Ante Pavkovic, Katherine Pavkovic and their daughter Christan Sugar of North Carolina have been charged with unlawful conduct and disruption of Congress after shouting at a Hindu priest who delivered the opening prayer in the US Senate today.
“Lord Jesus, forgive us father for allowing a prayer of the wicked, which is an abomination in your sight,” the first protester began.
“This is an abomination,” he continued. “We shall have no other gods before You.”
They belong to an extremist anti-abortion group called Operation Save America (formerly Operation Rescue).
Rajan Zed who prayed for peace and spiritual unity is a US citizen. It is the first time in the history of the Senate the invocation has been delivered by a Hindu chaplain.
Operation Save America (who I assume will pay their legal bills) put out a press release that isn’t any more theologically sensible than what the Pavkovic’s and their daughter yelled.
Ante Pavkovic, Kathy Pavkovic, and Kristen Sugar were all arrested in the chambers of the United States Senate as that chamber was violated by a false Hindu god. The Senate was opened with a Hindu prayer placing the false god of Hinduism on a level playing field with the One True God, Jesus Christ. This would never have been allowed by our Founding Fathers.
“Not one Senator had the backbone to stand as our Founding Fathers stood. They stood on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There were three in the audience with the courage to stand and proclaim, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me.’ They were immediately removed from the chambers, arrested, and are in jail now. God bless those who stand for Jesus as we know that He stands for them.” Rev. Flip Benham, Director, Operation Save America/Operation Rescue
The US Chaplains office had to know this would happen, and they are to be applauded for taking a stand. Zed was invited by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. There are about 1 billion Hindus in the world, according a a 2004 State Department report there are approximately 1.478 million US practisioners - .05% of the population.
This story has gone round the world.
Online, American citizens are angry, embarrassed and mocking of this family and Operation Save America. Flip Benham and his friends have not won any points with the public.
This isn’t about Founding Fathers, Jesus Christ, free speech or anything Christian, although I don’t doubt this family thinks they’ve done something good for God. Their behavior is being condemned by Christian groups across the country, because this is not an act of civil disobedience, it is an act of profound ignorance.
Operation Save America was started by Randall Terry in 1986. Starting Saturday members are in Alabama celebrating Eric Robert Rudolph who killed Birmingham police officer Robert “Sandy” Sanderson and seriously injured Emily Lyons in 1998.
Law enforcement, human rights groups and civil rights groups are well aware of Operation Save America extremism; disrupting the US Senate is tame behavior for members of this group.
Operation Save America - Come Storm the Gates in Birmingham
Published 1 year, 4 months ago
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Congressional Record: Protested prayer
Let us pray. We meditate on the transcendental Glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of the Heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds.
Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality. May we be protected together. May we be nourished together. May we work together with great vigor. May our study be enlightening. May no obstacle arise between us.
May the Senators strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world, performing their duties with the welfare of others always in mind, because by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life. May they work carefully and wisely, guided by compassion and without thought for themselves.
United your resolve, united your hearts, may your spirits be as one, that you may long dwell in unity and concord.
Peace, peace, peace be unto all. Lord, we ask You to comfort the family of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Amen.
I am quite sick of these “so-called christian” groups who feel it is okay to disrespect the beliefs of others.
Christ taught tolerance not judgement (John 3:17).
What gives anyone the right to disrespect the beliefs of another?
Christians make me sick and only push society away from the belief in a god.
I think you made a good point - groups that use “christian” most often have other agendas.
This was agregious, it has been good to see US citizens take a such a strong stand against this bigotry and behavior.
The problem, as with everything, has more to do with the attitudes behind what was done than the actions themselves. In this case, the error stems from a confusion of purposes. Operation Save America has confused the purpose of Christ’s followers with the purposes of a human government. Whereas a government exists to secure their particular way of life and protect their favorite people’s lives and interests, Christ and His followers exist to reconcile sinful human beings with their loving and holy Father. This group thinks the purpose of Christians is to make laws and such that force non-Christians to act like Christians without any internal change of heart.
