PUBLIC PRAYER IN A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
From the PCLEC Training Manual
Guidelines for Civic Occasions
Spoken prayer is common on many civic occasions such as club meetings, legislative sessions, graduations, political rallies, testimonial dinners and community forums. Prayer in settings which are primarily secular should bind a group together in a common concern. However, it can become divisive, even if not intended, when forms or language exclude some persons.
Individuals who lead the general community in prayer have a responsibility to be clear about the purpose as well as the nature of the occasion. Prayer on behalf of the general community should be general prayer. General prayer is inclusive, non sectarian and carefully planned to avoid embarrassments and misunderstandings. Those who are reluctant to offer general prayer should be given the option of declining an invitation.
General public prayer on civic occasions is authentic prayer that also enables people to recognize the pluralism of American society.
Prayer of any kind may be inappropriate on some civic occasions. Decisions should show respect both for public diversity and for the serious nature of prayer.
GENERAL PUBLIC PRAYER
Seeks the highest common denominator without compromise of conscience.
Calls upon God on behalf of the particular public gathered; avoids individual petitions.
Uses forms and vocabulary that allow persons of different faiths to give assent to what is said.
Uses universal, inclusive terms for deity rather than particular proper names for divine manifestations. Some opening ascriptions are "Mighty God," "Our Maker," " Source of all Being" or "Creator and Sustainer." Possible closing words are "Hear Our Prayer," "In Thy Name," "May Goodness Flourish," or, simply, "Amen."
Uses the language most widely understood in the audience, unless one purpose of the event is to express ethnic/cultural diversity, in which case multiple languages can be effective.
Consider other creative alternatives, including a moment of silence.
Remains faithful to the purposes of acknowledging divine presence and seeking blessing, not as opportunity to preach, argue or testify.
These guidelines for inclusiveness and sensitivity on prayer should also apply to the content of meditations or addresses on civic occasions, and to the selection and performance of music.
Public Prayer in Interfaith Settings
In the Mekong Delta, it was a Protestant chaplain - Les Westling - who helped me grow as a Jew, and who helped me decide to become a rabbi. With his help, I discovered the love within Judaism; because of his help, I discovered love within Christianity.
After the terrorist truck bomb attack in Beirut, when my skullcap, my Kippa, was lost in the rubble and misery, it was a Catholic chaplain - George "Pooch" Pucciarelli - who cut a circle of cloth from his own Marine camouflage cap to take its place. For others, the Kippa was a symbol of Judaism; for me, his action made this one a symbol of Christianity.
The Talmud tells the story of a Jew who bought a camel from an Arab, only to discover a precious gem hidden in the saddle, of which neither the seller nor the buyer had been aware. When the Jew returned it, the Arab's reaction was one of respect and appreciation for the Jewish faith, for it must be praiseworthy, he said, to teach a man such honest ways.
Colleagues like Les and Pooch helped me to understand the lesson of this Talmudic story; it does not take words to witness for one's faith. It takes love.
KNOWING WHAT HURTS
Another story from rabbinical tradition tells of two long-time friends. "Do you love me?" one friend asks the other. "Of course." "Do you know what hurts me?" "No, what hurts?" "How can you say you love me if you don't know what hurts me?"
When my father died two years ago, a fellow chaplain wrote to me with the prayer that I would accept the resurrection of Jesus. Without that acceptance, he wrote, it must seem truly hopeless to bear the death of a loved one. Many other notes from chaplains brought me comfort during that time of grief; this letter brought me pain.
At the 1980 Navy Chaplain Corps Worship, a chaplain began by stressing the need for us to work together as a team during the decade which was about to begin. Inviting us to join together for a moment of prayer, he ended the prayer in the name of the Trinity. I could not add my Amen. Hadn't I been invited to pray with the group? I felt out of place. I wanted to be a part of this prayer, as we faced the future together-and it hurt me that I could not.
Few chaplains would write to me to tell me that there can be no basis for comfort within Judaism, but there are many who let me know that there can be no basis for prayer. We may work together, but we cannot face God together, as servants or as children, not even for a moment. There are times, of course, when the slight is unintentional, and the chaplain simply does not realize that inviting me to join in prayer and then using words which I cannot say is the same as inviting me for dinner and serving food I cannot eat. But there are other chaplains who understand that there are words and expressions which exclude non-Christians, but they see the question of public prayer on an academic plane.
For me, it is not an intellectual question, nor even one of "interfaith relations," a phrase which brings to mind meeting of religious bodies, rather than actions between human beings. When I raise the issue, as I do in this article, it is an attempt to share feelings among friends. It is an effort to let others know what hurts.
