| Praying in Jesus name One of the big controversies brewing over at the State House in Annapolis these days has nothing to do with slot machines, the death penalty, or the budget. Its prayer. Thats right, prayer. You see, every morning, before the elected elite settle into their desks and get down to work, a person is invited to stand before the assembly and offer a prayer. Our own Rev. Mamie Williams, superintendent of the Annapolis District, was given this honor last month. Those who pray are instructed, it seems, to keep the prayers non-specific when it comes to certain saviors, deities, or supreme beings. Fair enough; there are people other than Christians in the group and it would be insensitive to their faith to impose ours on them. Right? Wellllll Since the lawmakers convened their session last month, no less than four people have dared mention the name of Jesus in their prayer. Several elected officials are in an uproar and demanding that the time for prayer be moved to just before the official opening of the business day. That way, lawmakers who might be offended wouldnt have to be in their seats to hear the prayer. My question: What are these people thinking? I mean, if they were to invite, say, the pope to pray in front of them, would they expect him not to mention Jesus? Why would it be any different for any other person? If I were to ask the Rev. Lauren Lay of Shiloh UMC to come to my house and offer a prayer of blessing on me and my new bride, I would expect her to pray in the Christian tradition. I would be disappointed if she didnt. In the same manner, if I were to ask Rabbi David Saperstein to come to my house and offer a prayer of blessing on me and my new bride, I would expect him to pray in the Jewish tradition. I would be disappointed if he didnt. Likewise, if I were to ask Anutama Dasha to come to my house and offer a prayer of blessing on me and my new bride, I would expect him to pray in the Hare Krishna tradition. I would be disappointed if he didnt. In other words, each of these people lives out of a sense of who they are and whose they are. They are not all of the same faith traditions, but they are all people of faith. With each one, I know at least I hope I know what Im getting beforehand when I invite them to come over to my house. I wouldnt expect a Jew to pray in Jesus name any more than I would expect a Christian to pray in the name of Buddha. Why should I be upset/shocked/angered when they pray consistent with their faith tradition? The answer is, I shouldnt. And neither should the Maryland General Assembly. For the people chosen to pray in front of the legislators in Annapolis to be expected to suddenly, publicly ignore who they are seems silly at best, pompous at worst. Reminds me of the man walking in the woods one day. Suddenly, he came upon a huge brown bear a huge, hungry brown bear. The bear eyed him with carnivorous intent, when suddenly, the man dropped to his knees and began to pray. Lord, this is urgent! Im about to be eaten by a huge, hungry brown bear. Please, Lord, convert this enemy in my midst. Make this bear a Christian, and I shall be saved! Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the man found himself standing right in front of the bear. The bear, meanwhile, was on his knees, praying: For this meal, which I am about to receive, I give you thanks, O Lord. Even when converted, a bear is still a bear. Even when praying in front of the General Assembly, a Christian is still a Christian, a Jew is still a Jew, and so on and so forth. If the people running the show in Annapolis want to make sure no one gets offended at preachers praying in the name of Jesus, the answer is fairly simple. All they have to do is make sure a broad range of faith groups is represented over the course of the 90-day session. Im sure there is no shortage of women and men who would be willing to offer a two-minute blessing upon the Assembly from a multitude of faith traditions. After all, these folks need all the prayers they can get. | 
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