National Day of Prayer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Day of Prayer is a day designated by the United States Congress as a day when all Americans regardless of faith are asked to come together and pray in their own way. It is held on the first Thursday in May. A "National Day of Prayer" Task Force was created in order to coordinate the event.
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[edit] History of the National Day of Prayer
There have been several national days of prayer in the U.S. before the day was made official in 1952. The Continental Congress issued a day of prayer in 1775 to designate "a time for prayer in forming a new nation". Thomas Jefferson argued however, that although individual religious organizations had the right to designate a day of prayer, the U.S. government should not have that right.
On April 17, 1952, President Truman signed a bill proclaiming the National Day of Prayer into law. It was in 1972 that the National Prayer Committee was formed. It went on to create the National Day of Prayer Task Force, with the intended purpose of coordinating events for the National Day of Prayer. In 1988, President Reagan signed a bill into law decreeing that the National Day of Prayer should be held on the first Thursday of May.
The intention of the National Day of Prayer was always that it would be a day when members of all faiths could pray together in their own way. It would involve Christians, Jews, Muslims, as well as Buddhists, Hindus, Aboriginals, Zoroastrians, and all others, of any faith or of no organized religion, who wished to participate.
[edit] National Day of Prayer Task Force
The National Day of Prayer Task Force is a non-governmental organization created by the National Prayer Committee to help coordinate events on National Day of Prayer. Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, they work out of facilities from Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian organization. Shirley Dobson (wife of prominent evangelical and Focus on the Family founder, James Dobson) is currently at the head of the Task Force.
The Task Force's charter is tolerant of all religions, although it does not allow members of all religions to participate equally. The charter is written so that it could be applied to any religion, not just Christianity. In recent years, the Task Force has not allowed prayers to be led by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (who are very devoted and prayerful Christians as their name and beliefs denote). The Latter-Day-Saints have a strong focus on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Personal Saviour. The Task Force has developed a strictly Judeo-Christian focus, leaning towards predominantly evangelical Christianity, and appears to be run by individuals associated with the Christian Right. The Task force's website says in their FAQ section: "Americans of all faiths are encouraged to participate in the [National Day of Prayer] according to their own traditions. However, the [National Day of Prayer] Task Force [only] provides promotional materials and sponsors several events in keeping with the Judeo-Christian tradition". The application for volunteer coordinators with the Task Force lists the following as a primary qualification, "Commitment to Christ. A volunteer must be an evangelical Christian who has a personal relationship with Christ. I acknowledge that I am working for the Lord Jesus Christ and the furthering of His Work on earth and agree to perform my work with the highest standard of Christian faith."[1]
[edit] Constitutionality
In the National Day of Prayer School Events Guide available on the National Day of Prayer Task Force's website, they argue for the constitutionality and need for a National Day of Prayer, claiming that the "Founding Fathers did not mean for our government to be separated from our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".
Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers, seems to have disagreed. In 1808, in response to national days of prayer, Jefferson wrote, "Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their hands, where the Constitution has deposited it.".
In 1813, president James Madison proclaimed a day of prayer; however, he later decided that National Days of Prayer were inappropriate, because "they seem[ed] to imply and certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion".