PUBLIC PRAYER
A fundamental question for some chaplains has to do with whether it is appropriate for chaplains to participate in "civil ceremonies" at all. For some chaplains prayers made appropriate to civil occasions "water down" the true faith and open up the dangers of "civil religion."
My feeling is that such a danger is overshadowed by the far greater danger of the secular world, that it will be a place of no religion at all. A word of prayer at a civil or secular occasion can be a reminder that faith is not relegated to the synagogue or church. My concern is not simply that our people do not pray in the best way possible; it is that they do not pray at all - they have no relationship to prayer.
Our participation in public events can be a beginning. The danger of encroaching civil religion - and the fear of "watered-down" concern is not that most people do not pray in the best way possible; it is that they do not pray at all. If we fear the specter of "civil religion," we should fear the nearer danger of secularism even more; a world where religion is relegated to the confines of the church or synagogue, kept entirely away from the "real world." Our participation in public events can be a reminder of God's presence, a reminder of something holy - even a reminder of the idea of the holy - for those who have forgotten how to pray or how to dream.
Within our own faith groups we emphasize our particular beliefs and approaches to God. Before men and women of all faiths, we stress the ties that bind through a moment of awareness of the Presence of something larger than ourselves.
We need not begin with the founders of America to understand that there are times to speak of God in general terms. Millennia before the founding fathers celebrated this truth, it was a Biblical prophet Malachi who saw the cruelty of fighting in his time and cried out, "Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us all?" (Malachi 2:10). His fear was not that he might water down God's word or forget the different cultic responsibilities of Jews and non-Jews. His concern was to remind the world of God's existence and the way that God's care binds all humanity together. In today's world, still torn by strife, it is no "danger" to share this prophetic message and no "cop-out" to follow this example. Instead, it is a challenge worthy of all our faiths.
From any newspaper we can see religion abused so as to tear people apart. Through a moment of prayer we can remind a cynical world that faith can and must be used to bring them together. When entire faith groups are excluded from our prayers, then a chance to face God together is lost. An opportunity to touch men and women of all faiths has become an occasion to relate to our faith group alone. Without prayer which includes all, an opportunity to teach that despite differences we must work together for common good remains a reminder of how separate we stand.
Each of us wears the cross or tablets which identify us as Christian or Jew. In public prayer we have the opportunity to say that our religion, Christianity and Judaism, teaches us to care for others, regardless of their origin. Whatever a public prayer should be, it should not be cruel or uncaring.
One of the most "general" prayers in the Bible is Psalm 117, the Bible's shortest book:
O praise the Lord, all you nations;
Praise Him all you peoples;
For His love for us is great;
And the truth of the Lord endures forever. Hallelujah.
Would such a prayer water down our faith?
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Does not each of us have the right to pray as he or she pleases? We can never be denied the right, or the ability, to pray. As has been written regarding the question of prayer in public schools, there will always be students praying so long as there are teachers handing out tests. In America, of course, we enjoy religious freedom as groups within our houses of worship, speaking to those who share our faiths.
It is the gray area of public prayer before interfaith groups, a modern phenomenon, that the question of the right of the speaker as over against the right of the listeners comes to the fore. For me it is helpful to remember a basic difference between the "law of the land", at least in the West, and the "law of the Bible." The former considers a situation from the point of view of rights, while the latter is more concerned with responsibilities.
When we accept the invitation or the assignment to participate in a public ceremony by offering a word of prayer, we understand that we are making a contract of sorts. Analogously we do not agree to participate in a wedding and then use the ceremony as the occasion to speak against the union. It seems to me, if there is a right involved, it is not the right to word the prayers as we please, but a right to be exercised much before the occasion: the right to decline to participate. It is the right of the chaplain who cannot offer a "general" prayer to decline, in the same way that we may choose not to participate in baptisms, weddings, or funerals.
If we accept the invitation, however, we have a responsibility to understand that we have been asked to add a reminder of the holy and challenged to touch and inspire those present through a moment of shared prayer. We have not been asked to preach nor to confess our faith. We have a responsibility to our conscience and our faith, but we also have a responsibility to those before whom we stand. Neither can be ignored.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
At the most practical level, it is well for us to remember that participation in a civil ceremony may be only a small part of our ministry, but it often lays the groundwork for much of what follows.
There is a story of a young sailor who hesitated to speak to the chaplain when he saw that the chaplain's faith was different from his own. "Chaplain" he stammered, "I hope you won't try to change my faith." Don't worry, friend," the chaplain answered, "but together perhaps we can understand how our faith can change us."
