GA: Putting faith in call for rain... (but not everyone buys into it.)

[Breeze54]

Putting faith in call for rain

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/11/12/prayer_1113.html

Service Tuesday gathers religious, political leaders to pray
for precipitation, but not everyone buys into it.

By BO EMERSON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/13/07

When you pray for rain, says Rockefeller "Rocky" Twyman, be specific.

snip-->

That would be Gov. Sonny Perdue, who has asked Georgians to pray for rain today, and at lunchtime
will convene with various religious and political leaders on the steps of the state Capitol to seek
divine intervention in the state's months-long drought.

Snip-->

"This is a ridiculous, illogical exercise even for people who are deeply religious," said
Ed Buckner, treasurer for the Atlanta Freethought Society. "I would think they'd be offended."

Buckner, an atheist, is helping plan a "polite and peaceful protest" on the Capitol grounds today, and expects
members of both the Council on Secular Humanism and Freedom From Religion Foundation to attend.
He objects to the governor, in his official capacity as an elected representative, endorsing
a belief system.

He also thinks God, if there is one, already knows we want rain.

"Does the God that Sonny Perdue believes in have to be informed about the drought?" Buckner
asked. "Doesn't he know? Or have the important people not appealed to him yet?"

Perdue has invited representatives from a variety of faiths — Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu
— to participate in today's vigil.

more...

PRAYER SERVICE

• What: Spiritual leaders from several faiths and denominations join Gov.
Sonny Perdue in a prayer service for rain.

• Where: Georgia Statehouse, Washington Street side

• When: 11:45 a.m. Tuesday

Is this even appropriate for the Gov. to be doing? I mean, isn't this combining church and state? :shrug:

It seems ludicrous to me that the Gov. would be out on the capital steps praying for rain! :eyes:

[tularetom]

1. What if it just happens to rain anyway after their silly ass prayer bit?

We will never fucking hear the end of it. It'll be on fox noise 24/7. Every asshole radio talker will be blathering about it.

You better pray it rains before the stupid prayer service.

[rodeodance]

2. yes. we will never hear the end of it-even if it takes months to rain!

[Breeze54]

4. Ah...it supposedly already did rain last time they did this in 1986!

After the last prayer vigil for rain, it poured

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2007/11/12/rainprayer_1113_web.html

By JAMES SALZER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/12/07

Gov. Sonny Perdue can only hope his prayer vigil for rain today is as successful
as the one another governor held on a Sunday morning in the summer of 1986.

The state was going through a historic drought that year, and then-Gov. Joe Frank
Harris sent out a proclamation asking for Georgians to pray for rain.

Hundreds of congregations statewide appealed to heavens for relief.

Harris, like Perdue a religious man, was scheduled to be at Roswell Street Baptist
Church that July 27. The governor and his family knelt with hundreds of worshipers
as the Rev. Nelson Price asked the congregation to pray for land that "is literally
sick in need of rain." When asked about that service last week, Harris said:
"You could feel the spirit of the Lord was there." After the vigil, he walked out of
the church with Price and was surrounded by members of the media.

Do you believe the praying would do any good? they asked.

"I said, 'Yes, I believe in prayer and I believe the Lord is going to answer these prayers,' "
Harris recalled.

"I hadn't any more than got that out of my mouth when big drops of water fell on the sidewalk.

"It was a miracle.

"It didn't rain much that day, but the next week, it started raining. We had several weeks of almost daily rains,"
Harris said "People started calling the governor's office saying, 'Ya'll turned this water on, we've had enough!' "

In fairness, there had been signs that things might be turning around a bit before the service.
It had rained during the week heading into the weekend services, a bit of luck Perdue hasn't seen this time around.

:eyes:

[DCKit]

18. They'll claim it was their intent to pray that did it.

Conversely, when it doesn't rain, they'll claim it was the non-believers in their midst that prevented divine intervention: Then, the witch hunts will start and the Inquisition is ON.

[opihimoimoi]

3. "Sorry, God's on another line, I have to put you on hold".....

[Breeze54]

5. LOL!

Yeah, I think she might have her hands full with all
the wars and more urgent things going on in the world.

[Heidi]

6. Doesn't bother me a bit if people want to pray for rain, dance for rain,

bowl for rain, or whatever. As long as, when it does eventually rain (and it will), they don't try to parlay that "success" into something that abridges my First Amendment rights.

[Breeze54]

7. If my Gov. did this,

I'd be pissed off!

Does the GA Gov. think everyone in GA believes in this? :shrug:

He does represent the whole state, not just the religious that live there.

[Heidi]

8. That's the only part of it that bothers me.

It'd probably do a lot more good if the Governor proposed that everyone "Don't drive for rain!" or "Stop polluting for rain." I mean, it's going to eventually rain, anyway, so why not try to make a dent in global warming at the same time? But wait. Does the Governor of Georgia even believe in global warming?

[Toots]

9. How long are they planning on keeping this story in the news

I heard about this two weeks ago. How long does it take to do a prayer for rain anyway? I guess it has to be a staged public event with weeks of planning..:shrug:

[Breeze54]

10. I just heard about this yesterday....

:shrug:

[Toots]

14. It was discussed here at DU more than a week ago..

:shrug: Been in the news for a while..

[Breeze54]

15. So, what's the problem?

:shrug:

I didn't see anything about this and my article is dated today.

[Debau2005]

11. They had to wait until

there was an actual chance of rain in the near forcast!

"Today: Clouds gradually increasing through the day, with a few widely scattered showers not out of the question. High near 72.

Tonight: Cloudy at times, with a risk of a shower or two. Mild, with an overnight low near 54.

Tomorrow: Cloudy with the chance of rain. High near 75."
http://www.11alive.com/weather/forecast/local/

As a resident of Georgia, all I can do is sigh and shake my head. :eyes:

[Breeze54]

12. How convenient for your Gov!

You poor thing! :hug:

[trotsky]

20. They'll keep it in the news as long as it takes to get some rain.

And then - bingo! - the prayers "worked"!

[TalkingDog]

13. And when it doesn't rain will they finally admit that either: God doesn't exist or

he hates them and is causing this drought to punish them?

If they would agree to those terms, I'd pray right along with them.

(Neither an Atheist nor a Theist)


My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

[NeedleCast]

16. Meh

I don't know that it really hurts anything. Doesn't seem to cross the line of seperation of church and state to me. Some people seem to have the (incorrect) idea that seperation of church and state means that an elected official can't mention religion in any way, shape or form. The Gov has asked people to join in, he's not cajoling or forcing anyone to join in. I'm happy to see him include members of many faiths. If he thinks this will help, that's fine.

[Breeze54]

19. Some people in GA think it makes their state look like looney tunes

I guess they have a problem with it. I think it might have been better and more
appropriate for a priest or a minister to call a prayer group, not the Governor!

[NeedleCast]

21. If we didn't do things

because "some people" thought it made the body of people they associate themselves with "look loony tunes" then people wouldn't be doing much of anything. You maybe be rig th that it could have been more appropriate for a religious leader to call for the prayer, but the state Gov has a larger podium from which to speak, and it it brings people of different faiths together for a common cause, I'm all for it. Beats the shit out of trying to kill or vilify each other over our religious differences, no?

[Breeze54]

22. What about separation of church and state?

The Gov. should be honoring that!

[DS1]

17. stone age is as stone age does!

:eyes:

Morans