Trump to hold national day of prayer on the mall

[Gospel]

This is a gross violation of the first amendment.

I don't see how. ???

Same here. Its a National Day of Prayer. Technically, that could apply to any religion, not just Christianity. So, AFAIK. its not a government endorsement of a particular religion. If Muslims, etc were prohibited from participating, then it would be a different story. But, yeah, I'm sure he had Christianity in mind when he decided to set this up. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing thousands and thousands of Muslims showing up and throwing down their prayer rugs and chanting their prayers front and center at the event. That would be good "turd in the punch bowl" for all the self righteous Christians who think we are/should be a Christian nation.

While I agree that it may be taken as open to any religion, state-sanctioned prayer is still state sanction of religion regardless of who participates. The Establishment Clause issue isn’t exclusion, it’s endorsement. The government organizing or promoting a prayer event crosses that line even if participation is technically open. As long as this is being organized and funded by a private entity, which it likely is, and not by the government itself, then there’s no constitutional issue. This is likely another case of Trump being imprecise with the English language.

 

[SLD]

I wouldn't mind seeing thousands and thousands of Muslims showing up and throwing down their prayer rugs and chanting their prayers front and center at the event.

Amen! Some loud and obnoxious Hare Krishnas, maybe some representatives of the venerated VooDoo religion and some Sikh dancers, plus the FSM contingent and a gaggle of Moonies should ALL show up and be as obnoxious as possible. Photo-op deluxe.

You may be on to something there. A large FSM contingent . . . I wonder if there is a way to get the word out.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

This is a gross violation of the first amendment.

I don't see how. ???

Same here. Its a National Day of Prayer. Technically, that could apply to any religion, not just Christianity. So, AFAIK. its not a government endorsement of a particular religion. If Muslims, etc were prohibited from participating, then it would be a different story. But, yeah, I'm sure he had Christianity in mind when he decided to set this up. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing thousands and thousands of Muslims showing up and throwing down their prayer rugs and chanting their prayers front and center at the event. That would be good "turd in the punch bowl" for all the self righteous Christians who think we are/should be a Christian nation.

While I agree that it may be taken as open to any religion, state-sanctioned prayer is still state sanction of religion regardless of who participates. The Establishment Clause issue isn’t exclusion, it’s endorsement.

True, *wink* *wink*. This is just about spirituality *wink*. Anyone is open to "pray" *wink* to whomever they want *wink* *wink* *wink*.

If this was Jimmy Carter, I'd say yeah, this is about spirituality. But this isn't Jimmy Carter, this is Trump, who isn't remotely religious or spiritual, which means it is political.

 

[Toni]

Used to be, back when I lived in the area, that Hari Krishnas hung out on the Mall…..

 

[Toni]

This is a gross violation of the first amendment.

I don't see how. ???

Same here. Its a National Day of Prayer. Technically, that could apply to any religion, not just Christianity. So, AFAIK. its not a government endorsement of a particular religion. If Muslims, etc were prohibited from participating, then it would be a different story. But, yeah, I'm sure he had Christianity in mind when he decided to set this up. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing thousands and thousands of Muslims showing up and throwing down their prayer rugs and chanting their prayers front and center at the event. That would be good "turd in the punch bowl" for all the self righteous Christians who think we are/should be a Christian nation.

While I agree that it may be taken as open to any religion, state-sanctioned prayer is still state sanction of religion regardless of who participates. The Establishment Clause issue isn’t exclusion, it’s endorsement.

True, *wink* *wink*. This is just about spirituality *wink*. Anyone is open to "pray" *wink* to whomever they want *wink* *wink* *wink*.

If this was Jimmy Carter, I'd say yeah, this is about spirituality. But this isn't Jimmy Carter, this is Trump, who isn't remotely religious or spiritual, which means it is political.

He’s just trying to shore up his base who mostly feel attacked because not everyone sees the world the way they do.

 

[Elixir]

He’s just trying to shore up his base who mostly feel attacked

He might be able to get the ones who feel attacked back into the fold. But the ones who are profoundly disgusted because they finally got a whiff of what he really is … they’re not coming back.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

This is a gross violation of the first amendment.

I don't see how. ???

