Minister Apologizes for Praying at Interfaith Service Following School Shootings

[c.d.]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/07/rev-rob-morris-apologizes-praying-at-newtown-interfaith-vigil_n_2635576.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

c.d.

[c.d.]

I think a much better response would have been for the minister to tell his Bishop to stick it and then give serious consideration to finding a new denomination.

c.d.

[Errata]

Well, priests pray. Can't really blame the guy for doing his job. I think the problem was that it was an interfaith service, and not a multifaith service. Interfaith means every prayer applies to everyone. Multifaith says you pray your own way, and listen to a bunch of other people pray their way.

I have constant arguments about how Christian prayers exclude Jews, when Christians think that they don't. We almost never reference god as any kind of a father, and we certainly don't tag "In Jesus's name we pray..." at the end. Just saying, it very annoying to be told that a prayer includes you, and then they throw in a specific exclusion.

[Archaic]

I think a much better response would have been for the minister to tell his Bishop to stick it and then give serious consideration to finding a new denomination.

c.d.

Hi c.d.

I agree with you.

I read this the other night and was appalled. Just out of curiosity, do they consider praying with other faiths such as Muslims and Jews to be what is forbidden, or is praying with other Christian denominations forbidden too?

(I don't agree with them either way; I'm just wondering.)

Best regards,
Archaic

[The Good Michael]

If I had been one of the parents of a victim, I'd be disappointed that anyone was praying rather than doing something more active since prayer has no real use.

Mike

[Errata]

If I had been one of the parents of a victim, I'd be disappointed that anyone was praying rather than doing something more active since prayer has no real use.

Mike

Well, I imagine that any victim's parents who are atheists weren't there. Or were at least nominally willing to be put on display at a public ceremony. No one says that they were ONLY praying. We have a lot of religious leaders here who are very active in doing as well as praying. And I don't even a little understand the interfaith service thing. But despite the fact that these things are an inherently selfish way for a community to express their condolences and regrets, I think there is a certain amount of comfort in such a public display of sympathy for another person's pain. If a bunch of people wanted to pray for me in a huge service to deliver me from the pain of my depression, I'd feel good about that. It will never happen, but if it did, I'd would feel... not so alone I guess.

[Archaic]

If I had been one of the parents of a victim, I'd be disappointed that anyone was praying rather than doing something more active since prayer has no real use.

Mike

Hi Mike.

I respectfully disagree.

Best regards,
Archaic

[Robert]

Some possible reasons why your prayer may have been unanswered :

1. You prayed for the right thing, but at the wrong time.
2. You prayed at the right time, but for the wrong thing.
3. Your prayer was at an interfaith service and hence invalid.
4. Your prayer reached some other deity.
5. Fulfilment of your prayer might have inconvenienced other prayer users.
6. Your prayer was racist, sexist, homophobic, ageist or in some other way Unacceptable - please see guideline form PRA/04BH/63.
7. Your prayer was too long. Worshippers are reminded to keep their prayers brief and to the point.

Kind regards

The Supreme Being

[The Good Michael]

I respectfully disagree

You may.

Mike

[The Good Michael]

Some possible reasons why your prayer may have been unanswered :

1. You prayed for the right thing, but at the wrong time.
2. You prayed at the right time, but for the wrong thing.
3. Your prayer was at an interfaith service and hence invalid.
4. Your prayer reached some other deity.
5. Fulfilment of your prayer might have inconvenienced other prayer users.
6. Your prayer was racist, sexist, homophobic, ageist or in some other way Unacceptable - please see guideline form PRA/04BH/63.
7. Your prayer was too long. Worshippers are reminded to keep their prayers brief and to the point.

