I think I'm having deja vu again

Via Kseniya in the comments at Pharyngula, I find that Mr. Zed isn't the first Hindu to lead a prayer in Congress--he was the first in the Senate, but Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala was the first in the House on September 14, 2000. And, just like now, that got the religious fundies pissed that other religions would dare think they're equal before the government:

Venkatachalapathi Samuldrala, a Hindu priest with the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Parma, Ohio, made history on Sept. 14 by becoming the first Hindu religious leader to offer an invocation before a session of Congress.

In response to the prayer, the Family Research Council, the most prominent Religious Right lobbying group in Washington, D.C., disparaged religious pluralism and said only Christianity deserves government support in this week's edition of the group's CultureFacts newsletter.

"(W)hile it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle of religious freedom for all," the FRC wrote, "that liberty was never intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our country's heritage."

The group added, "Our Founders expected that Christianity -- and no other religion -- would receive support from the government as long as that support did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship. They would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal deference."

Ah, refreshing honesty--apparently "religious freedom" means Christianity is sponsored by the government while other religions aren't. Well, what can you expect from a group that helped turn "family values" into "fag-bashing"?