See also here from the Washington Post:
TTILE: Strike ‘God Bless America’ from the seventh-inning stretch
See also here in USA TODAY:
Minister’s reason for sitting during ‘God Bless America’ at the ballpark
I don’t mind standing, or singing either for that matter.
I wish God would Bless America, we need it now more than ever.
Mr Marsh , sir you are an idiot.
He sounds like an idiot.
What a moron.
Jesus taught us to pray for God to "give US this day our daily bread." The song is an acknowledgment that our blessings come from God and if other nations want to get the blessings of God, they can change the lyrics to include their nations.
This kind of knee jerk globalist politically correct hogwash is ridiculous.
He could stand and sing "God Bless the Universe, the World that I Love" if he's so concerned about far away people that he refuses to pray for his neighbors.
The Complete Fool
No surprise he is a Methodist. I experimented with the Methodist Church for a couple years on my wife’s behalf but quickly left after discovering that not one I met will take a stand on anything. Back to a SBC church as fast I could.
Sometimes a song is just a song.
The fallacy in his reasoning is his assumption that asking God’s blessing on America somehow excludes everyone else. This is a patriotic hymn, intended to envoke God’s blessing on our country. When one asks God’s blessing on a specific group, church or newborn baby, one does not exclude anyone else. This is a common liberal lie. Recognizing X DOES NOT exclude Y. To claim otherwise means everyone is just a part of the faceless masses...the foundation of liberal/progressive ideology.
I suspect this frock-disguised liberal has no problem asking God’s blessings on his parishoners, his own children and possibly grandchildren, certain friends in distress, and on and on and on. Belittling the invocation of God’s blessing on our country, and trying to excuse it with the lie that it excludes everyone else, is simply evidence that the reason he won’t envoke the blessing is because he doesn’t want it.
I don’t mean to imply that folks should be forced or shamed into standing - but his reasoning is invalid, which means he is hiding his true reasons.
This Land--Woody Guthry (1951)
Bear in mind that the melody was stolen from a gospel song--which I much prefer over Guthrie's version:
The Fire Song--The Carter Family (1930)
Look at me, look at me. I’m most righteous and perfect and ...
Kind of odd what a Methodist minister will take a “stand” on... The UMC is pro-homo marriage, pro-abortion, and pro-many other things that are against God’s Word. So why has he taken this “stand”?
Of course - I know of absolutely no reason to stand for “God Bless America”. The National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”, should be respected by standing. But just because some drunk baseball fan thinks you should stand for God Bless America... no...
no problem, with WashDC now attacking Christian (and Jewish) faith (”elections have consequences!”)... pretty soon this supposed minister of the gospel will be sent to the Peoples’ Re-Education Center... to learn some “socially useful trade” instead of spreading religious opiate to the masses.......... like, perhaps, “community organizing” for the local Communist Party cell boss.
and he won’t be allowed to sit through the Communist Internationale party song, he’ll be standing up and applauding (or else!)
“I’m reminded of the admonition not to pray just to be seen by others. More important, though, I’m concerned that this is a myopic way to exercise faith. I imagine that the God I believe in isn’t interested in dispensing special nationalistic blessings. “
Well, “reverend”, once upon a time when we were a little less technologically adept, a little less sophisticated, and a lot more un-polished, we atually believed that America was God’s gift to the world, that He really cared about us because we stood for somethng greater than ourselves, because we placed our trust in Him and His Holy Scripture. We believed God DID dispense special favors to those who reconized, worshipped, and in their own humble way, sought to plase Him.
And He did.
But today, thanks in no small part to sophists like yourself, other people who really believe in cultural equivalence, and who, maybe even deep down inside question His very existence, we are different nation and people.
Its a shame. I miss America and I certainly wouldn’t miss people like you.
he calls the song a prayer. don’t most ministers/ pastors/ priests, usually ask you to rise for a prayer?
as far as who the crap about asking for a blessing for our nation isn’t right as we aren’t blessing everyone, seriously. i’d bet every time he preaches he prays for a blessing on a much smaller subset of people. so should i be mad that he doesn’t include me in his blessing for his congregation?
Spoken like a true Obamunist. He must not have read the news about the IRS investigations into tea party patriot groups. He must not have seen the reports than anyone who opposes Obama is a "racist" and a "bitter clinger".
You have the right to sit out God Bless America but he didn't make a convincing point as to why one SHOULD sit it out. "plurality", "diversity", etc.
What's the beef? "It's a prayer"? This nation ain't so hot? "Who are we to ask for God's blessings"? It's somehow "divisive"? I ain't buyin' it.
I love it when a liberal tries in vain to explain in some contorted way that they simply resent patriotism.
Patriotism is to a die hard lib what silver is to the fairy tale vampire. They fear it.
To the them the world is one big family and for one member of that family to say they are better is some way or deserve Gods blessing in this case, is against their understanding of the world.
It's that simple yet they cannot admit this...or in this guys case, simply don't understand it.
But viewers from outside their little liberal world can see it, smell it, and view it with total disdain.
This Is my Song
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.