By Larry Jones
The White House has just announced that President Barack Obama will sign a proclamation regarding the May 7 National Day of Prayer, but that there will be no White House ceremony as was held under George W. Bush.
A statement to the media from the office of the president said that "President Obama is a committed Christian and believes that we should be engaging Americans of faith in efforts to renew our country. He is following the tradition of Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and
others by signing a proclamation honoring the National Day of Prayer, while continuing to work with communities of faith to improve our country.” .jpeg)
Notice that he left out George W, probably the most enthusiastic president in his support for the day. Americans United for Separation of Church and State has stated that it “does not believe the American people need to be called to prayer or worship by the government. Decisions like this are personal and should be left to the individual’s conscience.”
I agree. I surely don’t believe a presidential proclamation, much less a White House ceremony,
is needed. In fact, I believe such things are harmful. Under the fundamentalist president the U.S. just got rid of (the worst ever to sit in the oval office), an event was held at the White House
each year with such evangelical personages as Shirley Dobson, chair of the privately funded National Day of Prayer task force, and her husband James Dobson, founder of the far right Focus on the Family.
is needed. In fact, I believe such things are harmful. Under the fundamentalist president the U.S. just got rid of (the worst ever to sit in the oval office), an event was held at the White House
each year with such evangelical personages as Shirley Dobson, chair of the privately funded National Day of Prayer task force, and her husband James Dobson, founder of the far right Focus on the Family.
The task force requires its volunteer coordinators to agree to a statement which includes these words, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the only one by which I can obtain salvation and have an ongoing relationship with God." So much for the diversity the day allegedly calls for and which was a part of W’s proclamation last year.
These religious zealots have applauded Obama’s broadening of the faith based initiative Bush began and Obama’s reaching out to evangelicals. He included mainline non-fundamentalist leaders in a recent gathering of religious people only after many complaints from the middle were
expressed. But the religious right is unhappy about his expanding funding for stem cell research and his limited support for a woman’s right to choose.
expressed. But the religious right is unhappy about his expanding funding for stem cell research and his limited support for a woman’s right to choose.
Selected Prayer Events Around the Country
Honolulu
In the last few weeks there has been much apprehension on the right about whether Obama would in fact issue a prayer proclamation, so I began checking into what’s going on around the country, starting with my own state of Hawaii. Wow, was I ever blown away!!! Hawaii is
considered a politically liberal state, but it has become breeding ground for an enormous expansion of Christian groups with their arm waving, abortion opposing, proselytizing followers.
considered a politically liberal state, but it has become breeding ground for an enormous expansion of Christian groups with their arm waving, abortion opposing, proselytizing followers.
So here is what is planned in my city of Honolulu, May 7 will be set aside by a group called the 40 Days for Life Campaign. (What a bummer it is that the word “life” has become a code word for anti-abortion.) This organization has called for a prayer gathering at our State Capitol under the theme Prayer…America’s HOPE. Their statement says: “We in Hawai’i will conduct the final closing services for this national event with prayers and patriotic programs. … Joining the
program will be Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council; federal, state, and local elected officials; pastors and congregations; and representatives from the military armed forces.”
Now isn’t that just a grand combining of praise for imperialist America and prayer to eliminate the right to abortion? Who are these 40 Days for Life people? Their website proclaims that “40 Days for Life is an intensive effort designed to raise awareness, save lives, bring healing, and lead our nation to repentance for the sin of abortion.
Chicago
In Chicago there will be, among other prayer events, an Intercollegiate Concert of Prayer, sponsored by a group which works “in Jesus’ name” called One Great City – Chicago. It will be held at the fundamentalist Moody Bible Institute and organizers claim that “it will be a time of extended prayer and worship as we call on God to move in our campuses, city, and generation!! … We are expecting God to show up.”
However, many in Chicago want nothing to do with that god who brings damnation upon gays and lesbians, abortion providers and women seeking abortions, and in the end will destroy everyone who has not accepted Christ as the messiah and their personal savior. And, to be sure,
such critics are not limited to Chicago but are found in their millions around the world.
such critics are not limited to Chicago but are found in their millions around the world.
Kentucky
The state’s governor, Steven Beshear, issued a proclamation in which he said, in part, that “The Commonwealth of Kentucky serves as an illustration of the abundance of blessings God will bestow upon those who pray earnestly to Him…” Sure, their god just loves that deadly tobacco is one of their leading crops, and that the chemical industry (including pollutants and pharmaceuticals) is big in the manufacturing sector, and that coal mining (there’s no such thing as clean coal) and oil and natural gas are also big in the economy. Then there is the state’s premier attraction, The Kentucky Derby. Oh, and don’t forget Kentucky whisky.
So the god Beshear talks about bestows blessing upon people who pray in a state funded by tobacco, chemical pollutants, oil, horse racing, and booze.
Kentucky’s prayer organizers are calling for a plethora of events around the state, including in places of business, churches, and homes. They say that the goal is "To communicate with every family the need for personal repentance and prayer, and to mobilize families to personal and corporate prayer, particularly on behalf of the nation and those in leadership on all levels of local, national, church and educational areas of influence."
Overall, the National Day of Prayer has become a day to celebrate a fundamentalist world view and right wing conservative politics, all bundled together in the American flag.
Other Viewpoints
Now, more than ever, America needs a Day of Reason, proclaims a website of the same name. The site states that “while the ill-informed masses reinforce in their minds the incorrect notion that this is a Christian Nation, rationalists across the country will hold counter-observances calling
for reason and a renewed commitment to separation of church and state.”
for reason and a renewed commitment to separation of church and state.”
Last year on the National Day of Reason free thinkers in Philadelphia posted a huge billboard on Interstate 95 shouting the words “DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD? YOU ARE NOT ALONE.” “It featured an image of blue sky and clouds with the words superimposed over. … The striking
message raises a question, and maybe some eyebrows,” said the organizers, which included several free thought organizations and students from Temple University.
message raises a question, and maybe some eyebrows,” said the organizers, which included several free thought organizations and students from Temple University.
The National Day of Reason states that it wants to “celebrate reason—a concept all Americans can support—and to raise public awareness about the persistent threat to religious liberty posed by government intrusion into the private sphere of worship.” Further they want “to inspire the secular community to be visible and active on this day to set the right example for how to effect positive change.” World Can’t wait doesn’t have a position on god, nor one on talking to her, but it does have positive positions on separation of church and state and REASON. How about you?