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McCook Gazette
Letter to the Editor

Obama's prayer

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Dear Editor,

I was surprised to read the July 26-27 Gazette's story about Barack Obama's prayer. After he inserted it o a piece of paper into a crack in the Wailing Wall at Jerusalem, it was removed and published.

During Herod the Great's time, an enlargement of the temple at Jerusalem was begun. A retaining wall was built around it. Aug. 30 in 70 A.D., Titus and his Roman soldiers destroyed the temple and many of Jerusalem's residences.

In modern times, all that remains is a western section of the wall. Jews worship there and bemoan the loss of their temple. It is known as the Wailing Wall.

Thousands of visitors go to see it and Christians, Jews and Moslems revere the Temple Mount as a holy site.

The Dome of the Rock Mosque is built on the Temple Mount. When Jesus was alive, it covered about 40 acres and measured more than 157,000 square yards.

In January 1995, I visited the Temple Mount and Wailing Wall. I saw people inserting written prayers into cracks on the Wailing Wall. Most of them were Jews.

Obama's critics say his visit to Israel was political.

His prayer indicates that he had a religious experience at the wall.

Helen Ruth Arnold,

McCook

Comments
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  • Who cares? It was his private prayer and NO ONE should have been allowed to remove it. That just goes to show you that there are other political motives out there trying to demolish his reputation!

    -- Posted by FNLYHOME on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, at 8:28 AM

  • Paper prayers, according to Israeli law, must be treated with respect, and can only be removed by the Rabbi in charge of the wall, when making room for new slips of paper. When removed, the Rabbi treats the removed prayer papers as if a body, and must be respectfully buried (As I understand from Messianic teaching).

    Though I do not support Senator Obama, the student that took the prayer from the wall, will, probably, be punished by the law, as well as the news organization printing his prayer.

    In Christ, Peace to one and all. Arley Steinhour

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Thu, Jul 31, 2008, at 4:50 PM

  • Here's a good one ... Fox News reports that "the Obama campaign denied releasing the prayer either prior or after the note was placed in the wall..." Fox News never ceases to amaze me! So, Fox is reporting that it was a plan all along for Obama to get his prayer publish. The Faux News Network is a real piece of work!

    -- Posted by PamelaN on Fri, Aug 1, 2008, at 2:32 PM

  • Why would he be writing a prayer? Isn't he the media's Messiah?

    Huh! cant figure that one out.

    -- Posted by Keda46 on Sat, Aug 2, 2008, at 2:23 AM
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