by Todd Richmond
On April 17, 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill into law proclaiming a national day of prayer in the United States. In 1988, President Reagan dedicated the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer and it has been celebrated as an observance holiday ever since that day. The purpose of this day is to call people of all different faiths to pray for the leaders of the United States, and the nation as a whole. It is not a public holiday, so schools and government businesses are all open. The day is simply a day in which the President requests those who are willing, to pray for the nation.
Recently, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional, arguing that "the day amounts to a call for religious action." The court decision was started with a lawsuit that was filed by the Freedom from Religion Foundation against the federal government in 2008, arguing that the day violated the separation of church and state. There is no reason for this law to be ruled as unconstitutional. Prayer is a private practice, and those who do not wish to participate in this day do not by any means need to participate in the day, or even acknowledge the day. However, for those who do believe in God and the power of prayer, it is a day to remember the Christian principles this nation was founded upon, and pray for the nation. I actually agree with the Obama administration on their response, which was “the statute simply acknowledges the role of religion in the United States.” Obama still plans to hold the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 6.
I completely agree with Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow in his statement "It is unfortunate that this court failed to understand that a day set aside for prayer for the country represents a time-honored tradition that embraces the First Amendment, not violates it," The First Amendment to the Constitution says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The National Day of Prayer does not force anyone to be a part of a certain religion. Many different religions believe in prayer, and all of those religions are simply asked to pray on this day. The National Day of Prayer does not prohibit free exercise of a religion either. The day therefore does not go against the First Amendment or the Constitution. Judges are stretching the Constitution to interpret it the way they want to and they have taken it too far. The National Day of Prayer should remain an observance holiday in the United States
Link: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_DAY_OF_PRAYER?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation who's God is the LORD.
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