Posted on 09/10/2011 5:57:35 AM PDT by markomalley
Some Christian ministers have objected to the 9/11 Memorial Service’s failure to include members of the clergy and have scheduled a public prayer service for the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, a Reformed Presbyterian Church minister who is director of the Christian Defense Coalition, said it was “extremely troubling” for Mayor Bloomberg to “exclude public prayer and expressions of faith” from the memorial.
“During the past 10 years, it has only been faith in God and prayer that has enabled so many to move forward and rebuild their lives and protected America from another major terrorist attack,” he said.
Organizers of the memorial service said that the event follows the custom established for the previous memorial events.
“The structure for this program was designed 10 years ago, with the consultation of a lot of families of those who died, and it is primarily for the families,” Stu Loeser, Mayor Bloomberg’s press secretary, told the New York Times.
He said it was wrong to say the ceremony excludes prayer or clergy members. Chaplains from the Fire and Police Department and Port Authority police often attend. Loeser said most people use the events’ moments of silence for reflection and prayer.
At the official event the names of the victims are read aloud continuously for hours, allowing four breaks for moments of silence at the times when the hijacked planes struck the two World Trade Center towers and the times when the towers fell. This Sunday there will be a total of six moments of silence for the plane that hit the Pentagon and the plane that crashed near Shanksville, Pa.
Participants in the service will meet in front of St. Paul’s Chapel at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. They will then walk to West Broadway and Vecsey Street where they will begin a prayer service in front of the PATH Train entrance.
Rev. Mahoney thought it was “imperative” to have a public prayer service at Ground Zero during the anniversary weekend. While the absence of prayer at the official service may seem reasonable to some, he suggested, “it will only compound the pain and the loss of others.”
“During our prayer time at Ground Zero, we will seek God for His continued protection, especially with new credible terrorist threats, pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for our leaders and elected officials and turn to God in repentance recognizing only He can bring healing and restoration to our nation,” he said.
Chris Slattery, founder of the pro-life pregnancy center organization Expectant Mother Care, said the exclusion of prayer excludes “one of the most important factors in helping millions of Americans get through the shock and grief of that brutal attack.”
“We are going to pray at Ground Zero because it is essential that we honor God and continue to look to Him for strength and protection,” Slattery said.
Catholic ceremonies and Masses are also being held throughout New York City, and in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Newark.
Seriously.
Stu Loeser ?
Bump!
Bloomberg is a Traitorous piece of s**t.
Watch part of oreily last night when his socialist amigo rivera was taking up air space and must admit oreily made logical sense regarding how the religious community could have been invited as well as first responders
My daughter is a sophomore at Pace in lower Manhattan - I will alert her of this gathering that includes prayer - she is(we are) catholic and takes her faith seriously so will want prayer.
Thanks for letting us know
I agree - seriously.
I think the audience should create a “Spontaneous act of faith” during one of the moments of silence. The Lords Prayer for instance. Or an audible and respectful “In Jesus name we pray, Amen.” at the conclusion of each moment of silence.
I dare the mayor to tell everyone to shut up.
But that is just my militant attitude right now. Maybe there is a bit of wrong hearted-ness in my approach, but I am human, I am angry, sad, in mourning, and I can’t stand that government-sanctioned censorship is the rule now.
This is more of the same mindset. The left wants to marginalize organized religion. For them, the only authority should be the government.
It’s their plan. Marginalize and de-legitimize religion. Paves the way for government to *be* god. Then the founding principle that our rights come from God not government is easily destroyed. Then we’re all serfs.
Mychal F. Judge, OFM (born Robert Emmet Judge on May 11, 1933; died September 11, 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, Chaplain of the Fire Department of New York, and was the FIRST CERTIFIED FATALITY of the September 11, 2001 attacks .
The Obama White House is behind a cynical, coldly calculated political effort to erase the meaning of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks from the American psyche and convert Sept. 11 into a day of leftist celebration and statist idolatry.
Our voices need to be heard not only at Town Hall sessions or Tea Party demonstrations but in the very halls of Congress. We have to speak out to stop the desecration of September 11th.
NEVER FORGET
"Every 'moderate' Muslim is a potential terrorist. The belief in Islam is like a tank of gasoline. It looks innocuous, until it meets the fire. For a 'moderate' Muslim to become a murderous jihadist, all it takes is a spark of faith.
It is time to put an end to the charade of “moderate Islam.” There is no such thing as moderate Muslim. Muslims are either jihadists or dormant jihadists – moderate, they are not."
Ali Sini
Ali Sini is head of Faith Freedom International. FFI is a grassroots worldwide movement of ex-Muslims and all those who are concerned about the rise of the Islamic threat.
Faith Freedom International Forums ______________________________________________
NEVER FORGET
Watch this moving video. It is the most viewed of any of the 9/11 videos and is now in the Smithsonian.
Be sure to read (at the site) Anatomy Of The Attack and the moving essay,’That Day’ by Steve Golding, a New Yorker who lived through it.
IMHO it is NOT wrong hearted-ness, but the honest reaction of a heart which is free in the Lord and MUST confess that relation to Him...and in the process stand for that freedom which He has granted all of us through our Founders.
I like your idea of the “spontaneous act of faith.” I will in fact pray for it.
I will not be surprise if Bloomberg sends the cops after this prayer group and has them arrested for disturbing the peace or some other BS charge. They’ll probably be beaten, tased, and then hauled away.
It is understandable that our elite wants to exclude any religious activity during this event. They also want to exclude religious observances during burials at the Houston VA cemetery. They know so much better to us. At the same time they are so inclusive and sensitive. I am sure they will include the Man Boy Love Association and the Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Organizations.
Who said the Clergy couldn’t be there? No one has a right to keep them from being there. The day the devil attacked there were all kinds of people from various religions, countries, races etc. NO ONE has a market on telling anyone else who should pray someplace and who shouldn’t? Who did this? Why do people always cowtow to this kind of nonsense. They DO it and it just empowers the idiots that come up with crap like this. Besides...it doesn’t matter. People have, do and always will pray and it doesn’t matter WHERE you pray. Prayer is prayer and God hears it. So, those that don’t want it are AFRAID of the power of prayer and don’t want to see people doing it but alas...it IS done and it IS heard and THAT is what the religious-phobes don’t like.
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