Wide Support For First Hindu Prayer In U.S .Senate

[Guest guest]

WASHINGTON, D.C. (6 August 2007): The first Hindu prayer in the U.S.

Senate, delivered by chaplain Rajan Zed on July 12, which was

protested from the gallery, is receiving overwhelming support from

religious, political, and scholarly quarters.

 

Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, in a release, said, " The

Hindu prayer opening the Senate this month was a historic milestone

for religious tolerance and diversity in America. The American spirit

is ultimately welcoming and the vast majority of people saw this

occasion as I did -- as a source of pride and celebration. "

 

Presidential candidate and Senator Christopher J. Dodd from

Connecticut, in a release, said, " Our nation was founded on the

importance of religious freedom… I was honored to have Rajan Zed

deliver his blessing last week and introduce his faith on the Senate

floor. "

 

Reverend Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, President of Chicago

Theological Seminary, said, " It is crucial for this country, that has

such a vibrant and increasingly diverse faith community and that has

peaceful relations among the religions, to have a Hindu lead prayer

before the Senate. "

 

he Episcopal Bishop of Washington, a diocese that encompasses 93

congregations, Reverend John Bryson Chane, was of the view, " What

some may believe, that a Hindu chaplain opening a session of the

United States Senate with prayer has somehow violated the notion

of " One Nation under God, " is absurd. "

 

Chester L. Gillis, Chair of Catholic Studies at Georgetown

University, says, " Having a Hindu chaplain recite the opening prayer

in the U.S . Senate does not violate the principle of the Pledge,

since Hindus share belief in God, expressed through the multiple gods

and goddesses they believe to represent Brahman, the ultimate

transcendent. Those Americans who say 'give me that old time

religion' simply need to recall that Hinduism ― truly an old-time

religion ― predates both Judaism and Christianity. "

 

The American Jewish Committee, in a release, said that it was deeply

troubled by the verbal assault on Rajan Zed.

 

" Senate majority leader Harry Reid's invitation to Rajan Zed to

become the first Hindu to deliver an opening prayer is a testament to

our national commitment to promoting ideals of diversity in every

facet of American society, " said Richard T. Foltin, its Legislative.

 

Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Director of Research Center for Religion

in Society and Culture, said, " a Hindu prayer to more than one deity

does not violate any legal norm. Still less, can the so called

monotheistic religions of Abrahamic traditions claim any historical

superiority over Hinduism. "

 

Samuel Rodriguez, President of National Hispanic Christian Leadership

Conference and well know evangelist, said, " A Hindu religious figure

leading prayer in the Senate demonstrates that this nation embraces

religious tolerance and pluralism and rejects exceptionalism and

totalitarianism. This makes our nation great. "

 

Reverend Thomas J. Reese, Senior Fellow of Woodstock Theological

Center, Jesuit priest, and expert on Catholic issues, said, " One does

not have to agree with everyone's religion, but as Christians and

Americans we have an obligation to respect the beliefs and religious

practices of others. Disrupting prayer is bad manners and

unchristian. There are other forums in which to protest and debate

theology. "

 

Mormon Transhumanist Association expressed happiness over invitation

to a Hindu to offer Senate opening prayer. On its website, it quoted

prophet Joseph Smith (Eleventh Article of Faith), " We claim the

privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our

own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them

worship how, where, or what they may. "

 

R. Gustav Niebuhr, Director of Religion & Society Program at Syracuse

University, stated, " The single most surprising aspect of having a

Hindu priest offer an opening prayer in the United States Senate is

that it happened on July 12, 2007. I can't be the only person to whom

that must seem a bit late. After all, Hindu scriptures have been read

and admired in this country for more than 150 years. The invitation

to Mr. Zed to pray in the Senate in itself testifies to one of our

most basic freedoms, a thing for which many in the world still do

really admire us. "

 

Ordained United Church of Christ and American Baptist Minister, Dr.

Willis E. Elliot, said, " America is religiously pluralist, and Senate-

session opening-prayers should reflect this plain fact. "

 

C. Welton Gaddy, Leader of the Interfaith Alliance and host of the

weekly radio show, State of Belief, said, " First, Sen. Harry Reid and

the United States Senate should be congratulated and supported for

inviting Chaplain Rajan Zed, a Hindu American from Nevada, to deliver

the opening prayer at the opening of a Senate session. America is one

nation with many faiths and many beliefs. All of our great religions

and belief systems share the highest values, ethics, and morals. And

Chaplain Zed's prayer fit perfectly in that tradition. "

 

Muslims for Progressive Views Co-founder, Pamela K. Taylor, said, " I

believe it is important to recognize that the outcry over prayers led

by a Hindu reveal the thinly veiled religious bigotry. "

 

Foundation for Pluralism President, Mike Ghouse, in a release,

said, " we congratulate the Hindu-American community of America for

this blessed step. It is indeed a giant leap for the American society

in building inclusive societies…Now, America has demonstrated its

leadership in the spiritual domain by including the Hindu prayers for

opening…We are proud of this milestone in our history. "

 

Americans United for Separation of Church and State deplored the

disruption of the prayer in a release. Rev. Barry W. Lynn, its

Executive Director, said, " I don't think the Senate should open with

prayers, but if it's going to happen, the invocations ought to

reflect the diversity of the American people. "

 

InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington thanked Senator

Harry Reid and Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry C. Black for inviting Mr.

Rajan Zed to be the first Hindu to give the opening prayer in the

U.S. Senate. " We applaud your courage and your commitment to peace

and unity, " it added.

 

United States India Political Action Committee chairman Sanjay Puri

said in a release, " The fact that Rajan Zed was allowed to give

prayer before the U.S. Senate should make us all proud as Americans.

Religious diversity and tolerance are the foundation on which the

United States was built. "

 

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, in a media

release, said " The incident clearly indicates the need to increase

education about religion in the United States, to enhance awareness

of and respect for the diversity of religious expressions that exist

today in our country. "

 

The Hindu American Foundation, in a release by its Executive Director

Ishani Chowdhury, said, " Shri Rajan Zed's prayer recitation shared

with our fellow Americans the Hindu belief in a transcendental,

immanent God and the eternal Hindu search for enlightenment and

universal peace. Our foundation joins all Hindu Americans in

congratulating the U.S. Senate for demonstrating its commitment to

the American ideal of pluralism, and for respecting the religious

diversity of our great country. "

 

In a letter to Senator Harry Reid, Chowdhury said, " On behalf of two

million Hindu Americans who call this nation their home, the Hindu

American Foundation, would like to thank you for inviting Shri Rajan

Zed. It was a momentous occasion―being the first time a member of our

community has had the opportunity to lead our nation's leaders in

prayer. "

 

SOURCE: Scoop Independent News, New Zealand

URL: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0708/S00167.htm