The Power Of Prayer

Rick Warren: A slap in the face; a blow to the abdomen; a kick in the butt. Sometimes, one can be too clever.

I was deeply offeneded by Warrens assertion on National TV that all Gay relationships were incestuious and involved numerous sexual partners. My partner and i have been in a comitted relationship for 17 years and most of our Gay friends have been in longer relationships. Most of my friends as well as my self have been in committed relationships longer than most stright couples we know.Mr.Warren should not use all encomposing statements when refering to a large diverse group of people.

and to the person that makes the reference to Mccain using a liberal Pastor...

a liberal Pastor that makes reference to conservatives being like pedophiles, bestiality and incest who does not let conservatives into their church?

yeah would not happen.

I second Holmes, to agree to disagree is the issue here. As was stated in the passage about the African American civil rights, not all of America agrees with an African American president. Unfortunately, with so many different views and beliefs Americans have, not everyone will have the same belief. With Rev. Warren or a pro-gay reverend delivering the bendiction -- not everyone is going to be satisfied.

same arguments different decade ...different population

only President Obama in the 60's they used interracial relationships and said THOSE were the "unnatural" and "against God's Plan" and on par with bestiality and pedophilia etc...

would it be okay if a preacher had said that often and vocally and did not allow interracial relationship partners to join their church

to then be honored with delivering the inaugural convocation...

maybe when your mom was fighting those battles?

when the preachers would say they have proof by 8000 years of justification of slavery and the support for slavery in the Bible?

this whole thing is hypocrisy on a level we haven't seen in a long long time.

oh and by the way Mr president Elect...your welcome ...as I went for 2 years into neighborhoods in back woods New hampshire ...arguing and debating with people who were often not very open to a first Black president... a few of whom there is no doubt in my mind by just the way they would speak of you... who believed in Mr Warren's analogies that I being gay was on par with pedophilia and bestiality...

and I am clear that if they had realized that and could have gotten away with it...would have not thought twice about putting a bullet in this ***@ts head and burying him in the back woods somewhere...

your welcome for the 2 years of fighting for you.

Leah's statement, "The person selected to deliver the invocation has the honor of serving as the spiritual representative for the entire nation." is a huge assumption. I do not view Rick Warren as the spiritual representative for the entire nation, even for just that moment, just because he is giving the invocation. I think Chris's opening statement is right on.

I am truly disappointed in my progressive compatriots. If president-elect McCain had invited a liberal pastor to give the invocation at HIS inaugural, we would be saying how open and inclusive he was. C'mon people. What's good for the goose . . .

chris even after obama asks him he is still on record calling homos on par with pedophiles and bestiality.
would you say the same if he was in the 60's talking about interracial relations...which they used the same references...only it was 8000 years of societal institutionalism of slavery that they used then to back it up instead of Warren's 5000 years of antigay standards.

You think Obama would say it would just be "inclusiveness" if a President chose someone in the 60's to be the moral voice at what may be the most watched event in human history...that was actively and aggressively pushing the notion that interracial relationships werer on par (as they did in that day) with bestiality and incest and pedophilia?

how about if his mother lived in a neighborhood that stongly held thos beliefs...one where she had to walk the streets at night?

this is hypocrisy at it's highest level

If I wanted to keep the issue of allowing Gay marriage alive, could I ask for more?

Dear Mr. Crain: I am a homosexual, that is who I am, and I am not a "social issue." I am a person, a human being, a U.S. Citizen, a taxpayer, a son, a brother, a friend, and unfortunately, a "second-class citizen" who is discriminated against by a large amount of others. I do not expect anyone to accept me for who I am, but I do expect my government to protect me and afford me the same legal equal rights provided to heterosexuals. In addition, Rev. Warren does not accept homosexuals into his congregation, attempts to convert them to heterosexuals, and does not support Civil Unions as some have reported. Check his BeliefNet interview with Stephen Waldman and the 12/15 update. Therefore, in spite of his denial of being homophobic, his behavior and words speak otherwise.

Dear Mr. Crain: I am a homosexual, that is who I am, and I am not a "social issue." I am a person, a human being, a U.S. Citizen, a taxpayer, a son, a brother, a friend, and unfortunately, a "second-class citizen" who is discriminated against by a large amount of others. I do not expect anyone to accept me for who I am, but I do expect my government to protect me and afford me the same legal equal rights provided to heterosexuals. In addition, Rev. Warren does not accept homosexuals into his congregation, attempts to convert them to heterosexuals, and does not support Civil Unions as some have reported. Check his BeliefNet interview with Stephen Waldman and the 12/15 update. Therefore, in spite of his denial of being homophobic, his behavior and words speak otherwise..

I think Rick Warren giving the invocation is great. Heterophobic gays aren't listening to Warren's message, just like they rarely listen to anyone with whom they disagree. Disagreement does not equal hate. Warren and most evangelical Christians don't hate gays; they know, however, that civilizations are built on heterosexual monogomy. This is a 5,000 year foundation of every major religion and culture in the world. One must understand that refusal to accept any chosen lifestyle as morally equivalent does not constitute hatred. MAybe the heterophobes should listen closer to the message of love.

As a "person of faith", I agree with Chris Crane in saying that Rick Warren is not the "spiritual representative of our country". Due to the fundamental separation of church and state, no religious leader, however politically influential represents a nation as religiously diverse as ours. Although I sympathize with Ms. Renna's concerns over Obama's choice, Rev. Warren and the President-Elect can disagree and still work together. Why can't the rest of us?

True, Obama and Biden publicly acknowledged that they did not personally support gay marriage, but they also made it clear that these were their personal views and that they strongly felt that the government should not pass laws that prevent gay marriage. Obama has publicly opposed Prop. 8 in California.

I take this as a hopeful sign for the Evengelists. An opportunity to leave a party that has duped them for 40 years is theirs for the taking. The GOP has used the Abortion issue in every election cycle, promising to overturn current law and make new law that would ban abortion. The GOP held the whitehouse, a majority in the House and Senate and a majority on the Supreme Court from 2001 through 2006. During that period no anti-abortion legislation hit the floor and no litigation was ever filed. the evengelists have been led by the nose for too long. Time for a change!.