National Day of Prayer More Political Than Spiritual
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According to U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb, the National Day of Prayer amounts to a call for religious action and is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb in Madison, Wisconsin ruled last week the National Day of Prayer amounts to a call for religious action, and is therefore, unconstitutional. The National Day of Prayer was established by Congress 58 years ago.
The Obama Administration announced Thursday it will appeal the ruling and ordered the Justice Department to file the appeal immediately. The Justice Department said it will challenge the decision in the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The notice came after about two dozen members of Congress condemned the ruling and pressed for an appeal.
The case was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison-based group of atheists and agnostics who argue the National Day of Prayer violates the separation of church and state. Its co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor, said she was disappointed in the decision to appeal by the White House.
“I would have expected something better from a legal scholar,” she said, referring to President Barack Obama’s background as a law professor.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation released an online petition Thursday praising the ruling, and stating it was better to “leave days of prayer to individuals, private groups and churches, synagogues, mosques and temples” without any promotion from the U.S. Government.
Judge Crabb decided the Freedom From Religion Foundation had the right to sue based on “psychological harm” to atheists and agnostics. She argued the National Day of Prayer made such people represented by the Freedom From Religion Foundation feel like outsiders because of their non-religious views.
In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation did not have standing to sue over a Bush administration initiative that helped religious charities win government contracts.
The National Day of Prayer is set for the first Thursday in May every year. An Obama spokesperson confirmed that the President will issue a proclamation calling the American people to prayer on May 6.
Additionally, the Pentagon National Day of Prayer has received attention for its sudden change of plans. On Thursday the Pentagon announced it was rescinding its invitation to Franklin Graham, son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, to speak at its ceremony on the grounds that past comments made by Franklin Graham regarding Islam were “inappropriate for an inclusive, multi-faith observance,” said Army spokesman Lt. Col. Tom Collins.
“We’re an all-inclusive military,” Collins said. “We honor all faiths. … Our message to our service and civilian work force is about the need for diversity and appreciation of all faiths.”
In the past, Graham has called Islam “evil” and a “violent religion” that poses risks to the peace of society.
“You can’t beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they’ve committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries,” he said. “I don’t agree with the teachings of Islam and I find it to be a very violent religion.”
“I want them to know they don’t have to die in a car bomb, they don’t have to die in some kind of Holy War to be accepted by God, but it’s through faith in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone,” Graham said Thursday in response to the news of his disinvitation.
Shirley Dobson, chairwoman of the prayer task force, said Wednesday that U.S. leaders have called for a day of prayer during times of crisis since 1775 but the tradition is under attack.
“Enough is enough,” said Dobson, wife of Christian leader James Dobson. “We at the National Day of Prayer Task Force ask the American people to defend the right to pray in the Pentagon.”
“Promoting one’s own religious beliefs is something to be defended and encouraged, but other faiths should not be attacked or misrepresented in the process,” said Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, in support of the Pentagon’s decision.
Those with close ties to the military have noted this latest incident reveals the heightened sensitivity to Islam and the restricted support of Christianity in the armed forces.
The Americano/Agencies
When will Americans wake up and understand that the original intent of Separation of Church and State was to keep the government from interfering in religious matters, not the other way around. Thomas Jefferson (the author of separation of church and state), when he was President of the United States, used to sign his official documents: “In the name of our Lord, Jesus.” All new freshmen representatives to Washington D.C. used to recieve a copy of the words of Jesus Chirst when they arrived in D.C. This document was printed by the Government Printing Office and was distributed into the early nineteen-hundreds. There are many other examples, such as our monuments and currency that reflect this orignal intent. Now, we are back to the government legislating that we cannot worship freely wherever we want. Everything is upside down and the 65% of Americans that call themselves Christians are being bullied and vilified by the few.