It's more about norms and at least faking the effort to adhere to Constitutional principles. While the fakery is galling and forces hypocrisy, it tends to reduce the reduce the fuel feeding the fire.

Like so many other issues, the GOP/Trump has shed all inhibitions and flagrantly stated that this is a Christian nation, which in turn means that if you're not a Christian (in whatever form that may be) then you don't belong.

Even Dubbya went out of his way to tell the American people to not persecute Muslims when 9/11 happened, but this farce of an administration isn't even pretending. The powerful Christians pulling the strings know he's not one of their own, he's just the catalyst they believe will get the nation where they want it to be, which is disgraceful, but that's never stopped the religious before.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

He’s just trying to shore up his base who mostly feel attacked

He might be able to get the ones who feel attacked back into the fold. But the ones who are profoundly disgusted because they finally got a whiff of what he really is … they’re not coming back.

I don't know about that. It's not just the persecution complex driving them to vote for Trump, but their traditional and intractable belief that Republicans support their god belief more than Dems do, which to them means they should vote Republican because there's a higher purpose at work. Also, if they weren't disgusted with him the first time around, it's doubtful they change their minds now.

 

[Elixir]

It's not just the persecution complex driving them to vote for Trump, but their traditional and intractable belief that Republicans support their god belief more than Dems do

I believe there is a limit to their tolerance for cognitive dissonance. They don’t need to abandon their general feeling of GOP godliness to experience the acute revulsion that comes from the undeniable evidence of their former idol’s perversion and dishonesty.
I could be wrong in some cases, but I believe I’m right in some cases too. There is increasing evidence of buyers’ remorse among former Trumpsuckers.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Trumpaholics typically do not know the abuses of the Trump administration -- and if you try to inform them, they either couldn't care less, or they consider you to be a woke troublemaker.
The coffee shop I patronize has a 9 a.m. shift of grumpy anti-Trumpers who, like me, see Trump as the end of democracy. There's a woman who shows up once in a long while who is pro-Trump on every particular (even believes he's a Christian, like her.) Usually, my crowd switches to another topic when she comes in. It's just easier that way. Last week she happened to overhear some talk about the killing of Alex Pretti, and she had to jump in. Her main points: ICE has a job to do, and we need to let them do it; do you want to live near rapists and murderers?; Pretti was armed and presented a clear danger to the ICE thugs (excuse me, law enforcement professionals.) When it was pointed out to her that when Pretti was shot, he was unarmed, that he was prone, that he was shot in the back, her immediate response was, "I don't get the same news that you do."
My policy is, to the best of my ability, to never engage in discussions about Trump and Trump World with his fan base. It gets you nowhere, and some of them fans have substantial anger issues.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

It's not just the persecution complex driving them to vote for Trump, but their traditional and intractable belief that Republicans support their god belief more than Dems do

I believe there is a limit to their tolerance for cognitive dissonance. They don’t need to abandon their general feeling of GOP godliness to experience the acute revulsion that comes from the undeniable evidence of their former idol’s perversion and dishonesty.
I could be wrong in some cases, but I believe I’m right in some cases too. There is increasing evidence of buyers’ remorse among former Trumpsuckers.

My anecdotal experience, which I understand is purely anecdotal, is that they simply choose to look past who Trump is. It's analogous to ignoring or not even knowing the horrific parts and contradictions of the Bible. Even when their faith should inform them that Trump is the embodiment of everything they're not supposed to be or do, they ignore it because he is an infallible figure to them, just like the god(s) of the Bible.

My family has become a hateful group of people. We were raised in a very kind, forgiving, and loving type of faith, but that's all gone now. Trump is perfect and everyone else is wrong, if not outright satanic.

 

[Toni]

He’s just trying to shore up his base who mostly feel attacked

He might be able to get the ones who feel attacked back into the fold. But the ones who are profoundly disgusted because they finally got a whiff of what he really is … they’re not coming back.

Yeah, a bunch were willing to hold their noses because Trump pretends to be pro-life and he’s appointed judges along those lines.

It’s hard to be pro life and all about the babies and at the same time, support a pedophile. Those who are too attached to Trump because he values dates their racism, xenophobia and anti-intellectualism and it’s just too hard to face that he’s a monster because maybe they are a little bit monstrous themselves.