Faith Leaders Among Those Banned From 9/11 10 Year Anniversary Memorial Ceremony
When NYC Mayor Bloomberg throws a party the guest list is more exclusive than a White House affair apparently. Bloomberg is very adamant about the 10 year Anniversary of the September 11 tragedy Memorial Ceremony be strictly about those that died and the families who lost loved one’s that day. As such, survivors of 9/11 are not invited, first responders are not invited and also apparently clergy have been banned from the event. Expectedly, the church isn’t to happy about this.
Bloomberg’s barring participation by faith leaders in the city’s 10th anniversary service has sparked protests from a variety of Christian leaders.
“At times of grief people don’t turn to politicians, they turn to God. So having clergy there who can both lead people before God and also grant them comfort in their time of grief, I think is extremely important,” Ken Klukowski, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council, told CBN News.
The Family Research Council and other groups have organized petition drives to protest the mayor’s decision.
The most vocal of these religious groups are conservative Christians according to the Huffington Post.
A growing group of mostly conservative Christian leaders say organizers have shut out clergy and formal prayers from this year’s annual 9/11 observance.
This guest list decision, in my opinion, is more understandable than the others for many reasons. Religion can be a tricky thing because it’s personal and should be. 9/11 is a tricky subject because of all the different controversies that have surrounded it. Conservative Christians want in on the event but what about Muslims? Oh don’t go there, remember the Mosque planned in the area? If you invite one and not others then someone is going to scream prejudice. Also, not all the victims were the same religion so which religions do you choose to represent them? Now “formal” prayer may be excluded but there are several moments of silence planned throughout the program. These would be the moments where each individual would pray by way of whatever belief they follow, in private, as it should be.
The memorial service is strictly planned out to the point that even those presenting are restricted from giving speeches and while only read poems in tribute. To subject someone of another faith to a sermon by a preacher of a different religion in their time of remembrance is a bit inconsiderate and to want to do so is a bit more so. Especially since the past yearly official memorials did not include religion either yet for some reason they want in on the big 1 – 0.
Guess who else wants to come out of the woodwork on this issue, former Mayor and presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani. In other news the 2012 election is coming back up. Completely not related at all.
No one is making this a constitutional issue Rudy and I don’t think we have been at war with religion the past 30 years of our country. However a case can be made that religion has been at war with the rest of us since it’s inception; history teaches us that. It’s not excessive to say let’s all practice what we believe amongst ourselves in private because not everyone believes the same thing. Sure there are many who take comfort in the guidance of religion and in hearing leaders of their faith speak but not everyone and even among those that do not all follow the same leaders. Pat Robertson, for example, is among those calling on Bloomberg to change his mind. Yea the same Pat Robertson who totally concurred with Jerry Falwell’s statement that the ACLU, the pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and the lesbians are to blame for what happened on 9/11. Yea, makes total sense that he should have a say in who should be at the memorial. Of course there are pot stirrers in all faiths like those two that don’t represent the tenets of the belief. Point is the people might be better consoled with their own beliefs in their own way.
Much respect to the faith groups that were among the first responders (Ironically you are uninvited twice!) on September 11. No one is preventing prayer nor whichever God individuals believe in but this type of bias has no place in someone else’s pain.
See how it’s made to be all about them and their belief?
What say you?
Additional:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/07/911-memorial-ceremony-clergy-ban_n_945849.html
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/September/Criticism-of-Bloombergs-911-Clergy-Ban-Grows-/
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/August/NY-Mayor-Bans-Faith-Leaders-from-911-Ceremony/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/rudy-giuliani-on-911-clergy-ban-the-microphone-will-not-melt-if-we-allow-faith-leaders/
Jaylon Carter is a blogger, social media marketing consultant, former Congressional Campaign Media & Communications Director, national labor union vice block leader, and a Hip Hop artist who performs under the stage name Timid (@timidmc).
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