Note that this is the error of most Christians in America, whatever their political orientation. How so? Because any Christian who pursues politics for any reason is trying to accomplish the same end, regardless of how small their aims. A Christian wanting to pass a law against abortion/Hindu prayer/whatever is no different than a Christian trying to pass a law against theft/murder/etc. Both are trying to keep people in line through external laws. Christ, on the other hand, died and rose again to change people’s hearts so that they will not engage in outward sins.
Therefore the basic difference between Operation Save America and your average politically-minded Christian is primarily the degree and type of action taken to accomplish the desired political end.
Take heed of Christ’s words: “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment” (John 7:24).
Ante Pavkovic is a confused sort of feller. I’ve known about him for over six years, and I happen to think he’s one of the most self-righteous, intolerant (more on this in a moment), and narrow-minded individuals I’ve ever encountered.
Mr. Pavkovic may be doing good for the kingdom of God, but it is next to impossible to see it through all of his hate-filled rhetoric - all in the name of love, of course.
I probably agree with Mr. Pavkovic on most things, but please do not associate us merely because we claim the same Savior. I don’t like a Hindu praying the invocation, but so what? I don’t think public prayer should be involved with it one way or the other. The religion that I embrace of evangelical Christianity does hold to concepts that many would call ‘antiquated,’ but the iron fist that holds those views is encased by a velvet glove of love.
I think this individual wanted nothing more than attention for himself. His being ‘bold for God’ is quite selective - i.e. he hides what his actual name is on the Internet except on sites that mandate your name (such as Sharper Iron forums). He has been banned repeatedly from CHRISTIAN websites for his hate-filled rhetoric towards other Christians. With friends like this guy, we don’t need any enemies.
One can check out my website and see the hateful garbage this man spews towards a fellow Christian. He has called me a ‘liar’ for six years although he has never once documented his claim, and a simple read will show that he FALSELY ACCUSED me of a number of things I’ve never done.
The irony is this: I agree with many of Mr. Pavkovic’s positions, but please do not associate us. I believe there is a time and a place for everything - and if God wants to blow up the Senate because His judgment has come on the nation, I’m sure He’s capable of doing it without assistance from self-appointed crusaders.
What struck me in all this was how many Americans spoke out against the actions of Operation Save America and the Pavkovic family.
Your story bears out, research has been done on him, people such as yourself are speaking up and saying this is not how we chose to represent Jesus Christ.
At least the information is out there, and people can say something.
The Senate had been called to order, interfaith public prayer has been offered in Congress and your state legislatures for some time. Instead of thousands of letters in support of their behavior, there have been hundreds.
The only thing besides 100 quiet Senators that is going to show the Pavkovic family and their revisionist friends the country doesn’t approve, is the rest of it’s citizens.
Groups that decided to speak up with Operation Save America such as the Family Research Council have been soundly fisked at places such as Volke, Ed Brayton, and that is healthy for history.
The harm and perception caused in India reflects on all Christians, a country working with your government to stop illegal US ‘missionaries’ who act above India and US laws.
I don’t think for one moment the Pavkovic family and their OSA handlers cared what impact this would have outside the US.
Thank you for sharing your experience, it was good of you to say something.
As a Christian myself; I would not have resorted to the demonstration the Pavkovic family resorted to. Not that I am in any way ashamed of the Pavkovic’s protest; to the contrary, I share their grief and passion; I simply choose to channel it in a different manner. For it is my firm conviction that while without doubt, this was in fact a Christian Nation at it’s founding; and continued to be one for most of it’s existence: It no longer remains such, thanks to men like Harry Reid; and now is “Ichabod” in the eyes of God and subject to His wrath.
