Ed Brayton is a journalist, commentator and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
Pat Robertson has prayed for Supreme Court justices to die. The Haredi nutballs in Israel have called down curses on gay rights protesters there. Now a Baptist minister in California is calling on his followers to pray for a curse upon Americans United for Separation of Church and State:
Specifically, Rev. Wiley Drake of the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, Calif., is asking his supporters to use "imprecatory prayer" to curse Americans United and its leaders.The argument centers on whether Drake violated federal tax law by "electioneering" when he recently endorsed the presidential candidacy of Republican Mike Huckabee. Americans United on Tuesday asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate.
Today, Drake told us by telephone that he has called for prayers aimed at smiting the AU and its leadership not because they oppose him personally, but because "they are attacking God's people."
Here's what Drake actually said in a press release:
Now that all efforts have been exhausted, we must begin our Imprecatory Prayer, at the key points of the parliamentary role in the earth where we live.John Calvin gave the church its marching orders from Scripture. The righteous have dominion, but only through imprecatory prayer against the ungodly...
Church father Martin Luther, led us by saying..."If any of the enemies of God's people belong to God's election, the church's prayer against them giveth way to their conversion, and seeketh no more than that the judgment should follow them, only until they acknowledge their sin, turn, and seek God."
Maybe he should go a step further and do what Calvin and Luther both also advocated and just kill them in the name of God.
Comments
I'm sure the only thing God is waiting on before meeting out justice is a personal invitation.
Posted by: AnneS | August 17, 2007 9:10 AM
Well, let's see... Jesus was killed and rose from the dead three days later; he made his followers eat flesh and blood (we can only assume because that's what he was eating too)....
I'd say there's a good chance Jesus was a vampire. So it only makes sense that he has to be invited somewhere before he can enter to do some smiting.
Posted by: Skemono | August 17, 2007 9:14 AM
Given their god's omniscience, imprecatory prayer carries the implication that those who pray know their god's will with regard to the perceived enemy. The distance between that and acting to achieve that god's will is scarily short.
Posted by: Russell | August 17, 2007 9:15 AM
In the name of science, I for one would like to thank Rev. Wiley Drake for taking the initiative to conduct his own follow up to that study on the effects of prayer we had a few years back. I have a feeling we're all going to be very pleased with the result, though not terribly surprised.
Posted by: MyPetSlug | August 17, 2007 9:20 AM
I find this both disturbing and highly amusing. Disturbing because of the complete lack of human compassion shown by this man - if he has a problem with Americans United, why would he jump right to cursing them? Has he tried picking up the phone and asking them why they think his actions are wrong?
The amusing part? I am right now reading a history of the Reformation (fascinating, if dense), and am learning so many interesting facts about Protestants - including that Calvin and Luther were diametrically opposed on many doctrinal issues, but this guy is quoting both of them. They founded different churches, for crying out loud.
Posted by: CPT_Doom | August 17, 2007 9:39 AM
More evidence that religion is the source of all decent morality.
Posted by: Paul Sunstone | August 17, 2007 11:03 AM
Stories like this aren't rare, but it's those militant atheists who are sowing discord, right?
Any signs of condemnation from moderate christians, or are only moderate muslims required to denounce extremists in their midst?
Posted by: Pieter B | August 17, 2007 11:33 AM
Actually, they can find an admonition to kill nonbelievers right in their own bible:
Deuteronomy 17
17:2 If there be found among you, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy God giveth thee, man or woman, that hath wrought wickedness in the sight of the LORD thy God, in transgressing his covenant; 17:3 And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded; 17:4 And it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it, and enquired diligently, and, behold, it be true, and the thing certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 17:5 Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die.
Posted by: vjack | August 17, 2007 3:13 PM
'Today, Drake told us by telephone that he has called for prayers aimed at smiting the AU and its leadership not because they oppose him personally, but because "they are attacking God's people." '
So, is he (Drake) saying that he (Drake again) is not one of "God's people"?
Posted by: Badger3k | August 17, 2007 7:31 PM
Oooh, I'm a contributor to Americans United, now I'm skeert, ha ha.
Funny, I was looking at Matthew 6:9-15 and seemed to miss that part about praying for God to smite my enemies:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
... and I'm still not seeing it. Well, I guess we can't all be as good a "Christian" as ol' Rev. Drake. By golly he must be Jesus' own right-hand man, knowing exactly what the guy meant and all - like how "forgive" really means "kill! kill! kill! kill!" - and stuff like that.
Posted by: Anna_Z | August 17, 2007 9:51 PM
Two things about this story: 1. Notice that Drake never actually denies violating tax law. He just snipes at AU for "attacking God's people;" in other words, the very fact that one is criticizing "God's people"(meaning, in Drake's view, Christians) is wrong, regardless of whether said criticism has any merit or not. 2. If this kind of "prayer" is consistent with the beliefs and teachings of Christianity, then that is reason alone for for me not to be a Christian. I really don't want to worship a God that is the theological equivalent of a Mafia hitman hired to rub out someone's enemies.
Posted by: danielrotter | August 17, 2007 10:42 PM
As I've written before, I'm actually in favor of eliminating the rules against political involvement by churches and other non-profits and charity organizations. I don't think they really do anything but cause excessive entanglement between church and state by requiring the government to make subjective judgments of what does and does not violate the rules. Whether churches should be taxed or not is an entirely different question, of course. And regardless of whether one agrees with those rules or not, praying for a pox on those who support such rules is vile and idiotic behavior.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | August 17, 2007 11:30 PM
danielrotter:
God is NOT a button man; he is the GODFATHER--like Tony Soprano (but with bazillion volt lightning bolts instead of a Glock 9). The hitters would be the Archangels. Never forget that we have the Belezebub family to deal with too.
Posted by: democommie | August 18, 2007 7:35 AM
Americans United for Separation of Church and State started out as Protestants and Other Americans .... When I was growing up in a California Sourthern Baptist church in the 50s, the church hosted a state convention where the president of Americans United was the keynote speaker. Times have changed.
Posted by: Larry D | August 18, 2007 8:19 PM
I'm sorry - the "Imprecatory Prayer"...does this not sound like some kind of curse or spell that Harry Potter may have used?
But seriously, I am a Christian and I think this is ridiculous. I am a firm supporter in the separation of church and state. I don't want the state to tell me what to believe.
Oh - it must be about the funding...not being able to obtain federal funding for programs that promote a particular religious point of view. I don't have a problem with that. And if Rev. Drake does, I suggest he re-read the New Testament. You know, the part about rendering to Caesar what is Caesar's...
Posted by: Melski | August 18, 2007 10:25 PM