White House Commissions Prayers For Obama Public Events

US News & World Report:

When Barack Obama's presidential campaign contacted Ryan Culp last year to ask him to deliver a prayer at an Obama rally in Culp's native Elkhart, Ind., the high school wellness teacher declined. "I'm a conservative Republican," Culp, who met his wife and raised his two kids in the same evangelical church in which he was brought up, said in a phone interview. "I didn't want to be perceived to be a supporter of a Democratic campaign."

Read the whole story: US News & World Report

Comments

[AngieMom57]

Dear God,

Hear my prayer.

"Enable him so to unfold his latent powers that he can deal with his won specific problems, stand on his own feet, handle his won life, solve his own difficulties and become so strong and poised ins spirit that he forces recognition of his fitness to be recognized as a worker in the plan of evolution, and as one of that band of consecrated whom we call "hierarchy of our planet."

[AngieMom57]

Correction:

"Enable him so to unfold his latent power that he can deal with his OWN specific problems, stand on his OWN feet, handle his OWN life, solve his OWN difficulties and become so strong and poised in spirit that he forces recognition of his fitness to be recognized as a worker in the plan of evolution, and as one of that band of consecrated whom we call "hierarchy" of our planet.

[MajorKong]

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.

In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.

Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:5-8

[Changeizgood]

that was a good one.
LOL

[PoliticalAmazon]

@@!!&^^!!??##@@!!!!

Well, f rack me and call me a petunia! Obama has gone and done it again!

How much longer before we can get this a$$hat out of office? If I wanted Pat Robertson in the Oval Office, I would have put his name on the ballot.

[Bubba Gump]

You have a problem with Barack Obama asking someone to pray during a time of crisis?
I think your rage is misplaced.

[PoliticalAmazon]

I think his ideas about forcing his beliefs on his constituents during his public events is not only misplaced, it is overturning the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

If he is so dependent on a Magical Grandpa in the Sky, then he can go to a private place before the event and do whatever his Magical Grandpa expects him to do when he begs for help or whatever.

Freedom from religion was part of our Constitutionand BOR LONG before Civil Rights was. How about we turn back ALL of the BOR, since Obama seems to think that he can gut the very heart of the Constitution/BOR by his religious obsession.

[Mattie]

you're preaching to the choir with me, I completely agree!

[Wiserone]

Spoken like one of those true "believers" who wouldn't hesitate to get down one knee at any Republican rally.

[Diane Reid]

WHAT!!!!! I am so sick and tired of these so-call religious politicians! I am a born again Christians and I know for sure that God is neither party! How in the world can you call yourself a Christian when a brethern calls you and ask that you say a prayer for him!!!!!! Didn't Jesus say that we must pray for our enemies. If the President is his enemy as he proclaim, (him being a Christian and Obama not,) we know he is, he just broke one of the commandment that Jesus said to do! Thank God these people are not God! If they were only the "Conservative Repubs would go to heaven and the rest of us Hell. They think that anyway. That is so sad.

[Tulka2]

Bless President Obama and keep him safe.

Every single person at his public appearence­s.....? I am deputizing (sp?) you! Every single person at his public appearences is Obama's deputized bodyguard.

We are hip this time to the hate speech. We know what it means. We will not be taken by surprise. If you go to an Obama public event....? Be prepared to be a hero.

[Bubba Gump]

"Deputy Bubba" -- I like it! Thanks, Tulka!

[Changeizgood]

Heavenly Father please continue to protect our President and his family from hate, envy, jealousy and murder. Lord, we know that your with Barack and Michelle and WE will look out for your servant LORD.

It is as John wrote in Revelation, "They deceived all nations" WE are here to stand up in Your name and say NO to hate, NO to injustice, NO to backward thinking and negative stereotypes. We have children to raise, not the Judiciary System's next criminals. We ask that you bless Obama and his administration with love, respect and strength to tolerate, the ignorance of some people, not to open their eyes and see the blessing of OUR President.

In Jesus name WE pray;

AMEN.

[Bubba Gump]

Amen!

[PoliticalAmazon]

You forgot to mention what incorporating the Bible into our government involves:

Leviticus 20:13

"If a man has sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman, the two of them have committed an abomination. They must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves­."

