Indiana Prayer

The Indiana House of Representatives wants to open every

legislative session with a prayer that acknowledges the power and divinity of
Jesus Christ.

The Indiana House of Representatives wants to open every
legislative session with a prayer that acknowledges the power and divinity of
Jesus Christ.

Undeterred by opposition from the ACLU (big surprise), two
Roman Catholics, a retired Methodist minister and a Quaker lobbyist, not to
mention U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton of the Southern District of
Indiana, the legislators are now asking the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to
reverse the lower court's decision and bless its desire to open the session
with explicitly Christian prayers. If necessary, the Indiana legislators have
sworn, they will take their fight against non-sectarian prayers all the way up
to the Supreme Court.

I completely agree that our state and federal governments
could do with some serious prayers, not to mention a little Bible study.
(There's some really good stuff in the Book of Matthew that I think they may
have overlooked.)

So in the interest of preserving both Christianity and
democracy, I'd like to offer the following invocation:

Dear Lord,

We ask Thy help and
guidance today for the Indiana House of Representatives and its members, who
apparently haven't noticed that Thou hast managed to inspire and save mankind
for more than 2,000 years without their help or interference.

Please preserve us
from those who seek to shove Thee down the throats of those who do not believe
in Thee and who – for whatever reason — 
do not want to. Shine Thy everlasting light on the United States
Constitution, especially that part towards the end that mentions freedom of religion.
Reveal to the lawmakers of Indiana that, in this country, freedom means you
don't have to sit through a prayer to a deity you don't acknowledge just to get
your bill considered by the state legislature.

Lord, we know that it
is the duty and privilege of all Christians to pray constantly, to offer Thee
our thanks and praise in good times and to call on Thy help when life gets
tough.  Please let these legislators
know that Thou wilt hear our prayers at any time, whether we  are at home, at work, or in the State Capitol
– and that Thou canst can hear us just fine without official amplification from
the House microphone up front.

We humbly beseech Thee
to speak to the consciences of the attorneys in the U.S. Department of Justice,
in the hope that they will repent of the amicus brief they have filed in
support of this misguided governmental attempt to assist Thee in getting Thy
Word out.

We ask these favors,
oh Lord, in the sure and certain knowledge that Thou hast the power to change
human hearts and minds without any official intervention.  And if Thou couldst render these favors
soon, before these benighted elected leaders waste another dime of state and
federal taxpayers' money on a bald-faced political bid to garner support among
Christian fundamentalists before the November elections, that would be a great
blessing.

In the Name of Christ (and
without any need for official duress) we pray,

Amen