The National Day of Prayer

Well, it’s May 6th, 2010, and we have nothing better to do as a Nation than to challenge the appropriateness of The National Day of Prayer. Oh sure, Congressional spending is out of control, we’re teetering on the edge of an economic collapse, partisanship has overcome responsible service, and the safety of our citizens has become more a function of terrorists’ ineptitude than proactive engagement by our law enforcement officials … but we still have time to persecute people of faith because … well, they’re about the only definable group (other than “rich people”) that fall outside the protection of political correctness. To paraphrase the old television version of Superman: “this looks like a job for the Common Sense Czar!”

Let’s start with the First Amendment, which seems to be the basis for attacking anything that even tangentially references a belief in a Superior Being (other than political deities). It says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” If we parse out the relevant phrases that pertain to religion, we have: “Congress shall make no law,” which seems pretty clear to me … “respecting an establishment of religion” … you know, like The Church of England, which was headed by the King of England and enforced upon its citizens in colonial times … “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” which I interpret as giving us the freedom to choose whether we wish to believe in a religion … or not.

Hey, wait a minute! Where’s the famous “separation of church and State” language that precludes religious symbols from appearing on government property or prayer from being introduced into publicly funded forums such as schools? After a careful reading, it just doesn’t exist. Its genesis resides within the 1879 Supreme Court decision in Reynolds v. The United States, which relies upon the papers of Thomas Jefferson as being determinative. Interestingly enough, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence … not the Bill of Rights. In fact, he was in France during the time that the First Amendment was drafted and proposed and the State ratification process began. Jefferson did, in fact, refer to “building a wall of separation between church and State” in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, but he did so in 1802; the Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. But, let’s not allow facts to get in the way.

While we’re on the subject of Thomas Jefferson, he did write the Bill of Religious Freedom in 1779 that was enacted into law by the Virginia General Assembly in 1786. Its preamble begins: “Whereas, ALMIGHTY GOD hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the HOLY AUTHOR of our religion, who being LORD, both of body and mind yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his ALMIGHTY power to do, that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time …” [emphasis added]. It sounds as though he believes in God, but doesn’t place quite as much trust in politicians

In relevant part, the Bill of religious Freedom goes on to say: “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.” Now, as I understand it, Jefferson was considered to be very careful in his choice of words. In that regard, “compelled” would seem to be an important and clear choice of verbs. Our National Day of Prayer doesn’t “compel” anyone to pray. It merely reminds and suggests one to consider it on that one day of the year. I think that falls within the “all men shall be free to profess” element of Jefferson’s thought.

And finally, his view of Supreme Court Justices is enlightening … although rarely cited by the courts: “To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so. They have with others the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps. Their maxim is boni judicis est ampliare jurisdictionem [good justice is broad jurisdiction], and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time and party, its members would become despots. It has more wisely made all the departments co-equal and co-sovereign within themselves.” This is just one more reason I like Thomas Jefferson.

So, in spite of the controversy, I find the National Day of Prayer to be no more inappropriately “compelling” than any other national holiday. If you choose not to reflect upon our fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, so be it. If you don’t choose to give thanks to someone or something on Thanksgiving, that’s your choice. If you don’t choose to decorate your home with a tree on Christmas, that is your right. Each of these holidays has either direct or indirect religious overtones.

What about non-religious holidays? Should Martin Luther King’s Birthday be stricken from the roster because it potentially has a racial overtone? Should President’s Day be eliminated because it elevates the Executive Branch of the government (and an individual) over the importance of the Legislative and Judicial Branches, which are to otherwise be deemed equal? Should the Fourth of July be canceled as a possible affront to our British allies? Should Labor Day be banned because it celebrates the American Worker and might offend those who choose to remain on welfare?

Maybe we should just ban all holidays! In fact, we should ban the word itself because it doesn’t create a pristine separation of church and State if our government is supporting an allusion to a word that is derived from “Holy Day.”

In the alternative, please bow you head and repeat after me:

Dear God,

I pray that we stop wasting time trying to be “politically correct” in all we do;

I pray that we can attract responsible leaders who put our best interests ahead of their own economic gain, desire for re-election, and need for Narcissistic fulfillment;

I pray that those who take an oath to support and defend our Constitution actually take the time to read it;

I pray that we demonstrate the ability to operate with integrity and fiscal responsibility in Congress before we self-righteously pretend to have the knowledge to control “free” enterprise;

I pray that we stop creating massive bills with irrelevant earmarks and instead address issues in a more systematic and focused manner;

I pray that we don’t continue to delude ourselves with the belief that multiple new agencies and programs are the solution to all problems;

I pray that, if we don’t learn how to do the some of these other things, we never run out of “rich people” to tax;

I pray that we have the courage to aggressively defend our Country and its citizens rather than relying upon failed plots that we discover after the fact;

I pray that Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe be acquitted (as were the other two S.E.A.L.s) for allegedly punching Ahmed Hashim Abed, who masterminded the capture, torture, and killing of four U.S. citizens before dragging them through the streets, incinerating them and hanging their bodies from a bridge and that we never again waste so much time and money on such frivolous and disrespectful charges;

I pray that we allow Mother Nature to take some responsibility for the environment and the preservation of species (she’s been at the job a lot longer than Al Gore);

I pray that we learn to place our faith in individual rights;

I pray that we no longer tolerate the creation and maintenance of class distinctions to foster fear and anger in an effort to gain political support;

I pray that we learn the difference between the terms “legal” and “illegal” and that we do not selectively choose to enforce laws based upon political donations or potential votes;

I pray that we recognize that “equal rights” means equal rights as opposed to a preference for some … and a punishment for others;

I pray that we learn that the only “race” we should to acknowledge … is the human race;

And, I pray that, if we choose, we pray to God ... rather than pretend we are God.

Happy National Day of Prayer!

*****

© 2010 by Dr. T.J. O’Hara. To support viral distribution, this article may be copied, reprinted, forwarded, linked, or published in any form as long as proper attribution is given to the author and no changes are made.