Houston clergy protests governor's, August 6, prayer event - are you going?

[TrainWreck]

Quote:As Houston clergy, we write to express our deep concern over Gov. Rick Perry's proclamation of a day of prayer and fasting at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Aug. 6. In our role as faith leaders, we encourage and support prayer, meditation and spiritual practice. Yet our governor's religious event gives us pause for a number of reasons.

We believe in a healthy boundary between church and state. Out of respect for the state, we believe that it should represent all citizens equally and without preference for religious or philosophical tradition. Out of respect for religious communities, we believe that they should foster faithful ways of living without favoring one political party over another. Keeping the church and state separate allows each to thrive and upholds our proud national tradition of empowering citizens to worship freely and vote conscientiously. We are concerned that our governor has crossed the line by organizing a religious event rather than focusing on the people's business in Austin.

We also express concern that the day of prayer and fasting at Reliant Stadium is not an inclusive event. As clergy leaders in the nation's fourth-largest city, we take pride in Houston's vibrant and diverse religious landscape. Our religious communities include Bahais, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Unitarian Universalists and many other faith traditions. Our city is also home to committed agnostics and atheists, with whom we share common cause as fellow Houstonians. Houston has long been known as a live-and-let-live city where all are respected and welcomed. It troubles us that the governor's prayer event is not open to everyone. In the publicized materials, the governor has made it clear that only Christians of a particular kind are welcome to pray in a certain way. We feel that such an exclusive event does not reflect the rich tapestry of our city. Our deepest concern, however, lies in the fact that funding for this event appears to come from the American Family Association, an organization labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The American Family Association and its leadership have a long track record of anti-gay speech and have actively worked to discriminate against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The American Family Association and its leadership have also been stridently anti-Muslim, going so far as to question the rights of Muslim-Americans to freely organize and practice their faith. We believe it is inappropriate for our governor to organize a religious event funded by a group known for its discriminatory stances.

As religious leaders, we commit to join with all Houstonians in working to make our city a better place. We will lead our communities in prayer, meditation and spiritual practice. We ask that Gov. Perry leave the ministry to us and refocus his energy on the work of governing our state.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/edit...z1PwZ2CYnh

I believe the true motives of the clergy is to gain the possible proceeds of the event into their own churches by way of compromising with the governor by declaring the day of prayer to be held in the churches instead of the stadium. But obviously, this puts a real dent in the atheist argument that Christian churches are always divisive - tangled web to say the least.

Can we find this group issuing protests concerning the recent school book issues???

[BnW]

(21-06-2011 02:28 PM)TrainWreck Wrote:  I believe the true motives of the clergy is to gain the possible proceeds of the event into their own churches by way of compromising with the governor by declaring the day of prayer to be held in the churches instead of the stadium.

And, I thought I was cynical

(21-06-2011 02:28 PM)TrainWreck Wrote:  But obviously, this puts a real dent in the atheist argument that Christian churches are always divisive - tangled web to say the least.

Well, if there was an atheist argument to that effect then, yes, it would certain put a dent in that argument. However, as we've discussed before, there is no uniform atheist position. We don't all agree on the same things or make the same point. Bu, to the extent an atheist, or anyone else, were to have made the argument that churches are always divisive the, yes, this makes a dent in the argument. Unless your first premise is correct and they are just doing this for the money. Or, if they are doing this because they realize that dividing against some religions can set the precedent for being divisive against all of them, including theirs, that may also motivate them to take a stand that seemingly is against their interests but actually is not. But, I'm willing to take them at their word here.

(21-06-2011 02:28 PM)TrainWreck Wrote:  Can we find this group issuing protests concerning the recent school book issues???

Good question. Curious about that myself.

[monkeyshine89]

I really don't see how this is about making money or garnering support. This letter seems very just and valid, whoever is writing this letter is concerned that state sponsored religion will simply be the norm if this goes unnoticed. I've known many theists who are very against a state sponsored religion, because what happens if the state does not pick your own?

I don't understand why you think there is hidden meaning and agenda's in this letter. You shouldn't hate those who practice religion, obviously these people think that church and state should be separate, and in fact believe that public displays of religion are actually in poor taste. They even include atheists and agnostics, in a good light!

From what I've read from your various posts around the forum, you seem like a very hate filled person, calm down, okay?