Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation

I received an email from someone today, one of the circular emails that fly around the web, and truth be told, I had a bit of a problem with it.

To me it demonstrates one of the underhand techniques that religious leaders use to lure people to church. It's basically the whole deterioration of society argument that some Christian leaders like to use. They use this philosophy to push the notion that anything bad happening in the world is a sure sign that the end times are upon us, and therefore NOW is the time to commit time and money to the church.

Sadly though, this argument has been used for thousands of years, and it is as wrong today as it was 2,000 years ago when Jesus preached it (MT 24:32 for example).

Anyway, here's the prayer, along with my comments:

"THIS MAN SURE HAS A GOOD VIEW OF WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR COUNTRY!"

- An enthusiastic introduction by one of the originators of this email, I assume.

'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 reversed our values."

- So first we define the problem. The world is going to Hell. Let's start with a little fear and the assertion that our current 'direction' is wrong.

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

- Actually proceeds from the lottery have enabled thousands of underprivileged people a chance at an education. Tennessee, for example, only got Powerball in 2004 (the Christian fundamentalists didn't want it in Bible Belt), yet already in just five years over $1,400,000,000 has been raised for education. Without the money from the lottery we'd have had to forgo education opportunities that the money allows, or tax people. The great thing about the lottery is that it is an optional tax on those who wish to give it. The citizens of this state benefit from the money raised.

Taking a look at the bigger picture, what is the alternative? Ban the lottery? Deprive hundreds of thousands of citizens across this nation of the good that lottery money has brought? Tax people more? People WANT to play the lottery, and those who don't agree with it simply don't have to play. They can equally refuse to accept grant money and other lottery benefits.

"We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare."

- Well if this isn't the biggest misconception in America, I don't know what is (except maybe health care reform, and the critical need for it). People who receive welfare are NOT always lazy lowlifes. Quite often there are genuine cases of need for welfare. This fucking stupid and irresponsible vilification of welfare merely adds to the stigma of those on welfare, and ingrains the nasty notion that being on welfare is bad and wrong.

I'm sure there are some lazy people who take welfare instead of working. But for every lazy person there are probably at least 100 genuine cases of people who need help.

What could be more Christian than helping the needy? Isn't that the message of Jesus?

But no, in this country where Christianity has been hijacked by Republicans we are taught not to help others, but to pour scorn on those who need our help and understanding.

"We have killed our unborn and called it choice."

- We have equally killed our babies, because Republicans don't believe that free health care should be an absolute right for all children. This right wing policy has helped us reach a staggeringly low 42nd country in the world for infant mortality.

As I've already reported, abortion cannot be a real issue while we are turning our backs on babies and letting them die. To all you pro-life people out there, get back to me when every single child in this country is given free access to world class health care, and our infant mortality figures stop being such a massive embarrassment. Until that time, boo hooing about removing a cluster of cells from a uterus isn't going to fly with me.

"We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable."

- It's easy to justify when you use deliberately emotive language such as 'killing babies.'

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

- Actually, I think it is really just a question of fundamental laziness. I don't think that parents who care are actively failing their children with good intentions, most of the problems with child rearing stem from parental apathy and/or stupidity.

But this sounds more like a shot at those liberals who think it's wrong to beat children. Not to worry Mr. Graham, we still lead the western world at beating children in school. Mostly minorities and people with disabilities, but who's counting?

"We have abused power and called it politics."

- By 'we' do you mean the religious right and Republicans under George Bush? Amen brother.

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

- Good old fashioned American greed is pretty much a hallmark of our society. Nothing new here, and certainly more of a right wing problem than left.

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

- Boo fucking hoo. Saying the word 'fuck' does not pollute the air any more than saying the word 'love.' But what would you like Billy? Some nice government crack down on freedom, just so we can impose your stupid fucking values on everyone else? If that's what you're in to, Iran is a great country if you like sun, sand and absolute control by religious extremists.

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

- You mean we have evolved as a society? Which bit you didn't like? When we gave black people the vote? How about letting women go to college? Yeah, I see what you mean, so sad to see us not embracing the values of 200 years ago. Moron.

"Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!'"

- How can an omnipresent being search us? Isn't He already there/here/everywhere?

"Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God..'"

- Here's where we try to legitimize this crap by pretending that everyone else thinks this way too.

"Think about this: If you forward this prayer to everyone on your e-mail list, in less than 30 days it would be heard by the world. (It's worth a try!) One Nation Under God."

- And finally the chain letter hook to make the reader believe they can be a part of a movement.

The sad reality is that there are billions of human beings who don't even have access to sufficient food, medicine and water on a regular basis. I somehow think that they may not possess an email address (iPhone / Computer / other technology / even a fucking phone), rather scuppering the plan to rouse people all over the world. Not to mention the fact that many of our fellow humans choose not to believe in the exact same way as Billy Graham.