If my sources of news are correct, there will be a large meeting in Houston called by the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry. I gather that he has made arrangements to set aside a Saturday in August when he will conduct a national day of prayer. The most important element of the national day of prayer will be whether Governor Perry receives a call from God to run for the Presidency (he received the call and now has declared that he is a candidate to succeed George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and George W. Bush).
Apparently answering the call is a significant part of the Protestant branch of the Christian faith in this country. For example, when a good preaching job becomes available, people will apply for it. If they are hired, they will contend that they “answered the call” to the new church. There was a musical director at the Presbyterian Church here in Summit, New Jersey. When he found out that the musical director at Princeton was retiring, he put his name in the ring. Apparently there were several contenders for the Princeton musical job. But, significantly, after he took the position, he said that he only “answered the call.” In other words, he answered the call, perhaps from Princeton, or from God. If there is a doctrine of predestination, I am not sure whether the call came from which source.
But in any case, Governor Perry called this meeting and rented a large stadium. He may or may not show up. He has promised that after this prayer meeting he will give us an indication of whether he is going to enter the Presidential sweepstakes. But clearly, what he is waiting for is that during the prayer meeting he will receive a call from God to run for President of the United States. George W. Bush, the former President, claimed that he had a call from God to seek higher office. The result was a disaster for the United States. So I contend that God ought to keep His hands out of the political process in this country.
But at any rate, true to tradition, Mr. Perry is not going to say that he will fight hammer and tong to get the nomination but he will only “answer the call.” In the Protestant faith, as far as I can determine, people will apply for jobs and, once they get them, they will say that they only “answered the call.” Presumably the call comes from God. As a non-believer I am not well connected with celestial figures such as God or other celebrities such as the Holy Ghost. But Governor Perry, who is the Governor of the great state of Texas, where my daughter and her husband and their children live, is going to Houston to see whether God will call him for the Presidential spot.
Seriously, no one in memory ever received a call from God to run for the Vice Presidential spot. It is always a call from God to run for the top job. The fact of the matter is that when Perry looks over the field of Republican candidates, he will probably see no outstanding one and that will open him to answer the call from God to run for the Presidency. This is chicanery at its worst. This is not a Christian nation and was never conceived as such. But Governor Perry will go to Houston to see whether he gets a call from God. My advice to Perry is why doesn’t he go to Rome where the Pope resides because I believe that there is a direct line between God and the Pope that he may patch into. But Perry is going to Houston in a couple of weeks and my expectation is that he will run for the Presidential nomination of the Republican Party. The results of my expectation is that God should keep His hands out of the American political system because it dirties everyone who diddles in it. But nonetheless, everyone from organ players to preachers contends that when they land a job, they are simply answering the call. This is fraudulent at best.
But that is the way the system works. You are fortunate in having a non-believer as your essayist who will point out these flaws to you as we march forward singing hymns of praise. So I will advise you to check with me in about three weeks to see if Governor Perry of Texas has indeed “answered the call,” presumably from God, to run for the Presidency. My guess is that after viewing the collection of Republican aspirants to the Presidential job, he will indeed “answer the call” (and he did).
E. E. CARR
August 3, 2011
Essay 583
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Kevin’s commentary: My favorite Perryism was when he prayed for rain: http://governor.state.tx.us/news/proclamation/16038/
That didn’t wind up working out for him either. Clearly he needs the Pope’s special phone which I believe he may keep in his rather large hat.