The REAL Problem with RNC Prayer to Waheguru | Pastor Reacts

The RNC Benediction and the Question of Religious Pluralism

On the first night of the RNC, an official of the Republican Party from the state of California prayed to a Hindu god. What? That's interesting. Does anyone at the RNC know what a benediction is? If you put all of these implicit pieces together, what is the message being communicated here in this particular exercise?

If a Satanist came out to give a Christian benediction, we'd all be thinking, are these people taking our faith and values seriously? Here we go again, friends. I just made a video last week about seeing things not with our physical eyes, but with spiritual and biblical discernment so we can see what God wants us to, and here we go again.

On the first night of the RNC, an official of the Republican Party from the state of California prayed to a Hindu god. What? A lot of us are just scratching our heads over here going, what do we make of this as Christians?

Is this a huge problem, or is this just a nothing burger? Well, we're going to get into all of that in just a moment. First, if you're new here, welcome to Wise Disciple. My name is Nate Sala, and I'm helping you become the effective Christian that you were meant to be.

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Of the word. Go to Logos .com forward slash Wise Disciple for more. Let's set the table here. Last week, on the first night of the Republican National Convention, a Republican Party official came out to perform the benediction, and this is what it looked like.

I come from a family of sick immigrants. I am honored to share with you, my fellow Republicans and guests tonight, a prayer from my faith tradition, practiced by over 25 million worldwide. We recite the Ardas prayer before any new endeavor, giving thanks to God and asking for His protection and help to uphold the values of humility, truth, courage, service, and justice for all.

To show respect, we cover our heads when we pray. Tu thakar tum pey ardas, jee yo pind sab teri ras, tum mat pitha ham bhaj.

The reaction from the crowd is interesting. I would imagine that a number of these folks did not realize what was about to happen. And I would imagine also that the number one response from everyone in the room is to show this lady respect.

Ard teri tumri kirpa, mai sook kaniri, koi na jaane tumraayant, uche te ucha bhagvant, sagal samagri tumre sootar. That's interesting.

Now this isn't the first time that Dylan has given this prayer at the RNC. Back in 2016, she gave the same prayer with almost the same introduction to the prayer at the invocation on one of the opening days of the convention.

And this is what that looked like.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is an honor as a Sikh American and the vice chair of the California Republican Party to share a prayer from my faith tradition, Sikhism, the fifth largest religion in the world.

Ardas is a Sikh prayer appealing to the one God above for protection and guidance, a reminder to uphold the Sikh and American values of humility, truth, courage, service, justice for all, and gratitude for all that our creator has given to us.

A Sikh always covers her head when offering this prayer.

Right. And then she goes on to give essentially the same exact prayer as the one that just took place last week. Notice some of those key phrases, though, like the one God above, right? Creator. OK, so we're going to come back to that in a moment.

But in both instances, Dylan prayed the same prayer over the RNC verbatim. The reaction to last week's prayer was immediate on social media and some mainstream outlets. There are lots of examples of this, but the one that caught my attention was from Thomas Kidd from Midwestern Seminary.

Here's his take on X. It says Republicans rocking a Sikh prayer at the RNC. It would be better to have no prayers than this type of coexist pabulum. This is the type of thing that happens when religion becomes the servant of the state or the party.

A lot of people responded in the comments to this kind of a thing. A lot of people have a problem with a Hindu praying a prayer at the RNC. But is that really the issue or is something else going on here?

What a Benediction Is and Why the RNC Used It Wrong

Well, a couple of things come to mind immediately. First, does anyone at the RNC know what a benediction is? A benediction is when a Christian pastor speaks a divine blessing over God's people. This is typically done at the end of worship services before the congregation leaves the church.

And also, it's typically a reading from the scripture, which is the word of God, because this is a Christian practice. So, for example, number six says, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. Number six is just one of a multitude of biblical passages that are typically spoken over the congregation as a benediction. In other words, a benediction is traditionally a Christian practice where a pastor speaks on behalf of the God of the Bible and gives a blessing upon God's people.

It's been performed by Christians for centuries. It actually has roots prior to Christ with the Israelites, but certainly carried over into Christian practice throughout time. And someone sought to merge this Christian practice with something that is not biblical.

