Act of God or act of nature? Whatever it was, the earthquake that shook the East Coast August 25 damaged the National Cathedral. Because of the natural disaster, the 9/11 “interfaith moment” had to move elsewhere. The CNN story and more information on the National Cathedral, an Episcopal institution, is below ETF’s 9/11 report of the New York City ban on prayer.
NO PRAYER ALLOWED
September 11, 2011 — Prayer has been banned officially at the Ground Zero ceremony today marking the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has suggested that allowing clergy to speak at the 9/11 ceremony would be, in effect, thrusting religion upon the thousands of attendees and the millions more watching, some of whom might object.
Mr. Bloomberg said terrorists want to take away freedom of religion, “but they don’t like the fact that you have one religion and I have another. They believe that they know what’s right. And it may be right for them. But government shouldn’t be forcing it down people’s throats.”
Well, that makes it perfectly clear, doesn’t it? He doesn’t want to upset terrorists, but it’s OK to insult those among us who might believe that a prayer at a memorial service might not be amiss. A petition bearing 55,000 names asking that prayer be allowed apparently has been ignored.
What says the Episcopal Church about this ban on prayer by Bloomberg, who has supported the construction of a mosque near the site of the devastation, but prohibits prayer at a memorial ceremony? Precious little. At a “Mass for Peace” this morning at historic St. Paul’s Chapel, which opened its doors 10 years ago to rescue workers, police, firefighters, construction workers, and others who labored in the smoldering remains of the World Trade Center, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori brushed off the Bloomberg ban: ”We don’t need to be in the center of things, but here for those who need us. And that’s what St. Paul’s did; they were here for the people who needed them.”
People rely on their faith when they lose loved ones. They need God, not the state, in times of trouble. It was prayer, not platitudes, that sustained the victims in their last hour and comforted the shocked and bewildered survivors. Rather than offering up bland sentimentality, the purpose of which seems to be wiping our minds clean of the sheer horror of that day, why not comfort the bereaved with a profoundly respectful appeal to heaven, such as this prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer:
In Time of War and Tumults
O Almighty God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Page 41)
Today we watch with disbelief as the the worst disaster in our history is being sanitized. Instead, it should be acknowledged, deplored, and remembered for exactly what it was — an act of war by radical islamists that killed some 3,000 innocent Americans; an enormity the memory of which will linger as the black smoke lingered over lower Manhattan for months after the fires went out. If it helps some of us to read secular poems, ring bells, play soothing music, take photos of the memorial, and listen to sermons about our vulnerability and interconnectedness, fine. But let’s not talk of “closure,” a meaningless concept when faced with such sorrow. Let’s ask God to comfort us, to deliver us from evil, and to preserve our nation. – Jan
National Cathedral Installs Netting before Obama Visit
By Jay Akasie | International Business Times www.ibtimes.com September 2, 2011 3:34 PM EDT
The Washington National Cathedral, which will be visited by President Obama on Sept. 11, is installing safety netting across its interior vaulting to protect visitors from falling debris.
The netting runs across the nave and choir areas of the massive cathedral, damaged in last week’s earthquake. Since the 5.8-magnitude quake hit the nation’s capital last week, the limestone structure has been closed to the public.
Angel toppled by Act of God -- legal term for earthquake. Image courtesy of National Cathedral
President Obama and other dignitaries are scheduled to attend memorial services on Sunday, Sept. 11 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks. “We don’t anticipate any additional elements to fall,” the cathedral spokesman, Richard Weinberg, told The Washington Times. He said that the netting is strictly a precautionary measure.
The earthquake damaged three of four spires atop the cathedral’s 300-foot-tall central tower and caused major cracks in the building’s exterior. Cathedral officials said it also shook loose mortar between interior bricks, causing small pieces of mortar to fall from the ceiling.
The Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul was designed by the architectural firm of Frohman, Robb & Little and construction began in 1907. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone. Construction continued on the cathedral through 1990, when President George H.W. Bush attended the ceremonial laying of the last limestone brick.
Although technically affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the cathedral has positioned itself in recent decades as a leftwing “interfaith” center open to “people of all faiths and perspectives.” It is known for welcoming controversial Muslim clerics, including the former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami.
Washington (CNN) – Hundreds gathered in Washington Sunday to share an interfaith moment together in remembrance of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The morning vigil service, planned over months by staff at the Washington National Cathedral, integrated chants, prayers, music and traditions from across the religious spectrum.
The event was one of several organized by the Washington National Cathedral over the weekend.
“We feel like our events say to the world that faith is an element [of commemorating 9/11],” said Steven Schwab, spokesman for Washington National Cathedral.
The service originally was scheduled to take place in the iconic National Cathedral, but was moved to the Washington Hebrew Congregation due to damage from the recent Washington-area earthquake.
However, the cathedral was not without a role. The large Bourdon Bell in the Cathedral’s bell tower rang in time with bells at the temple – a series of somber chimes marking the moment of impact at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
A reading during the service mentioned the biblical Tower of Babel and subsequent scattering of peoples and languages over the earth.
Other readings, prayers, and reflections contemplated love, conflict, grief, and the idea of finding a single truth in differing viewpoints.
“These attitudes and relationships have a crucial bearing on justice. Justice is not about following the law. It’s about how we treat each other,” said local Hindu leader Dr. D.C. Rao.
“Without understanding and respect, there can be no justice.”
Mercy and tolerance were two other key theme as leaders took the podium to share thoughts on living in a community of vastly different religious and non-religious perspectives.
“Faith is mercy. Mercy is love for humanity. A love for humanity is to believe that human life – all human life – is sacred,” said Imam Mohammed Magid of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.
Tying the conciliatory themes of the vigil together, Washington National Cathedral’s the Rev. Samuel Lloyd, III, called on those present to take with them a feeling of interfaith harmony.
“We know moments of harmony such as this will seem fleeting,” said Lloyd, “But one thing can happen. They help us to glimpse the world as God yearns for it to be.”
| The Editors – CNN Belief BlogFiled under: 9/11 • Church • Faith Now • Interfaith issues |
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