The first problem with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal‘s upcoming prayer rally a month from now is that he’s hosting a prayer rally.

In his invitation, he made it very clear that he wanted to use his position to advance Christianity:

Our nation is faced with fatherless homes, an epidemic of drugs and crime in our inner cities, a saturation of pornography, abortion, racism — Jesus Christ, Son of God and the Lord of Life, is America’s only hope. We need Spiritual Transformation.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State made clear that Jindal had completely crossed a line:

When you became Governor, you swore an oath to support the Constitution and laws of the United States. The invitation letter makes a mockery of that oath by flagrantly violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. … Governor Jindal, you were elected to represent all of your constituents, not just the Christians. Your proselytizing letter under the seal of your office and the State of Louisiana represents a flagrant disregard for large portions of your constituency, and of the requirements of the Constitution of the United States. For these reasons, we ask that you withdraw this invitation and all governmental support from “The Response — Louisiana.”

The next problem is that a prayer guide that was offered up on the rally’s website (since removed) blamed gay marriage and abortion for natural disasters. Because advancements in civil rights caused Hurricane Katrina.

And then there’s the fact that Jindal is partnering with the most radical Christians he can find: That group includes Jennifer LeClaire of Charisma magazine who thinks atheists are stirring up witches against her, Cindy Jacobs who thinks the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell killed birds, and E. W. Jackson who thinks evolution is a lie and sin Leads to birth defects.

The rally itself is sponsored by the American Family Association, home to Bryan Fischer who has his own tags on various watchdog websites because of all the crazy shit he says. When confronted about that connection, a Jindal staffer just played ignorant:

“I haven’t looked at their website, so you will need to talk to them about it. Here’s what we do know…our nation is facing serious issues, but God is real, He is powerful, and He answers prayer. That is why we are asking people to come to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 24th and pray for revival,” said Shannon Bates, Jindal’s deputy communications manager, in a written statement about the organization.

As if Jindal agreed to hold a rally with a group he didn’t know the first thing about…

Make no mistake, Jindal is as despicable as the Christians he plans to work with. He doesn’t give a damn about the Constitution. He’s better suited to be a pastor than anyone who claims to represent all the people of his state.

And more importantly, his rally won’t accomplish anything. To use the familiar saying, this rally is all about gathering people who do nothing but think they’re helping.

(Image via Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com)

