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Far from being a day to bring people of
various faiths together, the National Day of Prayer has been
hijacked by intolerant Religious Right groups who seek an
officially “Christian nation,” says Americans United for
Separation of Church and State.
The National Day of Prayer (NDP) takes place tomorrow. By
federal law, the commemoration occurs on the first Thursday of
every May.
Most events around the country are coordinated by the National
Day of Prayer Task Force, a private group run by Shirley Dobson,
wife of Religious Right leader James C. Dobson of Focus on the
Family. The task force instructs its volunteers to allow only
conservative Christians to speak, and its events are often laden
with “Christian nation” rhetoric.
“A government-sponsored day of religious activity was never a
good idea,” says the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of
Americans United. “Now, the event has been taken over by the
Religious Right and turned into an exercise in political
posturing and theological one-upmanship.”
Lynn noted that in recent years, some fed-up religious leaders
have planned alternate events that are more inclusive. Locations
for these events include Akron, Ohio; Salt Lake City; Colorado
Springs; Muncie, Ind.; Oklahoma City; and Troy, Mich.
“Dobson and other Religious Right leaders seek a nation where
their version of Christianity has official preference,” said
Lynn. “And they are using the National Day of Prayer to advance
that agenda. I’m glad that an increasing number of America’s
religious leaders realize that and are organizing alternative
events.”
An application for prayer coordinator volunteers on the NDP Task
Force Web site claims that its events are “Judeo-Christian” but
then goes on to require that applicants sign a statement
affirming belief in the Trinity, the virgin birth, the miracles
of Jesus and his resurrection.
The application also requires coordinators to “ensure a strong,
consistent Christian message throughout the nation” and “commit
that NDP activities I serve with will be conducted solely by
Christians….”
Lynn charged that the event has become an excuse for the
Religious Right to promote its extreme political views. He notes
that the NDP Task Force Web site recommends a prayer that blasts
Supreme Court decisions for “allowing You and Your Word to be
thrown out of schools, and for allowing your truth to be
replaced with lies.”
In fact, the high court has ruled only that schools may not
sponsor devotional activities. The Bible may still be included
in objective study about religion at appropriate points in the
curriculum, and students may read the Bible and pray during free
time at school.
It would be better, Lynn said, for the nation to follow the
example of Thomas Jefferson. When asked to issue an official
prayer proclamation, Jefferson declined. Civil officials, he
pointed out, have no business meddling in private religious
affairs.
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