Kind regards

The Supreme Being

PS. 8. I don't exist

[Errata]

Yeah, okay a lot of people do not believe in any god. I don't think that was the issue here. I think the problem here is that the some people think the primary goal should have been not to offend, and some people think the primary goal should have been prayer, as it was a service of sorts. Which is one of those situations that's tough to read. Kind of like when a girl is crying over some guy it's a tough call whether to soothe her or whether to commiserate with her. "There there, it will be all right" vs. "Yeah.. men are pigs!". And the right answer depends solely on what is going to make her feel better, but you don't know which strategy she needs, and frankly, she doesn't either.

[Robert]

The right answer is, "You'll feel better once you've put the kettle on."

[The Good Michael]

Kind of like when a girl is crying over some guy it's a tough call whether to soothe her or whether to commiserate with her. "There there, it will be all right" vs. "Yeah.. men are pigs!". And the right answer depends solely on what is going to make her feel better, but you don't know which strategy she needs, and frankly, she doesn't either.

Why can't the strategy be to help her change things so that she doesn't get treated like garbage again? Instead of praying, exert effort in a tangible direction to help prevent such things happening again. Prayer is a plea to a greater power to do something and there's no evidence that the plea is heard. This is my main issue. It's much easier to pray than to get off one's a## and do something real.

Mike

[RivkahChaya]

Well, priests pray. Can't really blame the guy for doing his job.

Did you read the article? He wasn't doing his job, not as it was laid out for him by the Missouri Synod, and he was a Missouri Synod Lutheran Pastor. They're pretty much the least inclusive of all denominations in the US, less inclusive than Catholics, even. I suppose the Amish are maybe less inclusive than the L-MS, but that really makes my point. They are specifically prohibited from participating in "interfaith" functions, and this pastor did anyway, so he had to apologize to his church. I have no idea whether he did anything to offend the people at the interfaith service or not.

I have constant arguments about how Christian prayers exclude Jews, when Christians think that they don't. We almost never reference god as any kind of a father, and we certainly don't tag "In Jesus's name we pray..." at the end. Just saying, it very annoying to be told that a prayer includes you, and then they throw in a specific exclusion.

I hear you there. We also don't bow our heads, and so we are not being rude not to do so when we don't at an interfaith gathering where everyone else is. And we don't ask HaShem (the deity) to "be with us," or something like that, because that clashes with our entire conception of the deity. We ask for blessings, but not "support," something Christian Americans love to do, like the deity is their BFF.

Christians never bother to ask Jews what does or doesn't make a good interfaith prayer, and there are plenty of people who think you can take a standard Christian prayer, and just take the word "Jesus" out of it, and it will do.

Also, we say a blessing over food before a meal, but grace, or thanksgiving, afterward. Don't come into my house, and insist on something different. Even if you are dating my brother-in-law.

The right answer is, "You'll feel better once you've put the kettle on."

Or, "No man in the world is worth crying over. Unless he dies."

I like your answer too, though, Robert.

[Errata]

Why can't the strategy be to help her change things so that she doesn't get treated like garbage again? Instead of praying, exert effort in a tangible direction to help prevent such things happening again. Prayer is a plea to a greater power to do something and there's no evidence that the plea is heard. This is my main issue. It's much easier to pray than to get off one's a## and do something real.

Mike

Because action is part B. Part A is to get her to stop crying. Mostly because part B doesn't happen while part A is going on.

And I agree with you that actions speak louder than words, that involvement is more important that sympathy. But people have the capacity to do both, and we don't know that this guy doesn't do both. Sure most people just pay lip service and move on, but not everyone. I for example have prayed many times for a certain thing to be changed, and then went out to work to change it. Granted, prayer is a different beast for me than for a priest but no matter why a person prays, or what they get out of it, prayer serves as a focus. It centers the mind on an issue or a problem, just like meditation. People can take that focus and move forward with it. Or they can drop it when Honey Boo Boo comes on tv. But that is the choice of the person praying, and not an inherent fault of prayer. But either way, action is not negated by prayer. Prayer is simply all some people are willing to give of themselves because it's a three hour service and then they can get back to caring about Kardashians.