Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Paul Ryan is told prayer is not enough

Only accepting the proposals of Liberal Democrats can bring lasting peace.  Jesus, bless His heart, had some awfully fine moments, but let's get real.  If you want to make peace, you accept the true gospel of Liberalism and its efficacious proposals.  Wasting everyone's time with prayer is just wasting everyone's time.  It's nice to see leading Catholic voices jump on board and remind us that our religion is often the source of bigotry and our prayers nothing but dodges unless we conform to the real Truth of, well, Liberal Democratic narratives and proposals.

In 1994, Dr. R. Albert Mohler began dismantling the more liberal elements of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  One of the things he did was eliminate the School of Social Work.  That school was, in fairness, a hotbed of theological and cultural liberalism.  It was nothing to find pro-choice, pro-gay rights, feminist, liberal theological views among the students and faculty of that school.  In a move that was controversial, since rumor had it that Dr. Mohler had promised he would do no such thing, he went ahead and closed the school.

When he made the announcement, all hell broke loose.  Figuratively speaking that is.  And the protests erupted.  Over the next weeks and months, it got ugly.  That's when I said that everything I ever wanted to know about politics I learned in seminary.  At one point, the protesters trying to save the Social Work School arranged a prayer-in.  Lining the halls, they sat and prayed together.

At chapel services that week, Dr. Mohler lashed out.  He condemned the use of prayer for leverage in the debate.  The students and several faculty fired back, expressing outrage that Dr. Mohler would in any way demean the use of prayer.  After all, a rich history of martyrs, mystics and spiritual leaders did nothing but pray for endless hours and days, if not longer.  Many who died for the faith died with prayers to the Almighty on their lips.  How could anyone impugn prayer?  How could any believer do anything but at least affirm the wonder and efficacy of prayer? At the time, I gave the points to the protesters.  Prayer is not something to be mocked.  It is not our place to read the hearts of those praying, even if it is for ends with which we disagree.

Fast forward to now.  The number one issue that the Left sees as plausible for the dismantling of the Bill of Rights has become the end all issue.  And over the last year or so, those who appeal to God through prayer, or pray for victims, during such massacres are increasingly mocked and derided by progressives and radical Leftists.

So, we're back to the age old question.  Whenever I see proponents of liberal values condemn what they once advocated, or advocate what they once condemned, I wonder who is right and when.  If prayer is this sacred thing that should never be gainsaid, then are those who are smacking down or belittling the prayers of people today wrong?  Or do I owe Dr. R. Albert Mohler an apology?

5 comments:

  1. *clicks link* Oh my God, Mark went and actually used Jesus in a "what I want is what He wants" way. Talk about blasphemy. See what I mean about nuclear rhetoric?

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  2. Ouch.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYFd-kAhhBo

    But I don't see how he's wrong.

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  3. I see Mark called you "the master of passive-aggression."

    I guess he must believe everyone is mad as him and nobody like you could actually be genuine.

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  4. Yeah. He keeps using that phrase. I don't think it means what he thinks it means.

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  5. By the way, this was my response:

    And you are the master of blaspheming God, calumny, hypocrisy, and possibly even idolatry in a way that would make most fundamentalist I've known blush. For what is it if not blasphemy to dare suggest that the efficacy of a person's prayer is contingent upon them only following through with your political opinions. And if you elevate your political opinions to the standard of Christian righteousness, what is that but idolatry? Furthermore it is nothing but calumny to suggest Ryan was anything other than sincere, even if he does disagree with your political opinions and timelines. For the Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans. Do you know, for a fact, that it was just a pious prophylactic, and not sincere reflection led by the Spirit that was behind Ryan's prayer? If not, then retract the charge. Especially since you have been at war with Fr. West over calumny, to do the same to someone else adds hypocrisy to the list.

    It didn't make me happy to say it, but I felt it needed to be said. If Mark was a fellow minister from back in the day, by now we would have had what we used to call 'an intervention.'

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