After successfully banning Rev. Franklin Graham from a prayer event at the Pentagon, Muslim activists are trying to bully him out of a second March 6 appearance. Next stop? The U.S. Capitol, where Congressmen are putting the finishing touches on their National Day of Prayer event in the Cannon House Office Building. It, too, features Rev. Graham--and despite outcry from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) says it will stay that way. Through an office spokesman, the Congressman from Alabama said he refused to bow to pressure and rescind Graham's invitation.
One of the many leaders to condemn the District Court ruling that struck down the National Day of Prayer, Rep. Aderholt has sponsored two House resolutions in the last week--one condemning the Judge Barbara Crabb's decision and the other supporting the "constitutionality and historical importance" of the National Day of Prayer. Ben Franklin was such a staunch believer in prayer that he called--not for one day of it--but 365! "I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business." Citing the long tradition of corporate prayer, Rep. Aderholt said no one should "meddle with" its significance.
Meanwhile, the group trying to do just that released this statement: "A congressional prayer observance should reflect the best of our nation's ideals. Speakers such as Franklin Graham reflect a message of religious intolerance, rather than the... American message of differing faiths united in shared support of our nation's founding principles." Of course, there's no mention of the fact that those "founding principles" happen to be Christian ones. Fortunately, there are men and women on Capitol Hill who are doing all they can to counter this attack--not on religion--but Christianity. Let Congressman Aderholt know you appreciate him and that you are praying for him.
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FRC Action (formerly American Renewal), the non-profit and tax-exempt legislative action arm of Family Research Council, was founded in 1992 to educate the general public and cultural leaders about traditional American values and to promote the philosophy of the Founding Fathers concerning the nature of ordered liberty.
