Let our Laws be a Reflection of Your Laws

I have been told that we are not legislating morality. I beg to differ.

Here’s the beginning of Texas’ Special Session, where they passed the Abortion Bill into Law. I really think this should be required reading for those that tell me that this isn’t about religion.

Really. Read this thing.

From: http://www.journals.house.state.tx.us/hjrnl/832/pdf/83C2DAY01FINAL.PDF#page=1

HOUSE JOURNAL

EIGHTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, SECOND CALLED SESSION

PROCEEDINGS

FIRST DAY — MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

The chair recognized Representative Flynn who introduced John Robinson, pastor, Assembly of Yahvah [God], Emory [http://www.assemblyofyahvah.com], who offered the invocation as follows:

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are bigger than us today, that your house is bigger than this house, that your laws are immeasurably more significant than any of the laws that have been made here. I thank you that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are higher than ours.

But today, I would ask that our thoughts would be your thoughts; today, I pray that our ways would be your ways. Let our house be your house today, and let our laws be a reflection of your laws. Help us to feel what you feel. Help us to be grieved about the things that break your heart and give us the discernment to recognize those things. Please don't let us be comfortable if some of our lawmakers are lawbreakers, but teach us to tremble at your word with a holy fear of displeasing or dishonoring you. Help us to remember that our words spoken here today will reverberate throughout eternity.

We know that there is a time to weep and a time to rejoice. Help us to sow tears of sorrow today so we can rejoice tomorrow. Open our ears so that we can hear your wisdom crying in the streets. Open our eyes so that we can see your truth that seems to be hidden in plain view, right before us. Please help us as individuals to seek harmony and unity with you and then allow you to work out the other details.

I thank you for the representatives that we have here today from all over our state, but today, I ask you for someone to represent you. Please send us your duly elected representative. We need a representative who knows you and loves you enough to plead for justice on your behalf. We need leaders who have learned to follow you. And when you send them, please help us to recognize them for who they are and to give them a cup of cool water instead of ridiculing or opposing them like we have done in the past. Help us to get our eyes off of ourselves and to be more concerned about our righteousness than our rights.

Yahvah, I thank you that your children need not be discouraged or dismayed. Its good to know that your servants don’t need to be frustrated or worried about the dark storm clouds on the horizon because you have heard our prayers and help is on the way and truth will prevail. Thank you most of all for the sacrifice of your son, Yahshua [Jesus], by whose death we are justified and by whose life we can be saved.

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All right. I've never read the opening invocations of the legislation before. Maybe this is pretty standard; maybe it's not. Maybe I shouldn't ever read them again. I have to say that this PARTICULAR opening prayer scares the shit out of me. There is no real reason to have anyone of any religion come in and "bless" the legislature, etc. If this is standard, I'd like to see some OTHER religions get up there and bless the legislature. So those of you that liked what he said, let me show you how it sounded to me:

Heavenly Father. Here's the deal legislators...

[Y]our laws are immeasurably more significant than any of the laws that have been made here. This is all going to be about religion. Capisce?

[T]each us to tremble at your word with a holy fear of displeasing or dishonoring you. Our followers are going to break your legs / run you out of office / etc. if you do not do what we want.

Help us to sow tears of sorrow today. We are going to upset a lot of people. Too bad.

[G]ive [leaders who have learned to follow you] a cup of cool water instead of ridiculing or opposing them. We are going to turn OUR religious beliefs into law.

[B]e more concerned about our righteousness than our rights.Human rights don't matter; only biblical righteousness.

FUN FACT: Definition of righteousness:http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/a/Righteousness.htm. "However, the Bible clearly states that human beings cannot achieve righteousness through their own efforts: "Thereforeno one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." (Romans 3:20, NIV)."

Thoughts?