Conservative Politics Disguised As Religion
I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Presidential Prayer Team. After all, they were the ones who gave us my favorite bit of post-9/11 kitsch :
On a lark, I decided to check in on the organization whose self-described mission was to “pray for our national leaders in accordance with biblical principles, regardless of political persuasion“, but it seems like the election of Barack Obama has dampened the enthusiasm quite a bit. Here’s what the PPT site looked like back in 2006 :
And here’s what the Presidential Prayer Team site looks like today :
Funny how a “non-partisan organization” would go out of its way to avoid using the current President’s name or photo. It’s almost as if members of the Presidential Prayer Team are less likely to pray for President Obama than President Bush. I wonder why that is?
Bonus detail : Notice the site no longer references a Bible quote in the masthead. Is 1 Timothy 2:1-2 not as popular now as it was when Republicans ran the country?
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
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Gotta laugh. The Bush “Pray Now” feature should be asking for a holy spell checker. …and I quote, “Pray for Vice President Cheney to have complete healing of a recurring health problem with his left foot, causing him to use a can temporarily.”
So, where did he go when his foot was healthy?
Comment by Billl — September 15, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
They didn’t say regardless of color, did they?
Comment by Doobie — September 15, 2009 @ 9:25 pm
Does Cheney still require the use of “a can?”[sic]
Comment by M. — September 15, 2009 @ 10:14 pm
Clicked through on the banner that reads “to pray daily for our President, our Leaders, etc.” and found that the most recent “presidential Prayer Request” is dated May 11, 2006 and their most recent “news release” was in August of that year. The midterm elections must’ve made the site owners drop dead…
Comment by jjcomet — September 16, 2009 @ 5:07 am
When people ask God for something, isn’t that being critical? To me appreciation is praise. I strive to be constant in prayer. The style of appreciation generated by administrations will have an equal and opposite reaction, that’s The Golden Rule. Appreciate others if you would want appreciation. Difference is what growth is, changing can be healthy public options.
Comment by Bradford — September 16, 2009 @ 5:40 am
This made me think of a friend of mine who is a fireman. Last week he said to me, “I hear the word ‘nigger’ fourteen times a day at work in reference to the President of the United States–they took down George Bush’s photo from the wall in the station house after the election and have yet to replace it with one of our current commander-in-chief. I haven’t seen that happen in my entire 35 year career.”
Comment by emily romund — September 16, 2009 @ 8:40 am
I was going to give the PPT the benefit of the doubt that they weren’t so brazenly partisan. After all, their new home page does link to the President’s picture if you click the “Executive” button. But then I clicked on the last link under “blog”:
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/blogs/Where_Is_Your_Faith.php
“For some reason that I still can’t explain, I found myself trying to reason against this passage. Yeah, but Obama’s economic policies are going to ruin the country! The authorities that exist have been established by God. We are losing our personal freedoms on an almost daily basis! The authorities that exist have been established by God. But…but…we’re not even sure that he’s an American citizen! The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
and
“‘Romans 5:3-4 tells us that we “also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.’
Don’t let the gloom ruin your life. While the world around us may crumble, we can always find refuge in our constant Lord and Savior. Let us throw aside the temptation to mope and take up the banner of faith and conviction once again. After returning to our roots, it becomes easier to pray for wisdom and guidance on behalf of our President… even if you disagree with him whole-heartedly.”
(emphasis mine)
Comment by Chris — September 16, 2009 @ 1:21 pm
[...] Saunders has a post up over at The Talent Show about how much the Presidential Prayer Team website has changed since Barack Obama was sworn in as [...]
Pingback by harikari.com » Conservatives Politicize Prayer — September 16, 2009 @ 1:25 pm
The site changed only in that the first screen now gives you the option of which branch you want to start with. Once you choose the Executive option, the next screen displays a large picture of Obama followed by his biography. The masthead featuring the verse from 1st Timothy is still in place.
Comment by shawn — September 16, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
I forgot to add: I get what you are saying regarding how some evangelicals don’t seem to pray for Obama with the same vigor as they did with Bush. As an evangelical, I had a picture of Bush on my fridge, and now I have one of Obama….not because I support the man’s policies but because I support him as a human being…he’s now the leader of our country and deserves our prayers and respect. I pray for his health, his family and for wisdom regarding the decisions he makes…the same prayers I had for Bush.
Comment by shawn — September 16, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
[...] Conservative Politics Disguised As Religion — Ah, the Presidential Prayer Team. Hey, conservative America, those religious convictions not so strong when you find yourself praying for a black man? Racism much? [...]
Pingback by Jay Lake: [links] Link salad takes a right at the light, heads on until night — September 17, 2009 @ 4:33 am
Bonus Detail 2: If you click through to the Executive Branch, you see a mini-bio of Barack Obama, which notes he has a Kenyan father, gives a birth date, but carefully omits a birth place. They know their audience.
Comment by Aaaargh — September 17, 2009 @ 10:39 am
goddess bless the obama family …. and keep evil away, like the bushes, the cheneys, all republicans, GOP pundits, Fox News employees such as glenn beck, rush limbaugh and all other radio people, all rednecks and people from the south, all haters and racists everywhere else in the u.s.. the goddess isn’t white, so she will prevail …. the only civil war will be one begun by the right wing …. oh, and keep nancy pelosi away from the obamas, too …. racism will be the undoing of the republican party, absolutely no doubt about it.
Comment by Nellita — September 17, 2009 @ 12:24 pm