Imprecatory Prayer Not Recommended for Christians

Praying for the persecution of your enemies is not a tactic used or even recommended by Jesus or any Christian theologian. Imprecatory prayer however, or praying for the destruction of god's enemies has found support among some of the more fringe groups such as the Westboro Baptist church. The theological basis against praying for the destruction of god's enemies can be found for Christian and non-Christian alike in the Sermon of the Mount.

For those who need a refresher course in the words of the person many people believe to be the savior of Humanity, Jesuss said "You have heard that it has been said, You shall love yourneighbor, and hate your enemy. 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,do good to them that hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you, and persecute you." The words occur in the Sermon on theMount and are in sharp contrast to the verses Reverend Wiley S. Drake has used to justify his prayers wishing ill on groups like Americans for the Separation of Church and State.

Reverend Drake justifies has actions using Psalm 109 from the Old Testmanent. Despite its many translation errors and general lack of accuracy, the following quote like the one from the Sermon on the Mount will come from the King James Version. In verse 9 of Psalm 109, King David specifally asks the lord to: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

While Imprecatory prayer may be recommended by some theologians, reconciling it with Christian theology is a bit difficult. Further complicating the issue is that the Old and New Testaments often contain conflicting advice, but in context, the verse that says not to resist evil but to "turn the other cheek" should trump all other earlier commandments as it was spoken by the person who fulfilled the laws of the prophets and negated the need for certain Old Testament practices.

Praying for revenge on God's enemies may be acceptable in other major faiths and one Catholic sister warned of the need to distinguish between the enemies of an individual and the enemies of the Almighty. The approach for Christians, however, should not immediately lead to thoughts of revenge but rather, as can be inferred from the Sermon on the Mount that prayers be phrased so that "those who persecute you" will have their minds changed in beneficial ways. In the words of one rabbi, praying for wrongdoers to be punished and justice to be served is acceptable, praying for John Doe to be smitten by the Lord is not.

Sources:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs25aug25,0,58618.story?page=2&coll=la-home-center

The Holy Bible. King James Version

Author's Note: OpenOffice does not always play nice if quotes are not typed directly into it from browser page. I cannot fix the varied fonts on this page despite my best efforts.