Christian Right Activists Disrupt Hindu Chaplain In The Senate

[Sportsdude]

[div class="inside-copy"]WASHINGTON (AP) — A Hindu clergyman made history Thursday by offering the Senate's morning prayer, but only after police officers removed three shouting protesters from the visitors' gallery.[/div] [p class="inside-copy"]Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in Reno, gave the brief prayer that opens each day's Senate session. As he stood at the chamber's podium in a bright orange and burgundy robe, two women and a man began shouting "this is an abomination" and other complaints from the gallery.[/p] [p class="inside-copy"]Police officers quickly arrested them and charged them disrupting Congress, a misdemeanor. The male protester told an AP reporter, "we are Christians and patriots" before police handcuffed them and led them away.[/p] [p class="inside-copy"]For several days, the Mississippi-based American Family Association has urged its members to object to the prayer because Zed would be "seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god."[/p] [p class="inside-copy"]Zed, the first Hindu to offer the Senate prayer, began: "We meditate on the transcendental glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds."[/p][hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]They got it on video of course.
[a href="vny!://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9To30Hz7A&eurl=vny!%3A%2F%2Felectioncentral%2Etpmcafe%2Ecom%2Fblog%2Felectioncentral%2F2007%2Fjul%2F12%2Fchristian%5Fright%5Factivists%5Fdisrupt%5Fhindu%5Fchaplain%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fse"]vny!://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9To30Hz7A&eurl=vny!%3A%2F%2Felectioncentral%2Etpmcafe%2Ecom%2Fblog%2Felectioncentral%2F2007%2Fjul%2F12%2Fchristian%5Fright%5Factivists%5Fdisrupt%5Fhindu%5Fchaplain%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fse[/a]

 

[Sportsdude]

Here's what USA Today didn't say:

Here's what usa today didn't say:


The three protesters, who all belong to the Christian Right anti-abortion group Operation Save America, and who apparently traveled to Washington all the way from North Carolina, interrupted by loudly asking for God's forgiveness for allowing the false prayer of a Hindu in the Senate chamber.

"Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight," the first protester began.

"This is an abomination," he continued. "We shall have no other gods before You."

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), serving as the presiding officer for the morning, immediately ordered them taken away — though they continued to yell at the Hindu cleric as they were headed out the door, shouting out phrases such as, "No Lord but Jesus Christ!" and "There's only one true God!"

The cleric, Rajan Zed of Reno, Nevada, was visibly nervous and uncomfortable as he then delivered the morning prayer. But to his credit, he soon regained his footing and was able to make it through in a dignified fashion.

For their part, Operation Save America put out an interesting press release, claiming responsibility for the protests and castigating Senators for not joining in:
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]
    Theology Moved to the Senate and was Arrested

    Theology has moved from the church house onto the floor of the United States Senate, and has been arrested.

 Ante Pavkovic, Kathy Pavkovic, and Kristen Sugar were all arrested in the chambers of the United States Senate as that chamber was violated by a false Hindu god. The Senate was opened with a Hindu prayer placing the false god of Hinduism on a level playing field with the One True God, Jesus Christ. This would never have been allowed by our Founding Fathers.

 "Not one Senator had the backbone to stand as our Founding Fathers stood. They stood on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There were three in the audience with the courage to stand and proclaim, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' They were immediately removed from the chambers, arrested, and are in jail now. God bless those who stand for Jesus as we know that He stands for them." Rev. Flip Benham, Director, Operation Save America/Operation Rescue
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"][a href="vny!://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/12/christian_right_activists_disrupt_hindu_chaplain_in_the_senate"]vny!://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/12/christian_right_activists_disrupt_hindu_chaplain_in_the_senate[/a]
 

[kitten]

Hatred in the name of God.  How stupid can it get?

[Vivek Golikeri]

While I'm usually not too big on my Indian heritage, this obscene anti-Hindu spectacle calls for blunt verbal retaliation. I respect all religions in their MODERATE versions. But these Christian Right evangelists are to America what Rabbi Kahane was to Judaism, or Bin Laden is to Islam: THEO-FASCISTS.

The only reason they haven't managed to turn America into a Christian version of Iran or Afghanistan is because western civilization passed that stage in the days of Savonarola or Calvin.And their historical info is all wrong. Many of the Founding Fathers like Ben Franklin, Tom Paine, Thomas Jefferson were not Christians. They were Deists, and did not believe Jesus was whatever these Bible Taliban say.

Because America's traditions passed that medieval or antiquarian barbarity ages ago, we won't be throwing those creeps to the lions, either. Just as well! Who wants to be arrested for cruelty to animals by feeding them poisonous meat?
 

[P.C.]

Good observation Vivek.