Focus on the Family has pulled a video from it’s web site that asks people to pray for “rain of biblical proportions” during Barack Obama’s Aug. 28 appearance at Invesco Field at Mile High to accept the Democratic nomination for president.
Barack Obama’s Personal Umbrella
Stuart Shepard is the director of digital media at “Focus Action”, the political arm of Focus on the Family. He wrote and starred in “Pray for Rain” which was suppose to be all in fun.
It was intended to be one of Shepard’s weekly video commentaries that appear on Focus Action’s web site. All of Shepard’s videos are tongue-in-cheek or “snarky” as we like to say here at RightPundits! In them, he examines political issues from the conservative Christian viewpoint of Focus Action.
“Pray for Rain,” which lasted less than three minutes, shows a lighthearted Shepard at Invesco Field asking viewers to pray for “torrential” rain during Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.
“I’m talking ‘umbrella-ain’t-going-to-help-you rain,’” he says on the video.
The video’s point, Shepard said, is that in his view Obama has not clearly stated his stances on abortion and gay marriage, important themes within the Christian right.
Um, we’ve noticed.
But complaints from about a dozen “Focus” members complaining that prayer shouldn’t be used to bring harm on someone convinced the organization to pull the video.
“If people took it seriously, we regret it. We are not about confusing people about prayer,” said Tom Minnery, Focus Action vice president of public policy.
And as for praying to flood out the Obamamessiah?
“It’s called hyperbole,” Stuart Shepard said. “It was meant to be humorous.”
We get that Mr. Shepard. Unfortunatately the humor(less) police is in full swing this election season and this little video seems to be another casualty of unrequited satire.
The good news is that with youtube, you can find almost anything. So, you can watch “Pray for Rain” at the end of this post.
“Pray for Rain during Obama’s DNC speech” Video
Photo source: barackobama.com
August 12th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Where do these anti-Christian organizations get their support? Do they believe in the Bible, or do they have their own extremist and fanatic code of conduct? Do they really believe that God is at their deposal, and is capable of turning away from what he died for and believed in? How can these anti-Christians condemn other religious that are as radical as they are? Are such organizations capable of doing harm to Americans that do not share their beliefs? What type of hatred are they teaching their children????
August 12th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Focus on the Family owes Obama an apology.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Oh geeeesh…now I’m stuck living in a world full of blown funny fuses. Good grief people…it was funny ! Quit taking everything so seriously !
And Lyn, they most certainly do NOT owe the Obamassiah an apology.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
dee
first off FOTF is a christian organization, and obviously you should know that if indeed the “outrage” your questions suggest are legitimate. and frankly i am more concerned about the “hatred” rev wright and father pfleger taught the Obama children then what FOTF is saying in their 3 min. video.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
lyn
FOTF owes obama absolutely nothing. get real! ever heard of freedom of speech? guess not.
August 13th, 2008 at 5:50 am
JoAnn-This has nothing to do with people having a sense of humor or not. It has to do with FOTF’s overriding purpose of telling people there is one right way to think and that others who do not think that way are evil and wrong. Because of this overriding purpose of FOTF’s existance, how can you possibly justify them making a joke about prayer? I don’t find it funny that FOTF thinks that people who don’t think like they do are eternally damned.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:06 am
“FOTF is a Christian organization”
“FOTF owes Obama absolutely nothing”
by kate,
“FOTF is a Christian organization” but Stuart Shepard isn’t Christian. Not by any legitimate definition of what Christian is and stands for.
“FOTF owes Obama absolutely nothing” but they owe the people of Denver an apology for praying for rain to ruin their day and cause them a list of problems.
People will find a way to justify anything even when it borders stupidity.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:13 am
you know the problem with liberals — and especially the obama disciples — is no sense of humor. you guys need to lighten up, quit sucking down lemons, and having such hissy fits over things that really don’t matter.
IT WAS A JOKE. i guess you all think if you complain enough and act outraged enough over that silly little thing, it might bring down the FOTF empire and their influence. not hardly.
good grief.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Yea, you would think they’re recruiting little jihadist hezbolla suicide bombers or something.
Gosh, its only water.
Me, I just bring my pug so could pee on their ankles
August 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Yea, you would think they’re recruiting little jihadist hezbolla suicide bombers or something.
