Home » Politics, Religion

Disturbance during Hindu prayer in US Senate (2 Updates)

From Santosh On 13 July 2007 View Comments

Rajan Zed, was invited by Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, to hold the opening prayers before the daily Senate proceedings. The prayer was disturbed by repeated heckling by three protestors.

They shouted “No Lord but Jesus Christ” and “There’s only one true God,” and used the term “abomination.”

First of all, a Hindu from Nevada named Zed? Must be a buddy of Harry Reid or something.
Secondly, the Senate opens with a prayer session daily? Not sure I’m too comfortable with that.
Third, what a bunch of tools those protestors are. Whether you accept another religion or not, at least have the basic decency to show some respect and not disturb another religion’s prayers.

I agree with this statement by Barry Lynn, of religious watchdog group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

“I don’t think the Senate should open with prayers, but if it’s going to happen, the invocations ought to reflect the diversity of the American people”

Opinions? Thoughts?

Update 1: Video via iPatrix

Update 2: It has been brought to my notice via comments and emails that perhaps “seperation of church and state” is a pipeline dream and nothing to that effect exists in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution argument is rhetoric indulged in by right-wing religious zealots and talking heads who insist on arguing on points rather than the entire idea.

I present to you the “First Amendment to the United States Constitution” particularly the “Establishment Clause” …..

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”

………. and Supreme Court Justice Souter’s opinion in the case involving “Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet (1994)”

“government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion.”

The idea is there, the verbiage isn’t.

Looks like you are one of our regular visitors. Here is our RSS feed, just another way to keep up with the new posts.

  • Varun Shekhar
    Tamil, don't be such an idiot. The Hindu priest represents the contemplative, meditative and devotional quality of Hinduism in the modern era. He isn't representing the things you are irrelevantly bringing up, like some..er.. evangelist? Also, the protestors wouldn't care one whit whether the opening mantras came from the most primitive or the most enlightened and egalitarian religion on earth. What counts for them is that it is not *Christian*.
  • Tamil,
    Speaking of platitudes, your questions come across as the same. Maybe you can google up some Hindu-centered websites to post these questions in.
  • Tamil
    I realize that somehow Hinduism has managed to throw the shackles of the impressions that it is a primitive pagan religion from India with some general platitudes about peace and tolerance.

    But unfortunately tolerance for Christians and Muslims is at a minimum.
    I have some questions for your readers.
    1. Which religion is responsible for enslaving 90% of Indians into being servants of other 10% of Indians under the guise of religion for the past 4000 years?
    2. Which religion treats it's widows and orphans so misreably that there are hundrerds of miserable looking widows and orphans begging outside almost every temple.
    3.Which religion had made Indian society so unsustainable for the past millenia by excluding millions of Indians from any useful occupation except cleaning toilet waste,that any passing army from Central Asia,Arabia,Iran,Afghanistan and even people who just came to buy a few peppers were able to conquer the whole of India with just a few thousand soldiers.
    4.Which religion is so narrow minded that it teaches that you have to be born a brahmin before you can remove yourself from the cycle of reincarnation into nirvana or salvation?
  • Santosh, What you mean IF one of these lunatics come to power?
  • Sidhu
    Keeping state and religion maybe a joke today. But incidents like these highlight it's importance more than ever. What if one of these lunatics come to power?

    NRITechie
    I sort of agree with your assessment. Religion based politics over the last 10 years has set back the US 50 years in terms of scientific advancement.
  • NRITechie
    Who came up with this stupid idea at the first place?? There are hell lot of burning issues today right from broken medicare/immigration/cost of education/iraq war/gas price ..list is endless……….. Where america is heading dear?????? . India and China is the future.
    GAP made in India..iPhone made in China..:-) Enjoy
  • Keeping state and religion separate is a well known quote(d joke) and nearly impossible. I wonder what's wrong with a Hindu prayer for once, it's as ridiculous as the priests of Kerala cleaning the temple after being visited by a Hindu (born to a Christian mommy). Just shows intolerant buggers are everywhere...
blog comments powered by Disqus