Pastor bids congregation's prayers harm 'God's enemies' (Church-State separationists)

[BurtWorm]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.prayer26aug26002635,0,7289461.story


The controversy flared Aug. 14, the day the Washington-based group asked the Internal Revenue
Service to probe the tax-exempt status of Drake's congregation.



Until last week, "imprecatory prayer" was not in many people's vocabularies.

But then the Rev. Wiley S. Drake, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., urged his supporters to use Psalm 109 to focus prayers directed at the "enemies of God" - including the leaders of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Drake was urging the use of imprecatory prayer - prayers for another's misfortune or for vengeance against God's enemies. Now such prayer is the talk of blogs and letters to the editor.



Churches, as tax-exempt, are prohibited from campaigning for candidates. Drake had earlier issued a statement on a church letterhead endorsing former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate.

Drake told his supporters that he attempted to talk to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State about the issue. He cited a verse from the Gospel of Matthew that says, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you." Drake said his efforts were rebuffed. "Now that all efforts have been exhausted, we must begin our Imprecatory Prayer, at the key points of the parliamentary role in the earth where we live," Drake wrote.

Under the heading, "HOW TO PRAY," he listed all 31 verses of Psalm 109, in which King David appeals to divine justice. Drake provided his congregation the King James Version of the psalm, including Verse 9, which says: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

...

[Divine Discontent]

1. vengeance is mine.....

saith the LORD.


this guy's an asshat and anyone in his congregation that has any self awareness knows he's just being pissy and misusing (big surprise, that's never done!) and twisting God's word how he wants to

[Tyler Durden]

2. I really am not as eloquent as some:

He says it SO much better.

[rateyes]

3. And, I'll pray that the IRS shoves

a microscope up the Rev's church's hind parts.

[theredpen]

4. Christian Nationalists...

...should find their own damn nation. Maybe on the Moon.

Boo hoo, AU wouldn't back down on its wholly legitimate criticisms of his tax dodge church. If Drake really believes that God wants Mike Huckabee to be President, then he should forgo his tax exempt status and say whatever he wants.

[ohio_88]

5. A NON-NEWS EVENT?

If one were an atheist or agnostic, there would be nothing to
fear from vindictive prayers to a God in whom you do not
believe. If one were a Christian, to pray for someone else's
misfortune would seem to be unchristian like behavior,
something that Pastor Drake would have to deal with
in his own small mind.

ohio_88

[demigoddess]

6. prayers like that turned me into an atheist. Maybe it will work that way for them

especially if they have any brains left.

[NoPasaran]

7. Feh

I blow my nose in his general direction.

[mntleo2]

8. As a Christian AND An AU Supporter ...

...what I have to say to them is that I am tired and disgusted with so-called "Christians" of his ilk. Give up your tax exempt status and scream away, you moron. Separation of church and state is what gives religious people the freedom to believe whatever they like. When the two become entwined, history will prove you out, a holocaust always ensues ...

Jesus was asked such a question in a verbal trap being set by his own people's leadership so they could have him executed as a traitor to Rome. They asked what people should do about their (Roman) government's theocratic nation and if people of faith should pay taxes to someone who demanded they worship the emperor as a god. All people of faith were enraged since every time they payed taxes in order to save their own lives, it betrayed their faith and validated a greedy pompous man who said because he was a god, he deserved all their hard earned money. In that time anyone who did not proclaim the emperor as a god would have been executed.

So, Jesus showed every one a coin with Caesar's likeness on it. Then He held it up and said, "You should give to Caesar that which is Caesar's and give to God that which is God's..." Every Christian should ask themselves what Jesus was talking about here and why it enraged his hecklers so much because he gave their trap back to them with some teeth.

Any person worthy of their salt who believes a whit of religion will have to say the entire Universe belongs to God. Nothing really belongs to any human. Including any of our "Caesars" ~ who usually seizes God's stuff for themselves and won't share it. Therefore praying for a theocratic nation is about ownership and no Christian, Muslim, or Jew, as well as any follower of God can rightfully pray for what this man is telling his followers to pray, because they don't own a damn thing, God owns it, nor should any godly government own anything. In a godly government, everything should belong to no one, the Church included. It should be stewarded as communal and therefore accepting of EVERYONE regardless of faith or creed, because it is God's.

Not very Christian to support that ~ and their own Messiah told them that 2000 years ago!

Cat In Seattle

[Aristus]

9. Anyway, Jesus commands us as Christians to pray FOR our enemies,

not against them. And Americans United For Separation of Church and State are our friends, not our enemies. These bozos have REALLY gone off the reservation. :eyes:

[mntleo2]

10. Good Point As Well n/t