The three unidentified protestors began praying loudly when Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain from Nevada, started praying. The demonstrators prayed for forgiveness from Jesus Christ for "betraying" the Christian tradition.
Senate security officers quickly removed the demonstrators, and Zed continued with his prayer for peace. "May our study be enlightening," he said, noting that "by devotion to selfless work we gain the supreme goal of life."
Zed addressed his prayer to "the supreme one" and requested that "he stimulate and illuminate our minds."
"May yours spirits be as one," Zed said. "Peace, peace, peace be unto all." He added a prayer of comfort for the family of Lady Bird Johnson, the former First Lady who died Wednesday at 94.
Zed addressed a mainly empty Senate chamber. Among other staff, only Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) were present for the opening invocation and Pledge of Allegiance. Reid's office sponsored Zed's request to serve as a guest chaplain. Inhofe was there to deliver a speech moments later on the Fairness Doctrine.
After the prayer, Reid took to the floor to thank Zed for opening the Senate. He spoke of a statue of Gandhi he keeps in his office, and encouraged his colleagues to "think of Gandhi."
As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Zed is believed by Senate historians to be the first Hindu chaplain to deliver the opening prayer on the Senate floor. The Senate Chaplain, Rev. Barry Black, usually delivers the invocation, but it is common for guest chaplains to appear.
While he appears to be the first Hindu to open the Senate, Zed is not the first outside the Judeo-Christian tradition. A Muslim prayer was delivered in 1993.
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Activists warn against dangers of proposed 'hate crimes' law
A Philadelphia Christian activist who was once charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law for preaching scripture at a "homosexual pride" event has spoken at a Capitol Hill rally denouncing federal "hate crimes" legislation. Also speaking at the rally was a black pastor from Fayetteville, North Carolina, who says the bill being considered by the Senate is "hatred and intolerance aimed at ministers and Christians who dare to call sin a 'sin.'"
Repent America director Michael Marcavage was among a group of 11 Christian activists arrested and charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law for reciting Bible verses at a 2004 homosexual pride event in Philadelphia. Wednesday, Marcavage was joined at a Capitol Hill rally by members of other Christian ministries to unite in opposition to Senate Bill 1105, which would include crimes against homosexuals in federal hate crimes statutes.
Marcavage says the legislation threatens the religious expression of Christians who speak biblical truth about homosexuality. "What they're attempting to do here in America, the birthplace of freedom, is to criminalize Christians for simply sharing the truth of God's Word -- and we cannot stand for that," stated the activist. "That is why we are here today on Capitol Hill: to declare that these laws are unnecessary, unconstitutional, and ungodly."
According to the Repent America director, seven Christians were recently arrested in Elmira, New York, for merely praying at a homosexual event. He notes they were not charged with hate crimes, but might be next time.
Dr. Johnny Hunter of Life Education and Resource Network was among the several Christian activists who spoke at Wednesday's rally protesting S.B. 1105. Hunter contends crime by its nature is an act of hate.
"The hate crimes legislation being proposed by rabid sodomy-pushers is downright hatred," said Hunter, adding that he believes the move behind the bill is a "scheme" devised by "hetero-phobic" people.
"They insist that the government police the thoughts of those who have a natural attraction to the opposite sex," he offered as explanation of his assertion. "It's as if they despise and hate heterosexual couples." And the controversy, he insisted, is not about what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms. "It's about what others disapprove -- and when someone is doing the unmentionable in their bedroom, flaunting it publicly, and then punishing those who speak out against it."
Offering an analogy, Hunter said "just because a bank robber counts the money in the privacy of his bedroom does not legitimize the robbery."
The Lord richly bless you! The news is spreading. I just got off the phone with Ante. His family is doing fine. He did an interview with Janet Folger and she will be contacting Michael Marcavage and I to follow up on what transpired at Washington DC. She told Ante that for the first time in a long time our event gave her hope that God has not completely abandoned America to destruction. May it be so in Jesus' name!
P.S. Ante and I discussed contacting the Hindu Priest and minister to him the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul. Please keep that matter in prayer.
IN KING JESUS' SERVICE,
Rusty
WASHINGTON – Christian pro-family groups from across the nation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday to protest against the hate crimes bill currently being reviewed by the Senate, which opponents argue will endanger the rights of Christians to preach about the sin of homosexuality.
“This hate crime legislation is hatred and intolerance aimed at ministers and good Christian folks who dare to call sin ‘sin,’” said Dr. Johnny M. Hunter, national director of LEARN (Life Education and Resource Network).