I do not mean by the phrase “Christian Nation” that the Government was ever at any time an ecclesiastical body; not that any of the Founding Fathers endeavored to establish a theocracy. What I do mean is that in formulating what nature, character, and vision this Nation was to embody; the Founders ever sought to establish it upon those immutable principles found in the Bible, and especially those taught by Christ. And while some religions outside of Christianity acknowledge some of the same principles; they do so while rejecting the supreme providential guidance of the Christian God who gave them. Not even avowed Deists such as Benjamin Franklin dared do as much… to the consternation of Thomas Paine.
With respect to tolerance: To everything there are limits, and tolerance is no exception. We do not (currently at least) “tolerate” the practice of human sacrifice in the name of “religious tolerance”, and for good reason: It violates a much Higher and Holier Law which states “Thou shalt do no murder”. In such a case we acknowledge that immutable Moral Law trumps transitory ideas of tolerance…. and thankfully so.
Sadly, while we ourselves cherish true liberty which is a healthy thing in a society governed by such immutable Moral Laws; we must also acknowledge the deterioration which has allowed other Moral Laws to be openly violated under the guise of “tolerance”. Once, Adultery was just as heinous a crime as Murder in this Nation; yet now it is practiced & encouraged systematically. Whole industries depend on it’s continuance!
Even politicians enjoin the protections of the 8th Commandment (Thou Shalt not Steal) where it comes to protecting their own interests; yet as is readily seen, while they protect their coveted hoards of spoil with one hand, the other is greedily reaching out to defraud their constituents in the name of “taxes”.
Such is the “tolerance” of the libertine, and such toleration of those things which the Almighty despises is what will surely bring us to ruin.
“Christian toleration”, as it has ever been is to acknowledge the disparity of understanding between themselves and others without violence or malice. Yet this does not imply the embracing of those differences; to the contrary: If we truly are convinced that those things which others embrace, practice, and seek to inculcate in our midst are in fact harmful; it is our duty in love to speak out against them, and to use every lawful means at our disposal to resist their spread.
The Pavkovics have chosen to express their concerns publicly… vocally… and without argument, to the inconvenience of the Congressional decorum; but the greater shame lies on those Senators who refused to speak out in defense of this Nation’s heritage being violated.
The Senate chamber was nearly empty that day, except for the protagonists and the detractors. Somehow, for me, it is a prophetic picture of the state of the National “soul”. Well decorated, but abandoned for the sake of selfish pursuits. And only a few small voices could be heard to echo through it’s once hallowed chambers… like the death rattle in a body whose spirit has already departed. “Ichabod”, for “The glory has departed”
CrossWise’s post is extremely well written and I think represents the feelings of many evangelical Christians. I think that the real offense is that this country established as a result of Christians, by-and-large, who paid a large toll to establish the United States of America. Deists and atheists were defnitely in the minority among the founding fathers. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, 24 of them were pastors with seminary degrees. Where would this country be had the Christians of that era not stood up against King George to establish this land of freedom?
I find it particularly interesting that people of all worldviews today may have a polictical opinion about how this country/society/government ought to work. But those with a Christian and Biblical worldview are encouraged (to put it mildly) to stay ouf of politics, yet it is because of Chrisitans that this country exists as it does. And it was Christians who originally encourage tolerance–not by arguing that all religions were equal or correct, but by allowing people of all faiths or no faith to have a voice in this country. Now it is the voice of the Chrisitans that the others are trying to shut out.
I am not much for extreme tactics, but we see it all the time with gay rights groups, feminist groups, pro-abortion groups and what-have-you. I think we should spend more time complaining about the extremist groups that are trying to ruin our culture, our government, our freedom of speech, and our freedom of religion.
Finally, many have quoted scripture saying that Jesus encouraged people to be tolerant. To be sure, he wanted Christians to be the picture of love, but let’s not be inaccurate about what Jesus thought his role was in the world. He said in Matthew 10:33-36 “”But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”
Jesus wasn’t saying that we should go on crusades, but that because he was claiming to be THE WAY and the only way to heaven, the world would hate his message and condemn him (which they did) and those who follow him (which they continue to do).