The question is why? So that's where my mind goes, right? It's not so much that someone of another faith was invited to speak and to even express their worship at the RNC. It's that the leaders making the decisions decided that we should call Dylan's prayer to Waheguru a benediction.

You with me so far? And it's not just her prayer, though. It's also the implicit communication, which was very subtle, that her one God above, you know, her one true God statement, her use of the word creator, that it means the same thing when we use that same phrase.

Look at this. So this is what everyone saw in the audience when Dylan came up and prayed to Waheguru. That is, while she's reciting her prayer, look at all this imagery that's behind her, right? You've got several pictures of Christian crosses.

You get a picture of a traditional Christian church off to the side there, you know, you get a picture on the other side of hands being folded as if to suggest praying on top of a Christian Bible, right?

That's not the Sikh scripture. That's the Bible. And then you also have a father and a son praying together. If you put all of these implicit pieces together, what is the message being communicated here in this particular exercise?

Is it not that Sikhism and Christianity are both faith expressions to the same God? Sikhism is clearly not Christianity. It is absolutely not compatible with the tenets of biblical doctrine. Isn't that, I mean, that's obvious, right?

Sikhism appears to have influences going back to Hinduism as well as Islam. It still holds on to a lot of more of the Hindu ideas, like the illusory nature of reality, like being enlightened through meditation and other practices so that you can achieve a spiritual state where you become merged and absorbed into their God.

But the God of Sikhism, which is Waheguru, is not a person and is therefore not personal and even unknowable. That's the view there. There is no sin and therefore no need for the forgiveness of sins in the Sikh system.

So already there are clear and obvious contrasts between Yahweh and Waheguru, right? I mean, certainly between the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the fundamental goal of the religious efforts of Sikhism.

And yet there was this very implicit suggestion that we're all turning our attention to the same God when Dylan prays. This is why I think a lot of Christians are scratching their heads over this one.

Because this prayer, however small a role it played in the grand scheme of things with regard to the RNC, it says something. It communicates a message to the audience, but the question is, what is that message?

What is it really communicating? I personally think this was a mistake and I'll explain why. But let me remind you, there's actually two ways to interpret what just happened. There's the charitable way and then there is an uncharitable way.

And much of this is going to trade on whether or not we have the mercy that Jesus calls us to in our everyday thinking and practice. Okay? Acknowledged, right? So like I said, I think this was a mistake.

Why? Well, it's not because a Hindu prayed at the RNC. So please hear me on this. The Republican Party is not a church, ladies and gentlemen. It consists of people who are both religious and non-religious or one religion and another religion that all should center around shared values and principles.

And because of those shared values and principles, the party shapes its platform and puts officials into power in order to get things done on behalf of the values of the constituency. So the word constituency simply refers to the voters who belong to the party, the ones who elect these officials in the first place.

The constituency in this case are a lot of the folks in the audience who were bowing their heads while Dylan recited her prayer. But the majority of the constituency of the Republican Party is Christian.

So this raises some interesting questions like, does the party owe a responsibility to the majority of its constituency? And I think the answer is yes. I think it needs to take seriously the values and the principles of the majority of the voters in the party.

And I just don't think that's controversial to say at this point. But the party, I do know the party also wants to communicate that its tent is wide enough to welcome others who hold to the same values and principles, not to the same exact Christian faith, but to the same ideals that can be enacted at the political level for the good of all.

Right? For the good of the people. So then, where does this go wrong for me and for a lot of Christians? It's when someone at the convention, a leader, the decision maker, or probably a collection of decision makers, thought it would be a really great idea to say, let's perform a Christian benediction and then bring out a person who prays to a false god according to the biblical worldview.

And then even to go further and to relay implicit messaging, it appears that way, during this benediction that reinforces religious pluralism. By the way, religious pluralism can be understood in a couple of ways.

I'm using the phrase to refer to the concept that all religions are equally valid. All roads lead to Rome when it comes to religion. So here's why this is a mistake. In the name of political inclusion, some at the RNC have ultimately not taken our Christian faith seriously.

Whether that was a mistake, or whether that was on purpose, I don't know, actually. But this, this right here, this was a bad look. And it puts Christians who do take God's word seriously in a bit of an awkward position.