Gosh, its only water.
Me, I would just bring my pug so he could pee on their birkenstocks
August 13th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Aww, see, I got busted enhancing from ankles to birkenstocks.
Oh well, its the thought that counts
August 13th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
“It is only a joke!” you all say. OK - since I don’t believe there is an exemption for humor-based organizations, I’m sure you will agree that it is time for the IRS to seriously reconsider FOTF’s tax-exempt status.
August 13th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
” I’m sure you will agree that it is time for the IRS to seriously reconsider FOTF’s tax-exempt status.”
Yea, when Christians exprese a sense of humor its time to tax them.
Do you realize how ridiculous that statement was ?
People pray for the most ridiculous things, to the point that its funny.
Ease up marie
August 13th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Remember, FOTF’s own members complained about the video. They applied the pressure to have the video taken down.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/politics/17166715/detail.html
Kate and Mickey-Just trying to get a sense of your attitudes; what if an Islamic leader jokingly called for a rainfall of biblical proportions to fall upon a US presidential candidate making a speech? Would you find that funny as well?
August 13th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
hey pete
yes when i wrote the post i mentioned the 12 members who complained. 12. thats it. they policed themselves which is unheard of today.
also this little vid came from the political arm of FOTF — they have every right to take a stand on what they believe and point out the discrepancies of obama… they used humor thats all. they weren’t serious in the video about calling on God to make it rain - it is clear that it was a joke.
did you even watch it? i would say not. if you had you would see that too.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
“what if an Islamic leader jokingly called for a rainfall of biblical proportions to fall upon a US presidential candidate making a speech? Would you find that funny as well?”
If we could control the weather with prayer then I would take him seriously.
BUT !
Jihadist can control jets filled to the brim with fuel and fly them into buildings without praying to anyone or thing. (get it ?)
Now, if you’re one of those morons that thinks he can control the weather, even without prayer, or to be more precise a global warming freak, then I could understand your sentiments.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Oh, and Pete.
Remember to separate your “Islamic leaders” from your “Radical Islamic leaders”
We dont want a team of hypersensative moonbats over here getting all worked up now, do we ?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:52 am
Micky,
A “Christian” organization that is mocking the idea of prayer isn’t Christian.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:38 am
Marie.
Who the f*ck are to tell anyone what is and isnt Christian ?
I ask for forgivness for my ill concieved thoughts all the time.
Why, you were just in my pryers and I had retract it and ask for forgivness
Besides that, good luck getting the IRS to tax religious humor.
If Christians laugh,
T H E Y M U S T P A Y ! ! !
August 14th, 2008 at 7:52 am
micky ^5
August 14th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Abundant/torrential rain along with some hail fell on my car tonight in Colorado Springs. As I was watching this act of God, an apology came on the news. I feel that the apology came too late. God apparently did not recognize your stunt as a joke. Should I send the bill for my hail damaged car directly to your offices?
August 14th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Apparently God did not recognize your stunt as a joke. I’m watching abundant/torrential rain along with some hail fall in Colorado Springs right now. During this act of God I noticed an apology from FOTF on the news. They should have apologized sooner. Now, should I send the bill for my hail damaged car to you or FOTF?
August 14th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
That’s what I thought. God doesn’t speak for you crazies and you sure as nuts don’t speak for God. If you disagree, send my money.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I love it the way everyone is so much closer to God than the next and last guy.
That in itself is funny
August 14th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Kate
Thank you for calling me out. I DID NOT watch the video until you asked if I did. I watched it, and you’re right, it is crystal clear that it was meant to be a joke. I understand intellectually that it was meant to be funny. But, it’s not funny to me. As an example, it’s not funny for the same reason that George Bush’s “jokes” about not being able to find WMD in Iraq at a time when there were about 800 coalition forces dead was not funny.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/03/26/bush.wmd.jokes/index.html
They can’t have it both ways. You should not spread fear and intolerance and war and then joke about it the next minute. If a person finds that kind of thing funny, then that person must not have a family member who has been persecuted by evangelicals or have a son or daughter or mother or father who has been killed in Iraq. Kate, what do you take seriously? Have you become so cynical that everything is funny? What puts you into a hissy fit besides me :)? Seriously, just trying to see where you are coming from in general.