Yesterday a prayer was offered at the start of the session of the House of Representatives that concluded with an amen and awomen. Yes, this is silly and very much respective of the ignorance and foolishness of our times (Amen comes from Hebrew and has nothing to do with a person’s sex). The more concerning aspect of that prayer is that it was offered to an idol. Looking into this however, it has been a longstanding practice to offer prayers to idols (“gods” other than the Triune God) in the legislature.
Since about 1860 there have been over 400 rabbis that have offered prayers in the chambers of Congress, and of course Muslims and others have led prayer as well. Looking at the House of Representatives, they have had at least 3 chaplains (officially appointed position with a 2 year term) that represented the Unitarian Universalists.
All of this is more concerning than some foolish attempt to apply woke-righteousness to the ending of prayer. That prayer was to a false god(s). Nations that call upon false gods will not be blessed but instead stir up wrath. This is why the prayer of the faithful for our congregations, communities, states, and nation is so important. The example of Abraham praying for Sodom and Gomorrah is good to remember here.
Religious freedom in this land is practically speaking an institutional pantheon.
Rep. Cleaver was praying to a Hindu four-armed ‘god’ and other false gods and is still professing he is a Christian pastor.
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
The House of Representatives like any other institution ecclesiastical or secular, is inherently evil (Tietjen, Memoirs in Exile, 283) But we don’t cede the battlefield. We continue to fight. As one who has stood at that podium and given the prayer of invocation before the House of Representatives, I can tell you that unless conservatives and faithful Christians volunteer and spend a considerable amount of time to present a mere 150 words that will be recorded in the congressional record for posterity, the other side will fill that void with various junk instead. So carve out a small chunk of your vocational time to help take back one of the many institutions the left has seemingly taken over with no hope of reform such as: education, politics (local and national), synods, families, media, corporate boards, economics/finance, judiciary, law enforcement, military, medicine, commerce, etc…