Unsolved:Prayer protest
Prayer has a long history as a means of protesting injustices, appealing both to God to intervene and enact justice in the situation, and to political opponents to rise to a superior moral position. Boston declared a day of fasting and prayer in September 1768 as a protest against a British plan to station troops in the city. The Colony of Virginia's House of Burgesses established a day of fasting and prayer to take place on Wednesday, June 1, 1774, to protest the Boston Port Act.[1] Thomas Jefferson found this to remarkably effecting, writing that "the effect of the day through the whole colony was like a shock of electricity," moving the Virginians to choose delegates to establish self-rule.[2]
A. Philip Randolph pioneered the use of prayer protests as a tactic of the civil rights movement.[3] A "pray-in" is now a recognized tactic of nonviolent protest combining the practices of prayer and a sit-in.[4]
More recently, Christian leaders have publicly prayed for corporate executives in an effort to change their decisions regarding employee pay.[5]
References
- ↑ Davis, Derek H. (2000). Religion and the Continental Congress, 1774–1789: Contributions to Original Intent. Oxford University Press. pp. 83–84. ISBN 9780195350883. https://books.google.com/books?id=9es9WWz8Ac8C&pg=PA83.
- ↑ Jefferson, Thomas (1970). Jefferson Himself: The Personal Narrative of a Many-Sided American. University of Virginia Press. p. 50. ISBN 9780813903101. https://archive.org/details/jeffersonhimself0000jeff. Jefferson is quoted by Derek H. Davis in Religion and the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, page 84.
- ↑ Taylor, Cynthia (2005). A. Philip Randolph: The Religious Journey of an African American Labor Leader. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-8287-3. http://nyupress.org/books/book-details.aspx?bookId=9709. Retrieved 2016-10-30.
- ↑ Gene Sharp "The Politics of Nonviolent Action" 1973
- ↑ Brian McLaren "A Prayer for Your Local Grocery Store" 2011
 |  |