Parents still send their children off to the military with the reminder that if problems arise they are to go "see the chaplain." What a wonderful basis for ministry. Because we are "religious," our people believe we must care about others. Often our civilian counterparts do not enjoy such good publicity. In Religion, we learn from the prophets, includes a demand for justice-and so it is appropriate that chaplains are sought out when the military system seems unfair. We are men and women of faith, and so we are approached when others feel loneliness or pain or seek reason for hope.
When we offer public prayer, we are often being "sized up" by men and women who may one day need us. When our prayers disappoint the listeners, they may give us another chance - or even come to us for advice! But when our prayers hurt those who hear us, we may simply never hear from them. In my line-officer days I know that I would never approach a chaplain whose prayer denied my existence. When I try to teach Jewish sailors that they should approach "their" ship's chaplain for help, I often know they will not. "He doesn't care about me," they tell me. "You should hear his evening prayer..."
On the other hand, we should not underestimate the impact of inclusive prayers. We ;might think it is a neutral act to offer a general prayer, but it is not. It is understood, at least by many, as a positive action: a careful and inclusive word of prayer is an act of love.
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
For many Christians, the New Testament gives a scriptural basis for "general" prayers. They point to Jesus' prayer as an example. When asked how to pray, Jesus began, "Our Father, who art in heaven... " (Matthew 6:9 and Luke 11:2). For another illustration of "general" prayers, they point to the words of Stephen recorded in Acts 7:60, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." Or "God, be merciful to me, a sinner," written in Luke 18:13
Many of the New Testament epistles end with prayers offered in the name of Jesus, but in the Epistle to the Hebrews there is a simple prayer we might emulate today when ending an invocation or benediction, "Grace be with you all, Amen." (Hebrews 22:25)
There are verses in the New Testament, however, which some Christians understand to teach that the Christian faith requires prayer to be offered in Jesus' name. "Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, He will give it to you." (John 16:23-26). This verse is sometimes translated a different way: "Whatsoever you shall ask of the Father, in my name He will give it to you." This rendering seems to teach something quite different, but keeping the first reading, how does this verse apply to the subject at hand?
For some Christians, the idea of praying with a phrase as "In His Name," "In Your Name," or In the name of the Lord," allows them to remain true to the verse and yet open enough to allow others to accept the prayer as well. Others accept the Trinitarian understanding that where one person of the trinity is present, all are present. A prayer to the Father, or to God's Holy Spirit, invokes Jesus as well. And for still other
Christians, any prayer rooted in the love and faith of Christianity is in fact a prayer asked "in Jesus' name," regardless of what words are used. The word, name, in this context means more than a title, it means being or essence. Praying in His name means praying as His representative, praying as a person filled with His Love.
Finally for those who would interpret the verse most strictly, I offer a "Rabbinical" answer in terms of the struggle we share - the challenge to remain true to our faiths and yet offer something which can bring us together in faith, even for a moment. If the verse means that prayers asking for something must be offered in the name of Jesus, is it not acceptable to offer prayers which are not petitions in a different manner?
Can we not touch or inspire persons of all faiths through a word or prayer of praise? ("Whoever offers praise glorifies me." Psalms 50:23) Can we not offer a word of thanksgiving? ("This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. "Psalms 118:23) Christians can heed Paul's advice in Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19 to offer psalms and hymns, or drawing from the Roman Catholic Bible, Christians can follow the example of Ben Sirach and bear witness to God's presence through the glory of His world: "Behold the rainbow, then bless its maker." (Ecclesiastics 43:11)
For some Christians sharing the proclamation that "Jesus is Lord" becomes the proof of faith. "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (I Corinthians 12:3) Speaking these words becomes a way of invoking the presence of the Holy Spirit and therefore an important part of Christian prayer. But if we see the opportunity to offer prayer in a public setting, before men and women of all faiths, as a challenge or privilege and not a right, then the struggle must be to find other ways to proclaim our faith and other ways to make the moment holy.
My contention is that there are other ways for us all. We can search for other verses in the New Testament: "When we cry Abba! Father!" It is the Spirit Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God." (Romans 7:15f) But with or without specific verses we know we witness for our faith when it fills us with love enough to care about each other.
If it is a choice between an imperfect prayer or an action which will divide us at the very moment given to bring us together, then let us opt for the caring word and trust that God will understand. "The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs to deep for words." (Romans 8:26) From the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, we learn that love is better than prayer...even better than prophecy.
