NATE JENKINS / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, January 23, 2006 6:00 pm
State senators who bowed their heads on the floor of the Legislature expecting a mild morning prayer to start their legislative day Tuesday instead got a fire-tongued sermon that left some feeling burned.
The prayer offered by guest Pastor Tom Swartley of Elm Creek had a routine beginning. “Almighty God, we come humbly into your presence this morning seeking your favor.”
Six sentences in, Swartley was asking for forgiveness for “a people who have killed 47 million of my fellow Americans since the day I was born,” in reference to abortion. He prayed that legislators have a renewed sense of conscience and courage “to do what is right.”
“Open our eyes to the other aspects of this 33-year-long bloody nightmare,” Swartley said later. “Open our eyes to see that we’ve killed 47 million young American taxpayers, and indeed Social Security is in crisis. Open our eyes to see that 47 million of our countrymen and women are gone — doctors, lawyers, inventors, authors, musicians and artists.”
Swartley later asked God to forgive people in the state for teaching evolution, which he described as a “religion that tells us that we are only here by chance; that we are here for no reason and human life means nothing more than any other life…”
“We’ve put our children into the same category as other mammals, and we wonder why sometimes they act like animals,” he added later.
Senators appeared taken aback by Swartley’s prayer and some said later his comments were inappropriate. They may also have broken guidelines pastors invited to offer an opening prayer are supposed to follow and are given before they come to the Capitol. The guidelines request religious leaders to refrain from speaking about any matter “that could be considered political.”
Swartley came to the Legislature Tuesday as a guest of Sen. Jim Cudaback of Riverdale.
Sen. Ed Schrock, whose district includes Elm Creek, where Swartley is the pastor at First Christian Church, shook hands with him after he gave his prayer. But he didn’t offer any congratulations.
“I told him he shouldn’t have brought abortion into this — keep politics out of your prayer,” Schrock said. “We have enough trouble keeping prayer here without having political issues inserted.”
Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has long criticized the Legislature for allowing prayers to be offered on the floor and makes a point of not being present when the morning prayers are given.
He stormed onto the floor after Swartley was done and in a raised voice called the pastor’s comments outrageous and out of line.
“The day has been poisoned for me,” said Chambers, who added that he had never been as enraged and furious in the Legislature, and that “donkeys” such as Swartley should be yanked from the podium in the future.
Swartley described his church as a “restoration” institution that tries to restore aspects of religion and morality society has lost.
Sitting under a balcony on the floor after he gave his prayer, Swartley said he was surprised by the reaction.
“If I broke the rules, I do apologize, but I believe the issues I spoke about are moral issues. They overlap with political issues.”
“These are things I pray about in private. I’d hope others would pray in public what they do in private. We’ve been censored for too long.”
Sen. Tom Baker of Trenton was among those who said Swartley went too far.
“He overstepped the bounds of the chaplain. That wasn’t a prayer, but a sermon.”
Reach Nate Jenkins at 473-7223 or njenkins@journalstar.com.