Rick Perry still plans to attend prayer event

Editor's Note: The event happened on Saturday. Click here for coverage of Rick Perry's remarks.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is widely expected to announce a presidential campaign later this month, plans to attend at a prayer and fasting event called "The Response" on Saturday despite criticism that the event inappropriately mixes religion and politics.

Perry's representatives said the governor will be at the event for the entire, seven-hour duration.

Perry himself has played down his involvement, saying at one point, "I may be ushering, for all I know."

Perry has suffered a spate of bad press tied to The Response over both the nature of what some are calling an evangelical revival and the fact that organizers have said that fewer than 10,000 people have registered for the event, which is to be held at Houston's 71,500 capacity Reliant Stadium. Response Spokesman Eric Bearse told Hotsheet Thursday that "More than 8,000 have signed up, but we expect a lot more than that."

Will Rick Perry answer the religious right's prayers?

Groups like the Anti-Defamation League have criticized Perry for holding the event, which the ADL said "violates the spirit" of his constitutional duty to treat all Texans equally. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Church and State told Hotsheet that Perry is "confused," saying "He is the governor of Texas - he is not an official preacher or prayer leader."

A number of controversial groups and individuals are linked to the event, including the American Family Association, which is providing financial backing; AFA representatives have called for a ban on Muslim immigrants and for gay men and women to "be disqualified from public office." Others tied to the event have called for the government to be placed under Christian control and suggested Oprah Winfrey is setting the stage for the antichrist.

Some have suggested the event could link Perry to the religious fringes in a way that could hurt him both in states like New Hampshire and with the full electorate if he wins the GOP nomination, and have speculated that Perry may thus play down his involvement in the event he initiated. But Bearse, the spokesman for The Response, said that is not the case.

Perry, he said, is "fully embracing the event, and there is no truth whatsoever to that false spin."

The Response is the only public event for Perry this week, according to his office. On August 12, he travels to Alabama for the state GOP dinner, and he plans to be in South Carolina on the 13th - the day of the Iowa straw poll.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said Perry was confirmed to speak at "The Response." His aides say a final decision has not been made.

[AnonIndependent]

Report: Rick Perry Gave $16M In State Money To Firms Backed By Donors - http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/10/report_rick_perry_gave_16m_in_state_money_to_firms.php

[AnonIndependent]

Speaking as a former Republican and a follower of Christ for 21 years, Christ did not put His trust in politics nor did He teach us to. By the dictionary definition, I am a liberal - one who is forgiving and unorthodox. The GOP uses Christians as pawns, paying us lip service while they promote another agenda. The Tea Party members are just pawns of big corporations who would further weaken government in order to operate above the law.

Rick Perry is just another greedy politician. Texas has the highest regressive tax in the US, meaning that the poor pay a higher percentage of their income towards taxes than the wealthy. Christ challenged us to help the poor. Yet I can't put all the blame on Perry since Texas is a weak governor state. The Lt. governor actually has more power. So Perry is just a phony in addition to being a liar. There are a lot of great articles documenting his dubious actions. For instance, he funneled over 16 million in state money to his corporate backers in the name of the State Emerging Technology Fund. So I can't imagine him getting very far without his past coming back to haunt him. He is truly arrogant if he thinks he can run for president.

[thomasmc1957]

Rick Perry is the Antichrist.

[noloyalisti]

Keep this radical Republicon and his backward religion the heck away from my government. Stay in your (mostly) red, polluted, jobless Republicon state. With global climate change you helped create, most of the state will be uninhabitable soon.

[august860]

Rick Perry is just another dirtbag politician rife with hypocrisy and scandal.

He intentionally hid the fact that drinking water in Texas was contaminated with radiation.

It doesn't get much worse than this loser. It's people like him who are selling out America.

[americalvet]

I suspect that Perry's "Pray for Votes" thing will work out about as well as his "pray for rain" thing. Don't put your umbrellas away Texans, they also help to block that 108 degree sunshine.

[JV1970]

We might not get an answer to our prayers immediately but God always answers prayer. He may not answer our prayers in the way we want Him to and He may not answer when we want Him to but He will answer. The rain will come. It will come in God's own time and when He thinks the time is right, but it will come. Perry will get his votes too!

[1VNVet]

JV1970 --- ROFL.....that is like saying Winter will be here when he is ready......ROFLMAO

[Endtimes2011]

Good for Gov. Perry. Our country was founded on the Bible, and it needs to go back to where it was founded. The misery in this country and the world is due to the fact that they have turned away from God and His Word. The Lord is coming back to earth again real soon, and people need to repent before it's too late. HELL IS REAL!!!! No matter what the deceived public believes. They might think they are invincible, and everything is wonderful. But they are going to die one day, maybe soon, and then they'll meet their Creator, the ONE they ignore and think they're superior to.

[zenia5]

How did that last "Rapture" work out for ya?

[daffy64]

No. Your country was founded on freedom. That's why you have a Constitution.

[1VNVet]

Our J..A..C..K..A..S..S President has done it again.....he is going to send 105 Million of our dollars to Africa to help with the famine.......HEY Dipwad...how about helping with the famine right here in our own country? How about our own people that are starving because they are out of work??? This clown thinks the treasury is his personal piggy bank!

IT IS TIME TO GET RID OF THIS CLOWN!

[daffy64]

Spoken like a true Christian.

There is nobody, repeat nobody in the United States as badly off as the people in the famine area in Africa.

And ya know what? They're human beings as well!

[1VNVet]

daffy64 - You sure have your name right....DAFFY because if you have read my posts at all you would know that I am not a christian, a muslim, a catholic, a jew or any other faith. I don't believe in fairy tales and you know what.....unlike you obviously, I care about AMERICANS First and foremost! Once there are absolutely without a shadow of a doubt NO Americans that are starving, then and only then would I even consider sending food, money or help of any kind to another country. I would feed a starving DOG in the U.S. before I would feed anything in another. If you don't like that then why don't you MOVE to Africa so you can help them.

[tomanyt]

Be weary of pious politicians!!!!!!!!!!

[americalvet]

I think you meant wary, but weary works quite well!

[daffy64]

A number of controversial groups and individuals are linked to the event, including the American Family Association, which is providing financial backing; AFA representatives have called for a ban on Muslim immigrants and for gay men and women to "be disqualified from public office." Others tied to the event have called for the government to be placed under Christian control and suggested Oprah Winfrey is setting the stage for the antichrist.

-

Uh. Yeah. Right.

[zenia5]

The American Family Assocation has always been identified as a radical hate group. They have a burning desire to destroy our Democracy in favor of a Theocracy...and this is WRONG, not matter how you spin it. THIS is the problem that rational, reasonable Americans have with Perry....he thinks just like they do.

[Lindag10]

The American Family Association is a very nasty group. They threw a fit when a Muslim Congressman used the Koran for his swearing in and complained when a Hindu prayer was read in Congress. They've also worked toward having homosexuality considered a crime. Great people Perry hangs out with.