Leviticus 15

'If any man has an emission of semen, then he shall wash all his body in water, and be unclean until evening. And any garment and any leather on which there is semen, it shall be washed with water, and be unclean until evening. Also, when a woman lies with a man, and there is an emission of semen, they shall bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.'

[PoliticalAmazon]

When you advocate bringing religion into our government, are you quite ready for ALL that the Bible advocates:

Leviticus 15

'If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything that she lies on during her impurity shall be unclean; also everything that she sits on shall be unclean. Whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. And whoever touches anything that she sat on shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. If anything is on her bed or on anything on which she sits, when he touches it, he shall be unclean until evening. And if any man lies with her at all, so that her impurity is on him, he shall be unclean seven days; and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.'

[PoliticalAmazon]

Let's just hope that He (obviously, we must use the capital "H" for Obama now) doesn't ask for this little Bible story:

--------
(Judges 21:10-24 NLT)

So they sent twelve thousand warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. "This is what you are to do," they said. "Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin." Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.


The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon. Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the four hundred women of Jabesh-gilead who were spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them. The people felt sorry for Benjamin because the LORD had left this gap in the tribes of Israel. So the Israelite leaders asked, "How can we find wives for the few who remain, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead? There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God's curse."

[PoliticalAmazon]

Here's the last part of that Judges Bible Story---oh, it is quite something.

I think we need to be wary of bringing religion into government. The Bible is a great example of the Pandora's Box we open when we give our country's rulers the authority to inflct their religion n us.

-----

....Then they thought of the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem. They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, "Go and hide in the vineyards. When the women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to be your wife! And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, 'Please be understanding. Let them have your daughters, for we didn't find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not give your daughters in marriage to them.'" So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. They kidnapped the women who took part in the celebration and carried them off to the land of their own inheritance. Then they rebuilt their towns and lived in them. So the assembly of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

[tbone99]

The Repugs don't seem to realize we are going to sink together. They are busy sitting around a radio listening to Rush Limbaugh as the Titanic begins to go under.Mayb­e they switched gods .

[HonorJusticeTruth]

Now if you get paid for doing these prayers, even I could be persuaded to do so. The hypocracy of the religious right is overwhelming. Jesus prayed for his enemies, visited their homes and won their hearts, and even spoke to a TAX COLLECTOR on the road to Damascus. But these people can't even deal with the Democrats because they are "evil". I consider myself a spiritual person, but as long as such attitudes exist in the "real Christians" I have a hard time wanting to be among them.

[just saying]

I don't agree with the response by Culp either but don't get so high and mighty with the "evil" stuff. If I had a nickel for everytime someone in these posts said republicans were evil (and worse!) I'd be a millionaire and wouldn't the stimulus!

[Smirk]

The sentence is a bit ambiguous, but I don't think HonorJusticeTruth was calling Republicans evil. Instead, I think he/she was criticizing Republicans for regarding Democrats as evil, which many seem to do.

[tbone99]

I'm sorry, but a party that signs on to torture , kidnapping and government by lies IS evil.

[goodog]

"For some strange reason, the word Jesus is like pouring gasoline on fire for some people in this country,"

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians use Jesus to beat up on people they hope Jesus would hate.

It gives Jesus a bad name.

[Bubba Gump]

Tyrants did the same thing in the Crusades. But Jesus said it best. "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits....­" (Matthew 7:15-16 Modern KJV)

[PoliticalAmazon]

Yes, Barack Obama, Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, and the rest--I'm looking at you.

[SPQR1775]

That guy in Indiana is a reason religion is as dead as the GOP. He cannot or will not pray for OBAMA because he is a Democratic President and a fellow American, or is it because he is a Black American President who is Democratic. Regardless this guy sounds like he is in bed with the POPE who also wants to tell people who or what to vote for. Separation of church and state means we will enact the CHANGE in 2010-2020 in order to ensure that the GOP will never gain any majority in state of federal level in America for the next 50 plus years except for a few rural southern states and Wyoming. It is time to end the hypocrisy of the Hypocrites that the GOP are. time to move on and time to end the GOP!

