April 23, 2010

Dear "Kelly at Fox News dot com":

Are you out of your mind talking to an ordained minister as if he's anti-religion? I'm all for confrontational journalism but you instigated a hostile debate with The Rev. (yes, that's Reverend, as in ordained minister) Barry Lynn on the issue of this stupid National Day of Prayer thing. Rev. Lynn is also Executive Director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. Maybe it's because, in part, he doesn't like Congress telling him how to do the church thing? And you act like he's pooping on Baby Geebus or something. Get a grip.

A federal judge decides quite rightly that "National Day of Prayer" is unconstitutional. So you decide to show her face and name on the air more than once in this segment. What is up with that, Megyn? Psst, back in the day, it was us Christians who got fed to the lions. Shame on you.

The "National Day of Prayer" is a silly convention that Washington DC uses to suck up to the constituency that is comforted by such nonsense. For those of us who pray daily this kind of political pandering makes little difference, and for those who don't, the National Day of Prayer "reminder" is Christianist jingoism, pure and simple.

Americans United argues quite rightly that this "National Day of Prayer" has been completely hijacked by the Religious Right, which uses it to promote religious bigotry:

In recent years, most NDP activities have been coordinated by the “National Day of Prayer Task Force,” an organization based in Colorado Springs and run by Shirley Dobson, wife of Religious Right radio broadcaster James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.

The efforts of Focus on the Family to fund-raise and organize based on congressional dictate is clearly unconstitutional. Of course, the religious right has more than Mrs. Dobson pushing this Christianist mumbo jumbo, Ms. Kelly. Now they've got you. Nice journalism, there.

Well worth the click: more from Americans United on this ruling.

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