As some of you will remember, on Monday I wrote about a Virginia official's contention that religious freedom really only extended to the Christian religion.
Included in that post was a video showing a Hindu holy man being disrespected by a number of Christians in the galley attempting to drown out his opening prayer with Christian prayers of their own.
Below is a video showing the individuals who disrupted the prayer, and their explanation for doing so.
"Hinduism is a lie from the pit of hell." Where have I heard THAT before?
As you know I am not a fan of having ANY opening prayers to start a session of the Senate, or to start a city assembly meeting, or for any reason outside of a church at all really. Regardless of which religious group is performing the prayer.
However I would NEVER shout somebody down when they were doing so, as these so-called Christians so callously did here.
Their contempt for Rajan Zed, the Hindu priest, was incredibly disrespectful and vile.
But apparently this is an example of that religious morality that I keep hearing so much about.
Ah yes, the Christian bullies, “I’ve got nothing else going for me, but I’m a Christian so I’m better than you, so there!”
ReplyDeleteAmerican Taliban!!! Only THEIR prayers may be heard. Founding fathers bla, bla, bla!
DeleteBULLSHIT!
VOTE BLUE IN NOV!!!
As an atheist, I am also not a fan of praying before Senate meetings. However, if it is going to be done, then every religion should get a chance and get a turn. I would be less opposed to things like having the Ten Commandments monuments put up in courthouses as long as equal space would be given for other displays like that from other religions. After all, it's only fair, right? America is home of the free, right? I don't understand why giving equal time and space to others is such a problem. Can't they look at it as an educational experience or something?
ReplyDeleteIt is written in the "holy" books of all three middle-eastern monotheistic religions that no other religion is allowed and must be eliminated.
DeleteIslam? Convert or lose your head (Conversion by the sword). Christianity and judaism? "Suffer not the heathen to survive." They hate each other because of their beliefs. For the most part, the rest of the world's religion's - like Hindu - are very tolerant of what others believe.
This only came about from recent SUPREME court (not so supreme) that ruled that prayer may be said.
DeleteBut they didn't say WHAT type of prayer.
Oh fuck the american Taliban!
Isn't it interesting that the only people who disrupt meetings, prayers, and funerals are the religious right? Everyone else respects the right of people to believe what they believe, just like in the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteI hope they were arrested and charged.
ReplyDeleteBy whom?
Deletesickos
ReplyDeleteIf they were secure in the belief that christianity is the one and only religion, then they'd heed the advice: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which art in heaven."
ReplyDeleteIn other words, for these christians who can't understand all that old-timey writing: follow the teachings of christ with humility -- and non-believers will see that your religion produces loving, peaceful, compassionate followers, and thus will want to join you.
Nowhere -- nowhere -- did christ promote intolerance, bigotry, hate. Go read the Bible if you don't believe me.
You forget: These idiot extreme right fundamentalists also push the OT BIG time!
DeleteMatthew 5:16
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html
ReplyDelete"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."
But, give them credit, they didn't haul out that "Christian" to torture, water board, and baptize the Hindu.
ReplyDeleteWow! Just WOW!!!
ReplyDeleteSMHID
So many thoughts on this. My first one is how badly and disrespectfully they treated this Hindu priest who had started prayers. He was invited, and graciously did what he was asked to do. Praying over this man's voice wasn't a Christ-like way to do things.
ReplyDeleteThe apostles and disciples never went near the temples and desecrated pagan temples, nor raise a rucus. They didn't become agitators, trying to stir up trouble. The preached and when no one wanted to hear it, they were driven out of town, but did their proseletyzing peacefully and were jailed for it, murdered, and persecuted in some cases. They were the 'tail' so to speak, and the governments, who were of many pagan religions, were the head. State and religion historically never refined people into loving human beings. It turns men's hearts into stone, believing themselves to be superior and wearing their religion on their sleeves to promote their ideology.
The New Testament teaches this core principle: To share the gospel with the love and grace like Christ did. The only time Jesus got angry was in the temple; but he was angry at his own people, because they knew better than to set up wares in the outer court near the Jewish temple. It would be like if he came back today and saw the books and CD's and DVD's and authors selling their wares at a christian conference or anywhere near a worship meeting-place. Christians should know better, but they treat the gospel like a market.
Second, this idea that the U.S. is a christian nation is preposterous. The diaries and notes and writings of some of the Founding Fathers show they were Deists, were not "born again" in the way the NT teaches, and certainly were not 'changed' into life as a born-again believer. They kept the ideologies of their ancestry in England, which was to conquer or be conquered. The Church of England was an iron-fisted secular reign of terror for those who were colonialized. The Founding Fathers were slave-owners, soldiers, militiamen and created a lot of human suffering and carnage. I don't think they were praying "Praise God" while lynching, musketing and swording their enemy (who by the way were mostly unarmed Native American men, women and children)..
The interviewees in this clip are more interested in bragging about their 'christianity' than acting like one. They believe the nation was founded upon the 'bible' and they believe protecting the Senate Chambers from Hindu or other prayers are going to turn the country into some multi-cultural secular nation, which is scary to them.
But, it's always been a secular nation. The madmen and billionnaires who run the country and pay the Republican machine don't get vetted whether they are christian or not. I never heard the Koch Brothers talk about Jesus. I never heard the billionnaire movers and shakers testify of their love for Jesus Christ; yet, the Republican questionnable christian fakes, the Bachmanns, the Huckabees, Cruz's, etc. are no doubt recipients of financial support from these non-professing rich men.
