Quote Originally Posted by maladroit
whut is an invocation? isn't that just a fancy word for prayer? it sure looked like everyone was praying at that mccain rally...i've never seen anything like that outside of a theocracy...it's creepy...does it happen before every political rally? is it a common practice?

obama rally invocation:
YouTube - FAMU Obama Rally Invocation
Yes, an invocation is a prayer.

I agree, I personally do not like to see a prayer at a non-religious service, but it happens at some kinds of events. I've seen them even at official county board meetings, but they are non-denominational enough to not offend any particular religious group, except for atheists who don't want to see any kind of prayer at all. I do not know how common they are at rallies. I could sit through a non-denominational invocation, even if I didn't like it much, but if I had been at this McCain rally, I would have walked out in disgust.