I mean, Christians absolutely do not believe that there are other gods. I think that's granted. I know other religions believe that there are. Christians do not. The Bible leaves no room to believe such a thing.

Why Christians Cannot Affirm Religious Pluralism

But Christians also absolutely do not believe that all religions lead to the same God. As a matter of fact, Christians would say that this idea is spiritually dangerous. Jesus said to the woman at the well, but the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.

In other words, Christian worship must be done to the right God, the one true God of the Bible, because God is seeking those who worship properly and in truth. That means there is an inverse to this as well.

When Christians pray, we are taught not to pray, not to give our worship to any other being. Here's what the Apostle Paul says about it. This is 1 Corinthians 10. Again, no, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons, and not to God.

I do not want you to be participants with demons. Again, for me, this is where the issue is. Any political party should represent the majority of the constituency's values and their principles. At the very least, they should take these things seriously.

Why? Because the voters are the ones who continue to put these elected officials into positions of authority. So, when you want to honor the majority by performing something that they hold sacred, do it right, guys.

Do it biblically, and do it in a manner that Christians can affirm. So, do you hear what I'm saying? It's not about whether Dylan should be able to pray at the RNC. It's about what they called her prayer and the messaging of religious pluralism that was relayed during it.

But, somewhere along the way, whether on purpose or not, political inclusion and religious pluralism has become conflated. That's the problem that I have. And again, by religious pluralism, I do not mean that other religions are welcomed inside the big tent of the Republican Party.

I mean that all religions are equally valid and true. That Waheguru is Yahweh, and Yahweh is Waheguru. That's just not true. These are not the same beings, according to the Bible, which Christians hold to be sacred doctrine.

And I think that this just raises some interesting questions that we need to take to our people in authority over the party and over the convention. How seriously do you treat our faith? Do you even recognize that in the name of political inclusion, you have appeared to affirm religious pluralism?

Which is something that we Christians absolutely cannot affirm. By the way, what happens when this same question of honoring and taking seriously Christian values comes up in other areas, like abortion and LGBT issues, for example?

The RNC Platform Shift on Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage

Did you see the news that came out on the RNC's platform shift? This is from NBC News, it says Trump pushes new GOP platforms softening party's position on abortion and same-sex marriage. Just the first couple paragraphs here.

At the urging of former President Donald Trump and his allies, the Republican Party is set to abandon a decades-long push for a federal abortion ban and soften its stance on same-sex marriage in its platform, according to changes made in the draft policy platform past Monday.

The new draft platform, which still must get approval, it did, came after the Trump campaign made a quiet push to keep those seen as too socially conservative off the platform committee out of concern that they would make a vocal push for things like a federal abortion ban, which has consistently been unpopular in public polling.

The reality of the situation is, now here's an interesting phrase, this platform reflects modern-day realities, not the majority of the constituency's values and principles, modern-day realities. This just happened before last week's convention, guys.

And I get it, you know, there's more nuance to this. You should definitely take a look at these things closer, because I can't spend a lot of time exploring these, this particular rabbit trail. So do your own research, take a look at these things yourself and assess them.

But when you do so, don't do it from a politically advantageous perspective, but from a biblical one. Okay? At the very least, though, I think it's appropriate to start asking some tough questions from those leading the party.

What is the thought process behind calling a prayer to a Hindu god a benediction? And also, is the party purposefully relaying a message of religious pluralism, or was this just a huge blunder? Again, there's a charitable way to understand what just happened and an uncharitable way to understand it.

Now, someone might be saying, it was just one moment, Nate. Like out of the entire convention, it was just a few minutes. What's the big deal? Let me see if I can illustrate the point here. Let's just say someone came out at the RNC and said, okay, everyone, now it's time for the benediction.

Please help me in welcoming Richard Dawkins. Everyone, you know, and people are like, in the audience, they're like, what's going on here? Right? Richard Dawkins comes out and doesn't pray or read from the scripture.

He just chats about how Christianity is socially useful, but also obviously false. Would you have a problem with that? Now, let's be precise here. Is it that someone like Dawkins is allowed into the party and given a platform to speak?

No. Richard Dawkins is welcome to vote Republican. There's nothing wrong with that, right? The problem is that he was invited during a segment that Christians hold to be sacred. By the way, what if it wasn't Dawkins?

