by Gary Berg-Cross
The National Prayer
Breakfast often stirs up controversy, although different ones in the secular and
religious communities. In the past, for example, we had the context of the Hobby Lobby Case and we found there was a link to a somewhat
“secretive group" called "The Family” playng a role of hosting the National Prayer Breakfast. This was reported on the MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, by author Jeff Sharlet who publicly accused "The Family" of this role.
“secretive group" called "The Family” playng a role of hosting the National Prayer Breakfast. This was reported on the MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, by author Jeff Sharlet who publicly accused "The Family" of this role.
This year I was at a
discussion group after the Breakfast event and the buzz was about Obama’s “crusader”
comment:
“And lest we get on our
high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during
the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name
of Christ. In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified
in the name of Christ.”
As
the Post noted, “Critics pounce(d) after Obama talks Crusades, slavery at prayer
breakfast”
There was lots of ideas
and symbols wrapped up in the spaces between the words and suggestive connections
to other parts of the speech. An example is that patriotic, hot button issue of American
exceptionalism. Well, as noted, the Greeks think their country i special, too). Then there
is the contrast with uncomfortable Bush-era practices such as those interrogation
practices, euphemistically called “harsh” for years, but in the Obama era more
correctly called torture that goes along with the invasion
of Iraq a tragic, hubristic mistake. Perhaps we
should pray for forgiveness for these things as well as our prior heavy hand in
Central and South American.
Are these
things too sensitive and ideological to discuss at a “prayer” meeting or ask
forgiveness for? Do they downplay ISIS
evil too much? Well conservatives like
The Family and Baltimore’s Ben Carson believe so. Any number of outraged Republicans
voices could be heard such as former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore who said,
“The
president’s comments this morning at the prayer breakfast are the most
offensive I’ve ever heard a president make in my lifetime. He has offended
every believing Christian in the United States. This goes further to the point
that Mr. Obama does not believe in America or the values we all share.”
Well it seems to some of us as a good use of the
Prayer Breakfast pulpit to talk about the moral side of things and for the
Religious-American complex to take an historical, self-reflective stance. It is a timely context
seeing something bad done in the name of Religion to humbly note that Faith,
and not just one Faith, can be perverted and its name used to justify revenge
killing and harm. It’s about the need for
the prayerful to”stand up against those who try to use faith to justify
violence, no matter what religion they practice.”
