Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Prayer in Tampa
I received this story in an email from the St. Petersburg times and it prompted a letter to the editor. I have my doubts that they will run it, but I at least wanted to share it here.
Here is the gist of the article.
People who oppose starting government meetings with invocations pleaded with City Council members Thursday to end the practice.
"I'm not sure you realize how repugnant and degrading your opening prayers are for those of us without superstition," said Frank Prahl. "Why should you waste your time and insult people who don't believe as you do?" You can read the rest of the story here.
The following is my response:
Subject: Prayer before council meetings
I don't live in your area. I read the story online and thought it amusing. The same people that feel they have a constitutional right not to be offended (still not sure where that came from) have absolutely no problem calling my deeply held religious beliefs as "superstition." It's the peak of hypocrisy and to be quite honest it offends me, but that's okay. The bear about free speech is also it's greatness, i.e. people are allowed to say offensive things without fear of reprisal. That is apparently unless they are Christian.
Were I to find myself in a non Christian country, I would be neither surprised nor offended when people talk to a god I don't believe in. I simply wouldn't join in and instead pray to the one I believe to be the one true God. Some may be offended by that statement and the great thing is, that's okay because as adults in a country with treasured free speech you are free to disagree with me and most likely your faith calls you to pray for me unless you happen to be an atheist in which case you think I'm superstitious so ignore me. (Incidentally the irony is Atheism requires the most faith of any faith.)
Around 80+ percent of the population of the United States professes to be Christian. Does that mean the Christian population should be bullies? Absolutely not we are called to love our neighbors. However in every other aspect of our nation's policies, the majority rules. As everyone else in the nation, we are guaranteed the right to pray to our God in public, and you are guaranteed the right to ignore us and not participate. None of us has the right to not be offended, the only way to change that is to deprive everyone of free speech. I'm not willing to give that up. Are you?
Dave Weiss
(1) comments
I received this story in an email from the St. Petersburg times and it prompted a letter to the editor. I have my doubts that they will run it, but I at least wanted to share it here.
Here is the gist of the article.
People who oppose starting government meetings with invocations pleaded with City Council members Thursday to end the practice.
"I'm not sure you realize how repugnant and degrading your opening prayers are for those of us without superstition," said Frank Prahl. "Why should you waste your time and insult people who don't believe as you do?" You can read the rest of the story here.
The following is my response:
Subject: Prayer before council meetings
I don't live in your area. I read the story online and thought it amusing. The same people that feel they have a constitutional right not to be offended (still not sure where that came from) have absolutely no problem calling my deeply held religious beliefs as "superstition." It's the peak of hypocrisy and to be quite honest it offends me, but that's okay. The bear about free speech is also it's greatness, i.e. people are allowed to say offensive things without fear of reprisal. That is apparently unless they are Christian.
Were I to find myself in a non Christian country, I would be neither surprised nor offended when people talk to a god I don't believe in. I simply wouldn't join in and instead pray to the one I believe to be the one true God. Some may be offended by that statement and the great thing is, that's okay because as adults in a country with treasured free speech you are free to disagree with me and most likely your faith calls you to pray for me unless you happen to be an atheist in which case you think I'm superstitious so ignore me. (Incidentally the irony is Atheism requires the most faith of any faith.)
Around 80+ percent of the population of the United States professes to be Christian. Does that mean the Christian population should be bullies? Absolutely not we are called to love our neighbors. However in every other aspect of our nation's policies, the majority rules. As everyone else in the nation, we are guaranteed the right to pray to our God in public, and you are guaranteed the right to ignore us and not participate. None of us has the right to not be offended, the only way to change that is to deprive everyone of free speech. I'm not willing to give that up. Are you?
Dave Weiss
