google.com/news/search?aq=f&pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=Chris+McDaniel+Mississippi
---
compare/contrast (items linked in) http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=36944958 and preceding and following (and http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=42960603 and http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=48542595 and preceding and following)
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Obama Pays His First Visit to Billy Graham, Prays With Him
Bruce Drake
Posted: 04/25/10
President Obama had his first meeting with Rev. Billy Graham on Sunday, stopping at the Blue Ridge Mountains retreat of the 91-year old evangelist on his way to West Virginia to eulogize the 29 coal miners who died there.
"The President had a private prayer and conversation with Rev. Graham," said White House spokesman Bill Burton. "He is extraordinarily gratified that he took the time to meet with him."
Graham issued a statement after the meeting, saying ""I am pleased to have had President Obama in my home this afternoon. I want to encourage Christians everywhere to pray for our president and for all those in positions of authority and especially for the men and women serving in our military."
The Charlotte Observer [ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/25/1397862/obama-to-visit-graham.html ] said Graham's son, Franklin, who also was on hand, said "Daddy reminisced a little bit about the first time he met a president, Truman. My father told the president that he stays out of politics (now). And the president said, 'I wish I could.' "
The Observer also quoted Graham spokesman Larry Ross as saying that Obama had told Graham, as have other chief executives, how lonely, demanding and humbling the presidency can be.
Obama had been supposed to meet Graham during the 2008 campaign when he was at a nearby resort preparing for a debate with Republican John McCain. But Graham, in frail health, was not well enough that day to meet Obama and the visit was put off. Obama did speak to Graham by telephone on his birthday last November.
During the call, they talked again about meeting and Obama, who had been on a getaway weekend with First Lady Michelle in nearby Asheville, made the 15 mile trip to Graham's Montreat home.
"Reverend Graham has obviously been an important spiritual leader for past presidents and for the American people for decades," said Burton. "He's a real treasure for our country. The president appreciates the opportunity to visit him at his home."
On Graham's health, Burton told reporters while Obama was inside that it "sounds like he's pretty good. Sounds like he's got some of the creaks that come with advancing age bu he's still as sharp as he ever was."
Graham, who suffers from failing eyesight and hearing, now has had meetings with 12 presidents including Obama and has been a frequent guest at the White House. Three former presidents -- Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton -- helped the evangelist dedicate the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. in 2007.
Also present was Graham's son, Franklin, who has been in the midst of a controversy after the military rescinded an invitation [ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126202223 (perhaps a good long-term link to the AP story second above)] to him to attend a prayer service at the Pentagon.
The Pentagon disinvited the younger Graham because of remarks he made in 2001 describing Islam as evil. An Army spokesman called the remarks "not appropriate." The May 6 event was organized by the National Day of Prayer Task Force of which Graham is honorary co-chair. The task force coordinates the event with the Pentagon chaplain's office.
Franklin Graham said the subject came up during the visit and that Obama had said he'd look into it, but Graham didn't know if he would be re-invited, according to the Observer.
© 2010 AOL News. © 2010 AOL Inc.
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/04/25/obama-pays-his-first-visit-to-billy-graham/ [with comments]
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=46114753 and preceding and following
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=45045062 and preceding and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=6343274 and preceding and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=26772965
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=32537671 and preceding and following
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http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=49235477 and preceding and following
Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
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