Driven to our knees

By: American Decency Staff

In just a few weeks we will be commemorating the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  It’s been ten years, but I, and most Americans, can remember the horror of that day vividly.  I also remember the impromptu scenes of people gathering for prayer on street corners and in public parks.  The televised national prayer services at the National Cathedral in DC and Yankee Stadium in New York City.  The local community-wide prayer event I attended. We as an American people sought refuge and comfort from God on that terrible day. While the response of turning to prayer may be temporary for some, such tragic events have often led us as a people to seek the Lord.  From the founding of our nation, we have turned to God in times of distress.  And most of our country’s leaders over the last 235 years have wisely directed us to prayer. Abraham Lincoln could have been talking about 9/11 when he stated:  “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go.  My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day.â€Â Yet some seem to have forgotten from where Americans sought strength that day.  As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, with all the ceremonies and services of remembrance planned, the memorial event in New York City, where so many lost their lives, will not include prayer. As reported by NewsMax: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under attack for refusing to allow members of the clergy to play a role in the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Bloomberg insists the ceremonies should focus on the families of those killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is also barring political speech. But pastors and politicians are lining up to lambast his decision, reports The Wall Street Journal. "This is America, and to have a memorial service where there's no prayer, this appears to be insanity to me," said Rudy Washington, a deputy mayor under Bloomberg’s predecessor Rudy Giuliani, who organized a nationally televised interfaith ceremony at Yankee Stadium in the days after the 2001 attacks. "I feel like America has lost its way," added Washington. “I am very upset about it. This is crazy.â€Â New York City Council member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor in the Bronx, said faith was one of the “pillars that carried us throughâ€Â the days after the attacks and called religious leaders “the spiritual and emotional backbone.â€Â “When you have a situation where people are trying to find meaning, where something is bigger than them, when you have a crisis of this level, they often look to the clergy," added Cabrera, who said excluding religious leaders from the ceremony was "wiping out the recognition of the importance that spirituality plays on that day." http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/bloomberg-911-bans-religion/2011/08/24/id/408556 Read more on Newsmax.com: New York Mayor Bloomberg Bans Religion at 9/11 Ceremony The attack on 9/11 impacted all Americans.  We should stand together again and call upon Mayor Bloomberg to reverse this decision and prominently include prayer and clergy in this event that has meaning to millions of Americans outside of the city limits of New York. See below for information to contact New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg City Hall New York, NY 10007 PHONE 212-NEW-YORK FAX (212) 312-0700 E-MAIL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html MEDIA CONTACT: Stu Loeser/Marc La Vorgna   (212) 788-2958 ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

---