“Pastors not only have a right, but they have an obligation to state emphatically, that according to Scripture, a man or a woman should not perform a sex act with a person of the same sex,” he said, as a long yellow banner facing the Capitol read “Homosexuality is a Sin” flapped in the wind beside him.
Hunter noted that the “moral code” on sin does not only apply to some but to all so it is not discriminatory.
“If a lesbian kills another lesbian, would she be charged with a hate crime? If a man kills the man he calls his partner, would he be charged with a hate crime?” questioned Hunter. “If not, then that law would be discriminatory because it would only apply to heterosexuals.”
Christian and pro-family groups have been protesting the hate crimes bill for months, arguing that the federal bill is not only redundant of state and local laws, but it also threatens the free speech of those who speak on the biblical view of homosexuality.
The Senate bill, S. 1105, would expand the federal hate crimes categories to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability, adding them to racial, ethnic, and religious categories already protected under the law.
In May, the U.S. House of Representative voted to pass its version of the bill, H.R. 1592, which would expand the hate crimes categories and make it easier for the federal government to get involved in hate crime investigations.
Supporters of the hate crimes bill argue that the legislation will help protect vulnerable groups from hate-motivated violence.
“This bill helps law enforcement protect vulnerable groups from hate-motivated violence, a goal that appeals to the moral foundations of all faith traditions,” said the Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, in a statement.
The Interfaith Alliance is a member of the coalition of over 30 religious organizations which released an open letter on Wednesday in support of the Senate passing the hate crimes bill. The letter was signed by 1,385 clergies representing over 75 different faith traditions.
Yet adamant opponents of the bill point out that a pastor who preaches against homosexuality can be accused of inciting violence if one of his congregants commits an act considered a hate crime under the legislation.
“Under the guise of protecting the immoral, unnatural, ungodly lifestyle of homosexuals, our government is being forced to censor the freedom of speech and freedom of religion of Bible-believing Christians,” said the Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, director of Elijah Ministries.
“We have come to Washington, D.C., to appeal to our government to back off…return to your jurisdiction, get out of our churches, quit policing our thoughts and stop trying to sear our consciences by framing mischief into law,” Thomas vented.
Others who spoke at the rally included the Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny), and former U.S. Navy chaplain Lt. Gordon James Klingenschmitt, who was dismissed earlier this year for praying in Jesus name after a long legal battle.
“We are calling upon the United States Congress to rescind [the bill] and asking President Bush to veto this hate crimes speech law because it will directly come after our pastors,” said Klingenschmitt.
The White House in May had already said the president plans to veto the hate crimes bill if it makes it to his desk, explaining that other criminal laws already address the crimes featured in the bills.
VIDEONETDAILY
'Christian patriots' interrupt Hindu prayer in Senate
'Lord Jesus, forgive us, Father, for allowing … abomination in your sight'
Posted: July 12, 2007
4:36 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
 Hindu cleric Rajan Zed turns toward protester as he prepares to open Senate with prayer (CNN) |
Breitbart.tv has video of Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in Reno, Nev., preparing to pray when a clear, loud voice came from the Senate gallery.
"Lord Jesus, forgive us, Father, for allowing the prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight," said a male protester.
The Senate's sergeant at arms was instructed to restore order, but Zed was interrupted again.
"You shall have no other gods before you. … "
Zed, who was invited by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, finally offered his prepared prayer.
"We meditate on the transcendental glory of the deity supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven," he said. "May he stimulate and illuminate our minds."
Police officers arrested the three protesters and charged them with disrupting Congress, a misdemeanor, the Associated Press reported. The male protester told an AP reporter, "we are Christians and patriots" before officers handcuffed them and led them away.
Reid, in remarks from the chamber shortly after the prayer, defended his choice, tying it to the intense debate over the Iraq war.
"If people have any misunderstanding about Indians and Hindus, all they have to do is think of Gandhi," a man "who gave his life for peace," Reid said.
"I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in communication with our heavenly Father regarding peace," said Reid.
The AP said Capitol police identified the protesters as Ante Nedlko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic and Christian Renee Sugar.
- Picked up by the Associated Press
- Picked up by REUTERS (“shouting slogans about Jesus Christ”) http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN1233630820070712
- Picked up by AFP (the world's oldest established news agency)
- On the Yahoo! News Service
- People for the American Way has an online video of the Hate Crimes protest in D.C.
