Andy shared a story with me recently, wondering what my reaction to it might be. Apparently, Obama placed a prayer in the Western Wall during his visit to Jerusalem... and someone removed it.
Not only did this person remove the prayer, but he/she then shopped it around to at least two papers until someone decided to publish it.
My initial reaction was a mixture of anger and disbelief. Jay Torrence once wrote a play about his experience at the wall for Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, and I always felt it was one of the most beautiful monologues about faith to ever grace our stage.
His description conveyed a sense of communal worship that was equal parts collective and individual connection to God. Something sacred, something ritualistic, and something important to each person who made that journey.
Although I have tried to step back in the last couple of days to see if I can feel more compassion for those who made decisions ultimately leading to the publication of the prayer, it is difficult to understand or empathize with such a stark disregard for someone's privacy and personal pursuit of spirituality--no matter who it might be.
I have read reactions stating it was a photo op he took and might therefore be a hollow action, but irrespective of his intentions, the sanctity of the Western Wall and the many prayers placed there should, in my mind, take precedence over everything else.
Every action creates ripples. I wonder what aftereffects will flow out over time?
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I find the theory that the prayer was pimped out by the Obama campaign as a political ploy pretty dubious. People are that jaded about politics, I guess. For one, the guy is legitimately very religious so it would surprise me if he was willing to be so sacrilegious himself. Second, I think the prayer doesn't really sound at all like a prayer you would want the world to read. It's very personal. He doesn't ask God to protect his country--just him and his family. He also asks God to keep him humble. For someone accused of arrogance, I'm not sure you'd want any reference to your pride problems in there. And lastly, he asks God to protect him from "despair." I'm not sure what his despair is. Sounds again not at all like something you'd want out there as a candidate. Remember Edmund Muskie? We don't like our politicians to be flappable.
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