The bottom line is that some Republicans are the worst hypocrites in the land. They fake their love for Jesus. They pretend they want him in Congress and the Senate and in their governing. Yet, they sell their soul to the highest wealthy bidders and receive support, donations and monies from the devil himself so they can win elections. It's promoting Jesus to the voters while they get powerful and rich. Their allegiance is not to Jesus at all; but to the rich and powerful, otherwise, they'd stop disturbing the peace and see that the Kingdom of God is not a temporal physical place, but a spiritual eternal place, not of this world.
Thanks for this.
Delete@6:53
DeleteIf you ever want to see one of those jackasses get apoplectic and violent, just tell them Jefferson didn't even accept the idea that jesus was the son of god!
Just stand back far enough that you are out of reach of their claws.
Thank You!
DeleteThe more I hear the word 'Bible' out of these guys' mouths the more I truly hate that book. Have sold all that were in our house over the years on eBay. Didn't get much for them.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any either. It still tickles me when folks post chapter and verse numbers and the name of the book, like people are going to stop what they're doing, look for and open a book and read something they wouldn't read to begin with. Would Christians read quotes from the quoran?
DeleteYou can buy one for .01 on amazon...
DeleteI live in the same small city as Rajan Zed, and he is a highly respected member of our community. He sponsors Faith Forum on Sundays, bringing a different question each week, which is then answered by all faiths. He is active in many community organizations and gives freely of his time. For an idea of what a good man he is, go to: http://www.asianamerican.net/bios/Zed-Rajan.html
ReplyDeleteAH! I see. Now I understand more clearly why they were so rude to this gentleman. It wasn't JUST that he wasn't christian. It was also that this man is EXTREMELY well educated and actually practices what he preaches.
DeleteTHAT frightens them!
Thanks for the link!
Yea, the fact that he practices what he preaches truly frightens these fakers! GO TO HELL BASTARDS!
DeleteZed has been fired from multiple jobs and now has apparently found a niche. May he survive and thrive,but his credentials are very suspect. He is despised by most Hindi,such as myself. P.Z.
DeleteI second that.
ReplyDeleteWhat would Jesus do?
ReplyDeleteConsidering what he did to the moneylenders, disrespecting the temple, I think he'd grab these talibangelicals by the ears and toss them out.
Jesus would respect prayer by anyone.
Gandhi said it. I like your God but I do not like your Christians.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!
DeleteA-the fuck-AMEN!!! Xtian fakers fuck off!
DeleteOur Founding Fathers obviously meant for this the be a nation under the one, true, CHRISTIAN God
ReplyDelete...and that's why we see Jesus Christ mentioned so many times in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, and the Constitution.
Hallelujah!
@2:32
DeleteYou may make comments like that believing that's the case - and it actually is.
However, I recall that VERY recently someone posted a comment stipulating that those words WERE in the Constitution for anyone with a christian heart" (or some such ignorant shit) to see!
I had to respond by telling the idiot that legal documents didn't have "between the lines" readings and that if he DID see that stuff he needed to seek medical help.
They are ALL nuts - at least, those who are members of the extreme fun die right!
I think Randall2:32 PM was snark. Pretty sure it WAS PURE SNARK.
DeleteWow, what an arrogant, self-satisfied ignoramus that dumpy, pudgy woman is. Was she hum-skuuled?
ReplyDeleteI see that this event was from 2007, but I thank you for publicizing it here. The Wikipedia article on "Hindu prayer Senate"(the search terms I used) is a good one. I think people forget that if by God you mean the omnipotent creator of all galaxies, then there is probably only one.
ReplyDelete"...if by God you mean the omnipotent creator of all galaxies, then there is probably only one."
DeleteHhhmmm. Try telling that to ANY christian! They have three, remember? Three in one, but still three.
"...if by God you mean the omnipotent creator of all galaxies, then there is probably only one."
Delete****
Yeah... DOG!
Do their heads turn all the way around and projectile vomit pea soup? No one's stopping them from praying, they're just asking for some civility and respect for their fellow man and the constitution.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe in a God, but wouldn't shout down an invited guest who's asked to pray. I just stand silently till they're done, no harm no foul. I wonder why prayer is allowed opening a public meeting in the first place, but if you're going to do it, every one gets a chance at the bat.
"...Christians in the galley..." I think you mean "gallery."
ReplyDeleteHow extremely hypocritical and disrespectful. The scary thing is that "the Christians" who shouted out in "prayer" are so delusional that they rationalize what they did in the name of Jesus Christ. We are not a nation of Christians. The U.S. is a country that is supposed to accept all people and all religions. I don't appreciate people like this thinking that they're speaking for the majority, because you're NOT. I'm a Roman Catholic but love to learn about other religions and people. We are all human. Stop hating and start learning. Listen to the prayer you so disrespectfully interrupted, listen to Pope Francis. Listen to the Dali Llama. Why do you insist that there is only one God? Different religions have their own faith and belief's. We are not all Christian. Accept that and worry about yourself. I can tell you that at the rate you're going, you will not be granted eternal salvation into the Kingdom of God. Glad I don't have to worry about spending the rest of eternity with the soul less haters who can't accept people who are different from them and criticize diversity like it is a bad thing. I also just want to put it out there that our forefathers didn't intend for people to kill as many innocent people as possible with military automatic weapons when they wrote the 2nd Amendment. It's way past time for gun laws that protect our citizens so we can all live in a more peaceful society. That is what our fore fathers intended. Can the delusional NRA "fans" please wake up and understand that we are living in the 21st century, not the 1700's. More guns makes us less safe, NOT more safe. Learn about what Australia did after the world's most deadliest mass shooting in 1994. 20 years later and they have not had 1 mass killing. Stop the ignorance and do your homework. Quoting from the Bible is not a sign of intelligence, it's a sign of arrogance.
ReplyDelete