Thursday, May 7, 2009

There will be no praying with the President


Today is the National Day of Prayer. Former President George Bush invited members and leaders of various religions to join him at the White House in prayer on this day every year he was in office. So did his predecessors. This President, while acknowledging that indeed today is the National Day of Prayer, will have no such observance at the White House. When Obama is speaking in public, if there are religious artifacts and icons present, then they must be removed or covered up, because he doesn't want the media to film him in their presence. His Press Secretary says Obama prays every day. I'm just wondering to whom.

10 comments:

vwatt said...

It's not quite that simple(as everything was for Bush). In fact as the article below points out, Obama is fighting, alongside many Republicans, a lawsuit that seeks to to BAN National Prayer Day. And guess who is the leader of the National Prayer Day Task Force- the wife of Dr.. La La Land James Dobson. I applaud Obama for promoting the role of religion in our country, yet preserving the separation of church and state by not letting fundamental evangelists control the agenda.



MADISON, Wis. - President Barack Obama is scaling back White House plans for Thursday's National Day of Prayer even as his administration defends the tradition in federal court in Wisconsin.

Obama's position has disappointed Christian conservatives, who want the president to do more to mark the day, and an atheist group that wants him to end the tradition.

The Obama administration has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which claims the day violates the separation of church and state. In a rare alliance, 31 mostly Republican members of Congress and a prominent Christian legal group are joining the administration to fight the lawsuit.

Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.



White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday that Obama would issue such a proclamation Thursday but not hold any public events with religious leaders as President George W. Bush did.

Gibbs said Obama prays privately and his plan for the day was in line with those of past presidents. Still, Obama drew a rebuke from the National Day of Prayer Task Force, a private group that promotes prayer events around the country.

"We are disappointed in the lack of participation by the Obama Administration," said task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson, wife of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. "At this time in our country's history, we would hope our President would recognize more fully the importance of prayer."

The task force estimates 2 million Americans attended more than 40,000 events marking the day last year.

Meanwhile, Freedom From Religion Foundation Co-Director Annie Laurie Gaylor welcomed Obama's more subdued observance but said she has been shocked by his administration's strong defense of the day in court.

Mike West said...

The separation of church and state is a joke. Who do we think we are? It's like telling God - "we do not want You or anything to do with You" like it's "our" decision. He's God - He will separate from whatever HE wants whenever He wants. And I beg to differ with Lance's assessment of Dr. Dobson. This country will get and is getting what it deserves for turning it's back on God and worshiping the dollar. Lance, if you believe in God then you need to do your research on who Jesus is; then make up your mind on who Jesus is. Jesus said he was God, He forgave sin as only God can do and performed miracles as only God can. You have 3 choices about Jesus. Lord, liar or lunatic. You get to choose based on historical evidence. If you choose Lord, than act like it because He is real (I know) and He will do the necessary separating when He is ready, not us. He never gave us the option of saying He was just a great teacher or just a prophet so don't even go there. I challenge you Lance to do some research. You can start with the Bible (Gospel of John) but I would like to get your opinion on a book titled "More Than A Carpenter" by Josh McDowell. Get back to me after you read it. I'd like to hear your opinion.

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

Typo. It's Vance, not Lance.

vwatt said...

I won't go down the slippery slope of how much religion is enough, or what religion shows the path to heaven,etc.-to each his own, which is what has made this country great. I do believe the founders of our country were wise beyond their time and do not believe we should amend our constitution:

Wikipedia:

The separation of church and state is a legal and political principle derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state" is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, where Jefferson spoke of the combined effect of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. It has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court.[1]

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

AMENDMENT 1: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;

Sorry, not seeing Jefferson's letter anywhere in the CONSTITUTION. According to the CONSTITUTION, the state cannot ESTABLISH a religion or PREVENT anyone from exercising their right to worship as they please. Nothing more, nothing less. So, if a church asks the city council to set up a nativity scene in the city park and the council approves (will of the people), then they may do just that. However, the council cannot allow one and deny another. Thus, the slippery slope. What's happening that scares Christians is the JUDICIAL branch of government (citing Jefferson's letter, which, by the way, is not part of the Constitution), is overruling said city councils and DISALLOWING religious observances of any kind on public property. IMO, that's not the intent of the 1st Amendment at all. I'm sure the Founding Fathers would be thrilled to know that GOD has become politically incorrect. I don't think even Jefferson in the state he was in when he wrote that letter (drunk, some say), envisioned the world of Obama (or Lenin, or Castro, or Mao).

Mike West said...

Sorry about the typo Vance. I sent an email to a guy named Lance recently.
"To each his own." Sounds great doesn't it?
Good points Rick.

vwatt said...

I agree with Rick that there has been abuse of the First Amendment and a lack of common sense(i.e. nativity scenes on public property) in its application. But should a Christian judge in Alabama be allowed to hang a copy of the Ten Commandments on the wall behind his bench-what does this say to a Buddhist or Muslim defendant(I know-who cares)? Now, what if the judge is Muslim-can he a hang a picture of Mohammed and the 72 virgins(fully clothed!) on the wall behind him(probably not for more than a day in Alabama without being shot)? Nothing is ever as black and white as it looks...just a few deep thoughts on 99 degree day in AZ......

Mike West said...

I actually think we should just go ahead and take "In God We Trust" off the money, and strip all references of religion out of absolutely anything that has to do with government. I'm surprised they still pray before each legislative session and actually have a House Of Representatives Chaplain. Is that hypocritical or what? Jesus had a lot to say about hypocrites. We have basically given up the fact that we're a Christian nation anyway. I guess it's just a matter of time until Israel gives up on being a Jewish nation. Let the minorities rule.

Brodad Unkabuddy said...

The answer to your question, Vance, is no. A judge should not be allowed to hang the Ten Commandments on the wall behind his chair, because it's not HIS wall. If it WERE his wall, then the answer would be yes. What the 1st Amendment protects is the judge's right to hang the Ten Commandments on the wall in his office, home or car. The same holds true for a judge of any religious belief.

The thing about the Ten Commandments is our government's system of laws is ultimately based on Judeo-Christian beliefs. The Ten Commandments represent those beliefs and subsequent system of laws. That's why they are depicted on the Supreme Court building and in court houses throughout the country. It's a tribute to God obviously, but it's also a tribute to one of humankind's first system of laws directing how we should interact with each other.

vwatt said...

I am a status quo type guy on all the separation of church and state issues and public religious displays....it was all there when I grew up, things worked out just fine- I didn't grow up to be a either an atheist heathen or a TV evangelist- so let's just keep it the same, no more, no less...