[Bubba Gump]

Christians should follow the example of Jesus Christ, who dined with and prayed for sinners. (Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-32, 15:1-2) Why? In the words of Jesus, "And as you desire that men should do to you, you do also to them likewise. For if you love those who love you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you have? For sinners also do the same. And if you lend to those of whom you hope to receive, what thanks do you have? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given to you, good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over, they shall give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you measure, it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:31-38 Modern KJV)

I'm glad Ryan Culp changed his mind and prayed when asked the second time.

[Space Walker]

Good luck America! The pope has always beckoned for America to return to the flock, as was John Paul's mission and his new fill in guy, this is only slow steps to restore the beast to its rightful throne. We will reap the benefits of our complacent views on our constitution.

[PoliticalAmazon]

Sorry. The Pope isn't linked to atrocities and d eath camps in Africa. That would be Obama's pal ol' Ricky Warrenista.

[Dustee]

Is God a republican now?!

Arse wipe.

[jeliz]

I cannot recall President Obama referring to himself as the "messiah." That seems to be a right-wing nickname for him.

Pray to the Goddess, pray to the triumvirate, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, pray to the Greek Gods of Mythology or Buddah, that the words the President speaks tonight will ring in the ears of those whose leaders tell them the President is against them. Let those people feel the uplifting of the spirit the rest of us have felt and the feeling of hope that still exists in this country after all we have endured over the last 8 desperate years; and let his words bring about a healing of the dissention in his own midst between Republican and Democratic leaders. Let all the citizens know he has their best interests at heart, even though they may be burdened.

Separation of church and state I agree with. Asking for voluntary prayer gives me hope that this President does not worship the "Almighty Dollar"; rather exhibits a great humility and realization that, as KDay says, there is a "higher power" at work in our lives and he himself is not the "messiah." Frankly, I am comforted by his humility and pray that God, the Goddess or Zeus or Buddah (or any other entity we choose to pray to) protects our President and his family from harm or ill-will; and let there be healing in our country. Let us respect one another again.

[harriscrl3]

I mean give me a break with this nonsense what we dont even problems that we know have to make an issue of Obama spirtuality. Newsflash the guy has always had religious beliefs. What the heck si wrong with asking people to pray for you. I mean seriously the man tries to be as fair as he possibly can to all religions and we are making a federal case out of his personal beliefs. I mean seriously no wonder we are in this mess people cant move away from the PETTY

Carol

[just saying]

I think it's because people want separation of church and state and holding a public speech to be a representative in government is NOT.

[Mattie]

thank you!

[PoliticalAmazon]

Yes, Harris, we have to make a big deal out of it, because it is defiling the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

If I wanted a fracking religous nutball in the Oval Office, I would have voted for Pat Robertson.

You answered your own argument when you said "a federal case out of his personal beliefs." Do you know that this was dishonest, or do you truly not get it?

What Obama does personally is his business. When he does it as president and makes it part of his public meetings and ceremonies, then that is MY business.

My forefathers did not leave everything behind in England and risk their lives to settle in the Colonies to have another burgeoning theocrat shove religion down our throats. If Obama is so hot on theocracy, then he would do well in Iran. As long as that theocracy endures--which honestly doesn't look like it has much longer to go--Obama would feel very comfortable there because the mullaghs would be happy to shove their religion down his throat.

[Bubba Gump]

Could you please tell me how Barack Obama has hurt you, or anybody, by asking people to pray? That's an inclusive gesture. Is it not?

[KDay]

Prayer is very important in the African-American community. We are all praying for Obama every single day.For us this isn't about seperating Church & State, this is about believing in something higher and bigger than man. When Africans/B­lacks/Amer­icans had nothing else, had evrything taken away, we had prayer no matter if who we prayed to changed over the centuries, that is what we had.

I no longer attend church, but I pray for Obama. No matter where I am, if Obama comes up, I have yet to be near a Black person who does not say we have to pray for him, or please pray for him, or I am praying for him. Men,women and children. We are not just praying for Obama, we are praying for ourselves,our people,our country and our existance.­Because we know if anything happens to Obama, our world as well as many others ends. And it ends because we will seek revenge by any means necessary on anyone in the way.We know these actions will be suicide missions, but it will be done. So our prayers are that it never comes to that, that President Obama stays safe.

Our word is bond.

[AngieMom57]

Stay mindful.
Stay sober.
Stay vigilant.

[PoliticalAmazon]

All true, but we need to get this blossoming theocrat out of the Oval Office before he really gets wound up.