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Title: ‘Jesus Prayers’ in Legislature Upset Florida’s Jewish Delegates
Source:
THE JEWISH PRESS.com (is there any other kind?)
URL Source: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/flo ... egislature/2013/04/28/0/?print
Published: Apr 28, 2013
Author: Tzvi Ben-Gedalyahu
Post Date: 2013-05-02 23:20:12 by HOUNDDAWG
Keywords: Jews, Jesus, Miami, Palm Beach
Views: 129
Comments: 1
Jewish legislators in Florida are seeking an end to prayers that often open the daily legislative session with references to Jesus Christ. They want prayers to be “all-inclusive.” Rep. Jim Waldman told House Speaker Will Weatherford on Friday the “J.C” moment offends them, but Weatherford’s initial reply was that every cleric, whether Jewish, Christian or other, can pray as he wish. Nevertheless, he will consider the request. A one-page guide to all clerics suggests that they refrain from “preaching or testifying” and that she should “be especially sensitive to expressions that may be unsuitable to members of some faiths.” Statements about the “father, son and holy spirit” are too much for Waldman, who said that Jewish colleague Rep. Kevin Rader usually enters the legislature only after the prayer is completed in order to avoid a “JC moment.” “It’s just not non-denominational. I don’t care that it’s optional. That shouldn’t be the limit test. It should be inclusive. And it’s not inclusive,” he told the Palm Beach Post. The issue has come up before in the Florida legislature, most blatantly in 1997 when an evangelist took the opportunity in his benediction to attack divorce and abortion and cite Jesus as “the true God, the only God.” Rep. Waldman said, “This year more so than others, every time the prayer comes up, it’s in Jesus’ name. This is my seventh year talking about it, and it’s getting to be too much. It would be nice to have an inclusive prayer.” Christian News quoted the Speaker as saying, “Every member, Republican and Democrat, has an opportunity to pick a person to come on their behalf. We had a rabbi last week who didn’t pray in Jesus’ name. …We don’t choose the prayers for them…. I hear your concern but I can’t tell someone how to pray.” Waldman disagrees and says clerics can be told how to pray. “It’s supposed to be non-denominational. I mean, that’s the law actually, it’s supposed to be non-denominational, not proselytizing, and it’s just not been….For Jewish members, it’s an insult.” One possible way of settling the issue might be for a rabbi to open a legislative session by blowing the shofar. It would be interesting to see how many Christians would stand solemn with their heads bowed during 30 blasts of the shofar, ending with a long "Tekiah Gedolah." Is there a Muslim in the crowd? About the Author: Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu is a graduate in journalism and economics from The George Washington University. He has worked as a cub reporter in rural Virginia and as senior copy editor for major Canadian metropolitan dailies. Tzvi wrote for Arutz Sheva for several years before joining the Jewish Press. Poster Comment: ___________________________________________ Mixed emotions is described as "Watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your brand new Cadillac". And, I have mixed emotions about this. As a kid I was dragged from one fundie, indy Babtist gathering to another for a while. It was the price I paid for a mentor who would take me swimming at the naval base pool, and a wonderful age appropriate introduction to govt avionics/electronics. And, even as a child I could apprehend much about the scientific and the spiritual ethers, even though I couldn't necessarily articulate my observations for years. (This included honing my bull dookey detector to a fine edge when I witnessed- in the Christian sense a laying on of hands and the healing of throat cancer for a wonderful, gospel singer who burst into song like Whitney herself! Even at 8 yrs old I wondered how it was that she had a mike set up that was perfectly tweaked for her when she broke into song! I deduced that Oral Roberts wouldn't have chanced a failed healing for 5,000 souls at risk and the woman was "prolly healed before the show".;) Moments before she was speaking in a weak, tearful, cancer ravaged voice then Praise GAWD it was a miracle! One thing I repeatedly witnessed was more than a few preachers who pummeled folks with Jesus' name. Instead of quietly, respectfully invoking his name it was hurled at the faithful in a manner that was clearly intended to shock people. (I flew out of L.A.X. to Philly then drove a Jeep down to Norfolk to attend my niece's "secular" wedding by the City's Marriage Commissioner. He opened the ceremony by proclaiming that "Marriage is an institution created by GAWD!!!" (As a political appointee he was apparently acting on the state's and especially God's authority, thereby serving two masters) My niece was marrying a young Iranian lad from a family of escapees, supporters of the former Shah. The lad needed a green card and presumably even Muslim/Christian marriages are made in Heaven. The angry, rotund commissioner looked at the handsome, dark skinned young man as if he wanted to drown him in a baptism pool but as a secular official he couldn't refuse to do "GAWD's work. The family insisted that they were Christians but immediately after the wedding the groom's uncle offered his two palms up to all and those in attendance had a ceremonial piece of Brach's candy. I suspect that the kids decided not to reveal the boy's Muslim background to his new Confederate in-laws. (I personally didn't mind that he was Muslim but I did care that he was a sand nigger. A nice looking young man but a shade or two darker than I approved of) Anyway, the preachers of my youth spoke it as if they owned Jesus' name and with a special parochialism instead of offering it as a warm gift in the spirit of love for thy neighbors. It almost filled the vacuum left when fire and brimstone sermons were no longer in fashion; attendance fell off as people avoided the wrathful judgement bolts launched at their consciences. I suspect that non Christians in the Florida Legislature are correctly reading the code intended for their receivers. I say this because Dr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries (now deceased) could certainly have offered an appropriate invocation and prayer without alienating anyone. And as members of the Florida House even the G_D-cursed Christ killing Jews are entitled to that. 
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Coral Ridge Hour with D. James Kennedy - Socialism Sermon [11.5 minutes]
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestDr. D. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries
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