Word: events
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...breakfast can be an irreplaceable occasion—just ask the 3,500 notables who attended the National Prayer Breakfast last week. The event, which was attended by Congressmen, diplomats, religious, business and military leaders, and President Barack Obama, is held annually at the Washington Hilton in order to help these leaders make cross-field connections that they otherwise might not. Yet the event is not without controversy; The Fellowship Foundation, a “secretive evangelical Christian network,” also known as The Family, sponsors the event. Though high-level politicians on both sides of the aisle...
...boycotting an event sponsored by the National Prayer Breakfast would not have been the best way for Obama to declare his views in opposition to the ones linked to The Family. Obama made a wise decision in attending the breakfast and using it as an occasion to to declare, “It is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are—whether it's here in the United States or…more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.” Going to the breakfast was the best...
...involve praying to a God. This nominal objection is important because, in a country with a commitment to the separation of church and state, for any group to be disadvantaged or not included in the breakfast by virtue of their lack of faith in God, would be unfair. This event was meant to be an occasion to promote inclusivity and concord, and it would be sadly ironic if it ended up doing the opposite...
Whether or not religious leaders continue to meet with the president in the format of a National Prayer Breakfast, an organization as discriminating and prejudiced as The Family should not be allowed to sponsor such an event in the future. The U.S. Congress technically hosts the National Prayer Breakfast, and we urge it to choose other, less embattled organizers for such occasions. There are other faith-based groups that do not share such extreme, antagonizing views as The Family, and they would be more suited to head an event primarily dedicated to friendship building. Although Obama made the right decision...
...That was really thrilling. It was a moment where I thought, “Everything has come together.” I knew the piece well. I love singing it. And it was an incredible honor to be a part of this historic event...