JEWISH THEOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS
In some ways it may be easier for a Jewish chaplain who is invited to participate in public prayer to offer an inclusive or general prayer. There are many verses in the Hebrew Scriptures which seem to assure us that there is no special formula for prayer. From the shortest prayer in the Bible (Numbers 12:13-five Hebrew words) to the longest (Deuteronomy 9:25- one that lasted forty days and forty nights), we understand prayer as a cry from the heart. "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him," Psalms 145), and so the exact words are less important than the act of prayer itself. After all, God hears us even when we do not use words at all. He hears and heeds the pain of slaves (Genesis 3:7) and the sighs of prisoners (Psalms 79:11).
In a beautiful discussion in the Talmud, the rabbis offer the story of the woodcutter who, lost in the woods, knows he will not make it to the congregation in time for evening prayers. "Lord," he prays, "I am not an educated man. I do not know the prayers by heart. But, I know the alphabet, and I will recite it. Please rearrange the letters to form the prayers you know exist in my heart.
This is not to say that the wording of public prayer is not a problem or challenge for the Jewish chaplain. Many of the prayers I regularly offer within Jewish settings would simply be inappropriate for interfaith groups. A widespread myth has it that Jewish chaplains are not asked to change their prayers and so it is "unfair" to expect such action on the part of Christians. The fact is that Rabbis, like the Christian clergy with who we serve, must choose words carefully in interfaith groups. If the prayers offered by Jewish chaplains seem "acceptable" then perhaps we tread more softly, for we, like other minorities, know the pain of being ignored.
Although I pray in the synagogue that we not lose faith in the coming of the Messiah - in all the millennia of our yearning he has not yet arrived - I would not offer these words in a non-Jewish setting. If I pray for strength to reject false messiahs - false in Jewish terms - I would not do so before an interfaith group. Words which refer to the horrors of the holocaust, or the hopes of Zionism, or the State of Israel come as naturally to my lips during synagogue prayer as a reference to the Trinity might come to those of a Christian colleague, but references to the Holocaust, Zionism, or the State of Israel are seldom appropriate in non-Jewish settings, at least not without extra words to explain their relevance or to show sensitivity to the needs and cares of all those present.
Some rabbis believe we cannot compose our own prayers in public, but that we are restricted to those handed down to us from the past. When these rabbis are asked to offer public prayer, they often choose to read lessons instead of prayer.
Today it is also important for us to recognize that there are other questions of sensitivity which challenge us to be sensitive to the feelings of those gathered for prayer. An immediate example is language which does not recognize racial integrity or which excludes or hurts women.
LANGUAGE THAT HURTS
The intention of the prayer is basic and some maintain that the intention is all that is important, not the impact on the hearers. If the intention is not to hurt then it is not important that we do for the problem, if there is one is in the minds of the hearers.
Neither life nor prayer is that simple. Once we know that an action or a word hurts a neighbor, it is not a question of right and wrong alone. It is a question of causing pain or trying not to do so. Because male gender was once used in a neutral sense does not mean that it is still so used today. If it seems awkward to find words which do not exclude women, perhaps we are saying that we do not feel their feelings are worth our effort. When someone explains to me that an offense is the "Christian" thing to do, it is the same as a white man offending a black and then offering the weak apology that he had done the "white" thing.
Certainly we sometimes misuse language innocently. Following the initial advertising of the manufacturer, I always used the phrase "flesh colored Band-Aids," until a Black friend pointed out that the Band-Aids were not the color of his flesh. Language changes. Once we know what hurts, we must change as well.
FINDING A WAY
The faith and the conscience of some chaplains allow them to choose words for public prayers that easily touch us all. Other chaplains, who are unwilling or unable to change the exclusivity of their prayers, choose not to participate in an interfaith prayer setting. For those of us who struggle with this problem, feeling that there is a tension between the responsibilities of one's faith and the responsibility to those we serve, the following ideas are offered as suggestions.
In Your Name. Phrases such as "For you name's sake." and "For the glory of your name," are found throughout the Bible Psalm 79 uses both. Another simple, scriptural ending for prayers can be taken from Psalm 72: "Blessed be His glorious name forever."
Silent Ending. Psalm 19 speaks of prayer as "the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart." God hears both. Could we not offer prayer aloud, and when the petitions are finished, conclude in silence offering our particular endings as we choose?
Invitational Ending. As a variation of the silent ending, I have sometimes offered a prayer and ended with the invitation for all persons present to complete the prayer using the words of their faith and of their tradition.
Shared Images. When Abraham prayed with Melchizedek (Genesis 14) this non-Jewish priest offered a prayer to "the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth." One modern rabbinical commentary points out that this may be the first example of persons of different faiths searching for a "shared image" in order to join together in prayer.