- Homosexual youth “InterstateQ”
- Dark Christianity website (a website “exposing dominionist Christianity”) actually investigated the Pavkovic’s and linked them to you. They have web links to your Elijah Ministries website
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July 12, 2007
Family Groups to Washington, ‘Hates Crimes Legislation Criminalizes Christian Message’ by Josh Montez
The Hate Crimes bill is unnecessary, unconstitutional and ungodly; that’s the message several of the groups relayed to lawmakers on the Hill, yesterday. The Hate Crimes bill is still pending in Congress. In the meantime, lawmakers are being bombarded with opposition to the measure they say gives special rights to homosexuals. Michael Marcavage with Repent America calls the bill ‘unnecessary.’ “We already have laws to protect those who act violently toward other people. And they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” A good example is Wyoming. The state doesn’t have a hate crimes law on the books, but was able to put hate crime offenders away for life, in the murder case of Matthew Shepard. Marcavage says a hate crimes law goes against the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees equal protection for all Americans. “The bill is unconstitutional because it will give special protections to certain groups of people which is in clear violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.” Rusty Thomas with Elijah Ministries says the bill should be renamed the Criminalization of Christianity Act. “This legislation, if it passes, I believe, would have a serious impact upon the freedom of speech and freedom of religion for Bible-believing Christians.” The Hate Crimes Bill has already passed through the House; it’s anybody’s guess when the Senate will take up its version. |
'Hate Crimes' Bill Opposed by 'Religious Zealots,' Activists Say
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
July 11, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - As the Senate prepares to vote on legislation that would expand the categories of "hate crimes," a group of civil rights leaders on Tuesday called opponents of the measure "right-wing fundamentalists" with "often-bigoted agendas."
A coalition of conservative Christians said at a press conference held the same day that the bill is "unjust" and "an attempt to take away the rights of Christians to speak out and express their freedom of speech."
"Our effort to expand the coverage of the federal hate crimes statute is based on issues of simple fairness, simple justice," Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), said during a telephone news conference.
"We think that hate crime violence directed at individuals because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, religion or national origin fundamentally violates our understanding of what it means to be protected by the U.S. Constitution," he stated.
"We think that responding to that kind of violence by enacting a statute that seeks to provide states and localities with the resources they need to enforce the law -- and when they don't act, to allow the federal government to step in a limited number of appropriate cases -- is really, fundamentally, the right thing to do," Henderson added.
Participants in the conference call voiced support for the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was introduced on March 20 by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).
However, given the full Senate calendar, Henderson urged that the measure be attached to the Department of Defense authorization bill rather than trying to get the Kennedy bill approved separately.
"I'm confident that if this bill is allowed to move forward as an amendment [to the Defense bill], we will have the 60 votes we need" to invoke cloture and bring the measure to a vote on the Senate floor, he said. "The real issue is whether there will be efforts [by opponents] to find other, creative ways of slowing down or delaying consideration of the bill."
Henderson voiced optimism that the move would ultimately succeed.
"We think that the issue of injustice and the problems associated with the kind of violence that we're trying to deal with in this bill will compel the American people ultimately to embrace what we're trying to do," he said.
Carlton Pearson, senior minister of the New Dimensions Worship Center in Tulsa, Okla., said he was taking part in the news conference because, "as a sacred activist, it's both worrisome and bothersome to me that some African-American preachers" oppose the bill and by doing so present their community as "a monolithic, homophobic church."
"I've met many of these preachers, and I know how right-wing fundamentalists are often motivating them" to accept "often-bigoted agendas," he said. "Their motivation is often either fear or money, or both, but it's not necessarily the love of God or the love of peace or people.
"I want to make it clear that there are many African-American preachers, as well as others, who love God and love people and who support this legislation and think it's one of the most sensitive, intelligent, delicate and important legislation that Congress can vote for," Pearson stated.
'Americans deserve better'
The Senate initiative parallels one in the House, where a Cybercast News Service previously reported, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) introduced the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act on March 20.
Conservatives responded by saying hate crimes legislation would essentially place homosexuals and lesbians in a protected class along with racial minorities, and could muzzle free speech.
Some Christian groups also expressed outrage when the full House vote on the measure was scheduled for May 3, the annual National Day of Prayer. The bill was approved by a vote of 237 to 180.
On Tuesday, members of several religious organizations rallied in front of the U.S. Capitol to protest what they called a "disturbing trend that seeks to criminalize Christianity in America."
"This so-called 'hate crimes' bill is an attempt to take away the rights of Christians to speak out and express their freedom of speech," said Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder and president of BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny). "This is unjust, and Americans deserve better than this from their elected officials."
"Those who hate God are working to criminalize those who love Him, and they are making great strides to see that it happens," declared Michael Marcavage, director of a group called Repent America. "We must not remain silent as our liberty to freely speak the Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ is being threatened."
"No government official has the authority to determine our beliefs, regulate our faith or punish our thoughts," said the Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, founder and director of Elijah Ministries. "This is where every liberty-loving Christian should stand."