Today, the first Thursday in May, is officially the National Day of Prayer. The occasion is marked in many communities by a breakfast in which a Christian speaker gives a talk before local Christians and local government officials.
Setting aside a day to pray has been a tradition in the United States since 1952. The communist scare of the 1950s inspired Congress to not only declare a day of prayer but to insert “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and “in God we trust” to appear on paper currency.
That may have made Americans feel safe from the atheists back then, but increasingly non-Christians are vocal about any government sponsorship of religion. A couple of weeks ago, federal judge Barbara Crabb of Madison, Wis., ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.
Various Christians went apoplectic, believing such action surely foreshadowed the end of the world. I tend to see things differently. Why do we want the government to sanction a day of prayer once a year? Hasn’t it become spiritual window dressing, void of any real meaning? Are we so insecure in our faith that we need the government to tell is it’s a worthy activity?
I’m all for prayer, but why are churchgoers so interested in the state approving it? That seems backwards to me. The Bible repeatedly tells us we are to be different from the world, not cozying up to it. Isn’t this how Christianity got off track under Constantine?
The problem with defending prayer in official public settings is that it’s not really constitutional. In our multicultural society, can there really be a meaningful prayer to God in the name of Jesus Christ? Prayers uttered under the auspices of government have to be so inoffensive they really don’t have power.
How about if we pray to God in our churches and in our homes all the time. That way the petitions actually might be more effective. We won’t get the smug feeling that the government is patting us on the head. That’s a good thing.
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