Dems call Republican's prayer 'hateful'

World Net Daily | JAn 28th, 2004

[missyme]

A prayer offered by a Republican member of the Arizona state House of Representatives has offended a group of Democratic lawmakers who claim it was partisan, disrespectful and divisive.

The Arizona Republic reports Rep. Doug Quelland of Phoenix delivered the controversial prayer – which was based on one offered in the Kansas House of Representatives in 1996 – to open the House session Monday. It takes aim at multiculturalism, welfare, abortion and "alternative lifestyles."

Rep. Wally Straughn of Phoenix led offended Democrats in filing an official protest.

Here is what the Republican lawmaker prayed:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:

"We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it pluralism.

"We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

"We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

"We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

"We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

"We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

"We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

"We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

"We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

"We have abused power and called it political savvy.

"We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

"We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

"And we have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

"Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

"In the name of your son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

Straughn subsequently protested: "Pursuant to House Rule 20, we, all the members of the House Democratic Caucus, protest the lack of respect that was shown the members of this body and the citizens of Arizona during the opening prayer on Jan. 26, 2004.

"The opening prayer is the one opportunity during each day that we can come together as a body. The opening prayer should unite us, not divide us.

"But the prayer on Jan. 26, 2004, was divisive. It was a pandering, mudslinging, name-calling political statement. It was hateful and mean-spirited. It was undignified.

"The citizens of Arizona deserve better. We are diverse. We have unique perspectives. And our unique voices should be respected. Especially during the opening prayer, as members of this body we must set aside our differences and show respect for Arizona in all of its diversity."

Pastor Joe Wright of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kan., stirred similar controversy in 1996 when he gave the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives. Wright's prayer has circulated on the Internet since that time.

As WorldNetDaily reported, last year, The Rev. George Dillard III of Peachtree City Christian Church near Atlanta served as guest chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives,

[.cnI redruM]

As The Beatles once sang.

"Cry baby, cry
Make your momma sigh.
You're old enough to know better
Cry, baby cry.

[Abynormal]

I agree that the prayer was overstepping boundaries.

[ZGuy]

What happened to the tolerance they try and force down our throats? Oh that's right. It's only a one-way tolerance.

[PeterPrinciple]

please be specific, what part do you think over stepped?

[SouthernFreebird]

I thought this was pulled?

[ZGuy]

And it wasn't totally one-sided. There are at least 4 items that could be viewed as targeting everyone - not just liberals.

[ikka]

Interesting. Seems to me that the prayer struck home on those that were guilty - and they are protesting the prayer rather than searching themselves.

[RightthinkinAmerican]

The truth hurts. Their support of immorality is hateful toward God, IMO. Oh, I forgot, the same rules don't apply to them. Al Franken should have made a flying tackle on the "hate-monger".

[joesnuffy]

And the truth shall set you free..............

[King Black Robe]

Whose boundaries?

[vannrox]

the truth hurts.

[apackof2]

Good for Rep. Doug Quelland of Phoenix bump!

[exmarine]

Yeah, anyone who doesn't toe the MULTICULTURAL DIVERSITY LINE is a bigot and a hatemonger, and that includes the Boy Scouts too!

The idiocy of liberalism knows no bounds.

[DLfromthedesert]

I'm sure our Butch governor was thrilled. LOL!!

[jimkress]

Yeah, well according to some here at FR, we're not supposed to hate evil, either.

[wjcsux]

Bump

[RetiredArmy]

In my book, 99.9999999999999999999999999% of everything that comes out of a democrat's mouth is trash, garbage and hateful. So what!

[jpl]

This actually happened in Kansas about seven or eight years ago.