What if it was something way more egregious than that? What if it was a Satanist, right? That's pretty outlandish, but I think the point remains. If a Satanist came out to give a Christian benediction, we'd all be thinking, are these people taking our faith and values seriously?

As the majority of the constituency of the party, or are they playing some games with our values in the name of political inclusion? If I had to guess, in the grand scheme of things, this story is going to be forgotten, and it probably already is.

Like in our news cycle, it's probably already being forgotten, and we'll move on from this. But let me just say this in closing. If you're a Christian concerned about what you just witnessed last week, I don't think this is something to leave the party over, okay?

Why Small Acts of Worship Still Matter to God

So let me be clear about that. I think we should be vocal and ask those questions and call attention to what happened, but this is not the last straw by any stretch. However, I don't think this is a small deal either, because I'm sure that there are a number of us who are just thinking about, you know, the election, and we want to move on from this, and so it's very easy to just kind of dismiss all of this and think, what's the big deal, okay?

Listen to me. It matters what you do, and it matters what you say, even the small things in the eyes of God. As a matter of fact, the successes and the failures of the Christian in their life very often travel along the tiniest of details.

In other words, we are just supposed to reflect and meditate and take great care with how we live our lives every day. There is no division between the sacred and the secular. Everything is sacred to the Christian.

The Apostle Paul says it like this, Ephesians 5 verse 15, look carefully then how you walk. Look carefully. Not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

What is the will of the Lord? That you do everything you can to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Paul makes that statement later, a few verses later in chapter 6. How do you think our enemy gets his foot in the door, so to speak, in the first place?

Is it by throwing these big, dramatic, obvious grenades at God's people, or is it by whispering very subtle and sly arguments in every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God? That at first blush does not appear to be a big deal.

Isn't that exactly what he did in the garden with Eve? Isn't that the enemy's style? I think, friends, the consistent testimony of God's Word is that there is no such place in the Christian's language for, it's not a big deal.

Whether or not we respond to every situation equally, there is no such room in the Christian's heart for, it's not a big deal. Rather, we should take great care and look carefully how we live our lives.

Every day, that's what the Scripture teaches us, so that we can express our faith through our sacred actions. That means, friends, that prayer matters. How we pray matters, in whatever circumstance that looks like.

It certainly matters to God. Look at this. Isaiah 29, God says this, verse 13,. This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me. This is why God said in chapter 1 of Isaiah that he'd had enough of worthless offerings.

One of the things that God detests is just going through the motions of worship, but not treating it seriously. Look at how Jesus talks about this. When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. How we pray matters to God, ladies and gentlemen. And apparently, not everything that is called prayer, or in this case, a benediction, is according to the Bible, is actually accepted by the God of the Bible.

Why? Because there are many false gods, guys. I'm sure there are a lot of great people in leadership roles in the Republican Party and who helped run the convention. I certainly don't think everyone there would have agreed to let Dylan get up there and pray that prayer and call that thing a benediction.

So that means that, you know, we just need to ask some tough questions. We cannot let the secular influence on the Republican Party, and all the parties, let's face it, this is happening across the board everywhere, affect how we see the world around us.

We certainly cannot think that religious pluralism is some kind of viable option for any person seeking to know the one true God. Religious pluralism is absolutely not tolerated by the God of the Bible, by the teaching of the scripture.

Jesus says He is the only way to the Father. Look at this, John 14, 6, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one, no one comes to the Father except through me. Does that sound like pluralism? Does that sound like we're all praying to the same God?

Nope. We cannot allow any party to shrink down our view of prayer and its power and its effectiveness. It's great that the RNC wants to honor the Christian tradition of prayer, but if you're going to honor it, get it right, guys.

Amen? Don't call something prayer and then do the complete opposite of what the Bible teaches. Christians cannot go along with that. They cannot affirm that. That's what is wrong with Dylan's segment at the RNC.

Okay, those are my thoughts, but now it's your turn to weigh in, all right? Let me know how you reacted to seeing a prayer to Weheguru at the RNC. I'd love to get your thoughts. Also, let me know what scripture comes to your mind as you process Dylan's benediction.

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