Posted on 06/26/2007 8:18:26 AM PDT by RDTF
For what is believed to be the first time in its history, the U.S. Senate will on July 12 be opened with a Hindu prayer, the Senate Chaplain's Office confirmed Monday.
For more than 200 years, the Senate has opened each workday with a prayer usually delivered by the Senate Chaplain, currently Barry Black, a Seventh Day Adventist. It is common, however, for senators to recommend religious leaders from their home states to serve as guest chaplains.
Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain from Nevada, on will become the first Hindu to deliver the morning prayer. In a statement announcing his scheduled appearance, Zed called the occasion "an illustrious day for all Americans and a memorable day for us."
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Zed, a U.S. citizen originally from India, said he has not finalized the prayer but that it will likely quote Hindu scriptures including the Rig Veda, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita.
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Senate Historical Office (SHO) historian Betty Koed said the office doesn't have a complete list of past guest chaplains but that she knew of "no evidence of a Hindu prayer" being spoken on the Senate floor in the past.
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While the majority of official and guest chaplains represent Protestant, Catholic or Jewish faiths, Zed is not the first religious figure outside the Judeo-Christian tradition to offer the daily prayer. In 1992, Wallace Mohammed became the first Muslim leader to deliver the invocation.
Spokesmen for both Nevada senators - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican John Ensign, the most likely candidates to have recommended Zed for the guest chaplain position - did not respond to requests for comment Monday. Zed did not say which senator requested that he be invited as a guest chaplain.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Following the hindu prayer, everyone will break for hamburgers on the grill
It has been traditional in Washington for a while to invite prayer leaders from all faiths. They ought to just gavel the meeting open, but some like a reminder of something beyond the immediate business at hand for perspective and the messages are remarkably similar no matter who gives it: ‘let us not totally screw up today.’
I’m sure they would.
NFW!
Better to just do away with prayers altogether, leave the praying to Churches.
Our society is enriched by our Muslim citizens.
GWB
10/16/06
I think it needs more cowbell...:)
I would not put that past the libs. If you can call a murderous death cult like ISLAM a religion then Wiccans are mild and totally wholesome in comparison. This is liberal white guilt wanting to apologize for their colonial past and bow down to the altar of “all religions and cultures are equal”. As someone who has lived outside the USA and has traveled extensively that is a total lie. The unique American culture is the best in the world and produces the best results for its residents. That is not by accident and all immigrants need to adapt to this proven successful culture, otherwise why come to the USA ?
The ACLU has totally turned the meaning of the first Amendment on its head: the so called total “seperation of-church-and-state” doesn’t really exists (it isn’t constitutional) and if the 1st Amendment it plainly read, along with historical prescedent: it really meant that Congress could not establish a US National Religion, and individual citizens could worship God, or no God, or whatever as long as it they don’t violate others God given rights (life Liberty, happiness). Also it was meant to protect Religion from Government not the other way around. If one (or a community) want religious practices in their governmet: FINE as long as others that doesn’t believe don’t have to take part in that ceremony, and if those that don’t believe want to have thier own govt ceremony fine, but then the majority doesnt have to take part in their ceremony!! PRoblem Solved/.
Whether they agree or not doesn’t matter, it is true that “I am the truth, the life, the way no one gets to the Father but by Me”-Jesus.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t respect Jews and Muslims, but strictly speaking they need Jesus!
I presume you are familiar with the work of Dinesh D’Souza “What’s So Great About America”?
Will it be offered to the goddess Kali?
Who do they pray to? Is it the ONE God this nation is UNDER?
“I am the Lord thy God, I will have NO OTHER gods before me”
Maybe he meant HE is enriched by Muslims, you know how he misspeaks all the time
meh, most of them sleep through a prayer to God anyway. If I were a member of the senate I would very publicly decline to bear there when a prayer is uttered to a heathen group of dieties.
Intolerant - maybe, short sited - hardly, narrow - most defiantly.
I don’t like and don’t believe it.
To compare me getting ill over a hindu prayer in the senate to the taliban - is laughable.
We are NOT a hindu nation. A hindu priest should not be opening the senate with a hindu prayer.
And no I do not have to respect hinduism, the hindu individual I will of course but not the religion.
Good grief!
It happens all the time, every where, every day ... people confuse the message with the messenger.
And there are some people out there that wonders why the Lord Jesus Christ lets things happen to this country,
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