Separation of Church and State must be enforced.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/3285915002

A Republican state lawmaker faces criticism for a Christian prayer she delivered in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday, the same day the body swore in its first female Muslim member.

State Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, a freshman from a rural Pennsylvania district, invoked Jesus, the Lord or God nearly two dozen times in her approximately one-minute-forty-second prayer. She also thanked God for President Donald Trump because he "stands beside Israel, unequivocally."

Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of Philadelphia, who was sworn in on a Quran after Borowicz's prayer, said Tuesday that she thought "for the most part, the entire invocation was offensive." Johnson-Harrell said "to use Jesus as a weapon is not OK" and that "we cannot weaponize what’s going on with Israel and Palestine."

Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said he was "horrified" by Borowicz's prayer.

"I grew up in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn on the basis of freedom of conscience. I have a strong spiritual sense. This is not a reflection of the religion I grew up in," said Wolf, a Methodist.

Borowicz began her invocation saying, "I, Jesus, am your ambassador here today, standing here representing you, the king of kings, the lord of lords." She continued by saying the Founding Fathers "fasted and prayed for this nation to be founded on your principles, and your words, and your truths."

Near the end of her prayer, after Borowicz said, "at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess," some angry voices appeared to rise in the chamber. At that point, House Speaker Mike Turzai, a Republican, touched Borowicz's elbow and she closed with an "amen."

Turzai later read for House members the guidance that previously had been provided to religious professionals about keeping remarks respectful of all religious beliefs and refraining from commenting on extraneous matters.

"It was directly a political statement, and I think we need to be very, very clear that everybody in this House matters, whether they’re Christian, Muslim or Jew, and that we cannot use these issues to tear each other down," Johnson-Harrell said. "And not only that, it was made during my swearing in."

Johnson-Harrell won her seat in a special election held earlier this month to replace Democratic Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who was re-elected in November despite a bribery conviction.

A Muslim prayer was said during Johnson-Harrell's swearing-in. Fifty-five guests attended the ceremony, most of them Muslim.

On Tuesday, Johnson-Harrell told reporters that Borowicz should be censured for her remarks, "because we need to be promoting inclusion, not division."

"I am a Christian. I spend my Sunday mornings in church worshipping and being thankful for all that I have. But in no way does that mean I would flaunt my religion at those who worship differently than I do," Democratic state Rep. Jordan Harris said in a statement. "There is no room in our Capitol building for actions such as this, and it’s incredibly disappointing that today’s opening prayer was so divisive."

Borowicz defended herself on Monday, telling a a Pennsylvania Legislative Services reporter "That’s how I pray everyday."

When asked if she would apologize as some Democrats had demanded, Borowicz said, "Oh no, I don’t apologize ever for praying."

Shit like this is precisely the reason why I am an agnostic.

I have no issues with people believing in the things that I don’t believe in, but this is one of the reasons why I chose to stop believing in God and Jesus Christ.

You want to believe in God and Jesus Christ, then fine, go ahead and believe in them, but don’t expect me to side with you if you’re going to use them as a weapon against your political opponents.

Comments

[BoredAuthor817]

lol! My pastor calls these types of prayers "mini sermons". These things drive him nuts.