Far be for it me to disagree with Andrew Sullivan when he’s bashing religious right activists organizing to benefit a Republican candidate, but this didn’t strike me as that bad.
A Christian prayer group is hoping to provide Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Bryson with some divine assistance during his campaign.
The “Bryson Prayer Force” is inviting Christians to join its current 80 members in praying regularly for Bryson, his family and campaign staff.
An e-mail sent out by the group included some suggested prayers. Weekly prayers are to be sent to those who have signed up to be part of the group. “Pray for an open heaven over Jim and his team in each Tennessee county they visit, that the gates of each county would open to him and his team, and that the Lord’s divine favor will be granted to him everywhere he goes,” reads one example.
It’s all pretty boilerplate for the religious right, which often argues that their prayers can influence election outcomes. Sullivan responded, “Do the Republicans know that the ‘Party of God’ has already been trademarked? By Hezbollah.” Ouch.
Also, doesn’t this raise slightly thorny theological issues for the religious right? They’re asking God to supersede the democratic process and the will of the voters, which, as Alex Knapp suggested, “doesn’t seem to be a particularly good Christian thing to do.”
For that matter, the “Bryson Prayer Force” may not realize it, but Bryson is going to lose, badly. In one recent poll, Gov. Phil Bredesen (D) enjoys a 33-point lead over the Republican state senator, 57% to 24%.
Ultimately, I’m afraid these coordinated prayers appear to work about as well as praying for lower gas prices and for patients recovering from heart surgery.