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| Lou Engle |
You’ve probably already heard, but a week or so ago, on 11/11/11, there was a prayer rally in Detroit targeting a number of groups - gays, Catholics, and African-Americans in Detroit, with an emphasis on Muslims - with group prayer. According to the organizers, this was done with the hope that these groups feel the influence of God in their lives and change their ways - which according to their faith (or at least their particular brand of it) are ’evil’ and ’sinful.’ Prayer leaders used words like ‘dark’ and ‘demonic’ to describe the lives and actions of said targets, and decried mosques, with event promoters talking about
driving stakes into the grounds of Mosque properties with the intent to drive away demons.
Understandably, the event - the preparation for which seemed to do little more than raise hostility from all sides - drew protesters from all walks of life. Members of the LGBT community, the Islamic faith and even clergy from several Christian churches of various denominations gathered to stand outside and protest ’The Call,’ which they said in practice encouraged hate rather than love, and was not Christianity as Jesus envisioned it. The organization and actual execution of the rally raised a lot of concerns, especially from the Muslim population of Detroit, and across the United States. Were they justified?