The story may be an appropriate basis for our prayer, "in the Lord's name," which allow both Christians and Jews to say amen, even if the words take on different meanings within the different traditions. The Bible offers many shared images. So we may pray together to God as savior, redeemer, shepherd, creator, and king. Even the image of the Holy Spirit has a Jewish meaning. It comes from the Jewish idea of ruah ha-kodesh.
Is the Lord's Prayer appropriate for interfaith expression? Although it is based on Jewish prayers, this prayer has become the Christian prayer par excellence. In the past Jewish scholars have generally taught that Jews should not recite it. Perhaps today we Jews should re-examine the situation. If this prayer were offered by someone attempting to find common ground for prayer, should we Jews not respond by participation?
Biblical Readings. We may simply offer appropriate words form the Bible as our contribution to the public ceremony. As a benediction, the priestly blessing recorded in Numbers 6 is often used in this way.
Parables. Some rabbis offer a teaching, a d'var Torah, a Word of Torah, rather than a prayer. Could we not offer a parable or story which shares a biblical image or scriptural hope? When using the holy books of the Jewish and Christian traditions, my feeling is that we should not restrict ourselves to those we have in common. Many Christians have led devotions based on Christian New Testament readings which have included me completely. "From this story in the New Testament, which is a part of the Christian Bible, we can all learn an important message..."
Interfaith Endings. Although somewhat awkward, it is possible to use an ending which is both particular and universal. For example, "We who are Christians offer this prayer in the name of Jesus; but all of us-regardless of our individual religions - offer it in the name of the Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth.
Personal Prayers. While most of this article deals with public prayer offered aloud - a prayer to which each listener can add a personal amen - there is one additional alternative. The possibility exists for a chaplain to see his or her participation as an opportunity to offer a simple, personal prayer, perhaps asking others to do the same, in silence. I should think that such a prayer would require an introduction: "I thank you for the opportunity to offer a personal prayer from my tradition: It is my hope that something I say may touch you so that you may pray for a moment as well."
One final alternative, linked to this idea, comes from my experience with a Christian chaplain who struggled with the matter for months. He made two small but significant changes in his way of offering public prayer. When he began, he no longer said, "Let us pray." When he ended, he did not say, "In Christ's name we pray." Instead he said, "In Christ's name I pray." Perhaps few noticed the changes, and perhaps that is a weakness of this approach. But I know that I appreciated the sensitivity.
PRAYING TOGETHER
The word, amen, means "it is true," or "may it be so." According to Jewish tradition, adopted by Christianity, saying amen is the equivalent of reciting the entire prayer. (Talmud, Berakhot 53b) Because of this, the Talmud cautions Jews not to say amen to prayers of non-Jews, unless they have heard the entire prayer. (Berakhot 51b) Prayer is taken seriously, and we must be able to make it our own before saying amen.
At the same time, the idea of joining another human being in prayer was seen as an action filled with power and hope. Setting aside our differences and praying together "opens the gates of Paradise." (Talmud Shabbat 119b) Through a play on words, the Talmud sees hidden meaning in a Biblical verse, Isaiah 26:2. Although it is ordinarily read as, "open ye the gates (of paradise) that the righteous nation which keepeth truth may enter in," a slight change in the vowel marks of the Hebrew renders it, "Open ye the gates of righteousness, that the righteous nation which says amen may enter it!"
In 1984 a civilian minister served as one of the visiting scholars at the annual Navy Chaplain Corps Professional Development Conference. He led us in prayer as part of his presentation, but his prayer was worded in such a way as not to include me. One of my colleagues, a Christian chaplain, approached him after the session, and told the speaker that he was unable to pray because of the anguish he had felt for me. His thoughts were on me because he sensed that I was excluded.
During the next session of the conference, the speaker related the conversation to the group. he told us he had learned to think of prayer in a different light and that he was deeply touched that there could be such love among ministers of different faiths. Not just words of love, but love.
"The Christian Chaplain does love me," I thought to myself. "He knows what hurts, and he cares."
Chaplain Greg Kammann, Portland Or, PD spotted this article for us. Chaplain Resnicoff graciously agreed to our reprinting it. It originally appeared in MILITARY CHAPLAINS REVIEW. Chaplain Resnicoff added this postscript to the article: "I have received many beautiful responses to this article. But the most touching came from a minister who told me that he now uses the verse from Psalms which I quoted, "The words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart."
"Now, he says, when someone asks why he did not close a prayer "in Jesus' name", he answers them: "I did. I ended it in Jesus name because I love Him. I ended it silently because I love my neighbor, as well."