The Power of Prayer

Cees Binkhorst ceesbink at XS4ALL.NL
Sun Dec 21 12:22:49 CET 2008


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En op zondagochtend ´diversive opinions´

The Power of Prayer
http://blog.beliefnet.com/progressiverevival/2008/12/the-power-of-prayer.html#comments

 By: Renita Weems
Friday December 19, 2008
Categories: Evangelicals, Homosexuality, prayer and ritual
Sure, Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren for the inaugural prayer proves
nothing more probably than that Obama is a consummate politician. Obama
will do what he has to do to win over voters. And he's probably figured
out that letting Warren pray at the inauguration is a safe gesture and a
symbolic way to extend an olive branch to a block of voters he has yet to
win over en masse.

And so Obama begins his presidency like presidents before him, placating
religious conservatives, in this case the New Right.  Leaving the rest of
us to be content with symbols from the Old Left (no disrespect to Rev. Joe
Lowry and Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin).

I know progressive Christians are supposed to be won over by the fact that
Rick Warren is allegedly the face of a kinder, gentler generation of
Evangelicals. But we're not. Warren is as against women's equality,
against gay rights, anti-choice, and anti-stem cell research as the old
Right he fancies himself to replace. He has admitted that the main
difference between himself and old style religious conservative James
Dobson is a matter of tone.

So, it's been decided. Rick Warren's smiling, right wing, socially
conservative, anti-gay, anti-women's rights biblical preaching has been
deemed to be not as divisive as the blistering prophetic denunciations of
American imperalism by his former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Reaching out to
Warren reaps more political capital for Obama than does reaching out to
Wright. The pro-gay rights man whose fiery preaching nurtured Obama into
becoming the community organizer he is at heart remains a pariah, banished
from the inaugural platform and the American public. The man whose
anti-gay message is overshadowed by the fact that he represents the face
of millions of conservative voters gets to pray for the country.

So what? It's only a prayer. It's not like Warren's been invited to help
set policy. Those who say this obviously know nothing about the importance
of symbols, and even less about the power of prayer

Comments
Steve Real
December 19, 2008 9:42 PM
http://www.realpolitiks.blogspot.com/

They're Only Jews Anyways

Who cares if Rick Warren is a member of the NAZI party?
What's it matter to you? They are only Jews anyways...
Do you know what I mean?

We're racially superior to them
and I doubt that all this "Adolf talk" will amount to anything anyways? I
see no reason why Barack Obama should worry about the Jews. The Jews only
make up a fraction of the population and I think it's about time to put
them in their rightful place.

There's only one solution to Rick Warren's "Jewish Problem" and that's the
final solution.

2.
It's Called Politikal "Fear Conditioning"

I admit this piece was put together
to get an emotional response from people.
(I picked up this technic from Lee Atwater.

I agree with with most people that the "Nazi thing"
is so played out,
but Rick Warren is a politikal religous entertainer
and I'm calling him out on it.

I'm using the modern Lee Atwater technic based
on Ivan Pavlov's reponse theory; also known as "Classical conditioning" or
Pavlovian or "Respondent Conditioning".
"I ring the bell" (the Conditioned Stimulus)and conversely, presentation
of the significant stimulus necessarily evokes an innate, often reflexive,
response.

Popular forms of classical conditioning that are used to study neural
structures and functions that underlie learning and memory include fear
conditioning..."

Do you understand what "fear conditioning" is all about?
(when comes to talking about it in modern politikal terms?)
and how people like my good friend Lee Atwater
used it on the masses to get a real world politikal win.
ie. Willie Horton
non-metaphysical stephen
December 19, 2008 10:21 PM

"So what? It's only a prayer. It's not like Warren's been invited to help
set policy. Those who say this obviously know nothing about the importance
of symbols, and even less about the power of prayer."

This comment reminds me that God used Caiaphas and King Saul to prophesy.
Can we not trust that God can use Rick Warren, who is surely no worse a
sinner than any of us, to speak God's word?
WBB
December 20, 2008 8:47 AM

Rick Warren no better - nor worse - than any other scammer who peddles
fables about imaginary beings.

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