Quick Rantage Re: "National Prayer Day"
I just saw an article on BBC about how Bush has declared Sept 16 as National Day of Prayer for Katrina victims, and I was gearing up to do a big post about how fucked up that would be - a national day of government-sponsered prayer? What the shit is that? I mean, aren't we supposed to have a thing in this country called freedom of religion?
But then I took a deep breath and wandered over to Wikipedia, the Giver of Free Knowledge, and checked out the history of this National Prayer Day thing. Apparently, we've had this Day for over 60 years, and it was actually made into a law by one of my favorite Democrats, Harry S Truman. Ack!
Well, whatever good intensions the originators of this might have had, it's gotten completely co-opted by the republican conservative crowd. Ronald Reagan decided the officially designated Prayer Day was going to be the first Thursday of May (which I remember hearing about in church, now that I stop and think) and James Dobson's Focus on the Family group got a special Task Force devoted just to enforcing this Prayer Day. Why does that make me think of old-timey sherrifs knocking on my door, making sure I'm praying?
The National Day of Prayer Task Force was 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 is currently at the head of the Task Force.
The Task Force's charter is tolerant of all religions. It is written so that it could be applied to any religion, not just Christianity. In practice though, the Task Force has developed a strictly Judeo-Christian focus, leaning towards predominately Christian, and appears to be run by 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.
BTW, what is this "Judeo-Christian" word? I think James Dobson just made that shit up. Because I've never heard a Jewish person, outside of the occasional Bernie Goldberg type pundit, use the term.
Anyways, back to the Forced Day of Religion thing. More from Wikipedia:
In the National Day of Prayer School Events Guide available on the National Day of Prayer 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 disagree. 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, a day of prayer was proclaimed by president James Madison, however he later decided that National Days of Prayer were inappropriate as "they seem to imply and certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion".
I really like that Thomas Jefferson guy. Can't we bring him back?
But then I took a deep breath and wandered over to Wikipedia, the Giver of Free Knowledge, and checked out the history of this National Prayer Day thing. Apparently, we've had this Day for over 60 years, and it was actually made into a law by one of my favorite Democrats, Harry S Truman. Ack!
Well, whatever good intensions the originators of this might have had, it's gotten completely co-opted by the republican conservative crowd. Ronald Reagan decided the officially designated Prayer Day was going to be the first Thursday of May (which I remember hearing about in church, now that I stop and think) and James Dobson's Focus on the Family group got a special Task Force devoted just to enforcing this Prayer Day. Why does that make me think of old-timey sherrifs knocking on my door, making sure I'm praying?
The National Day of Prayer Task Force was 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 is currently at the head of the Task Force.
The Task Force's charter is tolerant of all religions. It is written so that it could be applied to any religion, not just Christianity. In practice though, the Task Force has developed a strictly Judeo-Christian focus, leaning towards predominately Christian, and appears to be run by 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.
BTW, what is this "Judeo-Christian" word? I think James Dobson just made that shit up. Because I've never heard a Jewish person, outside of the occasional Bernie Goldberg type pundit, use the term.
Anyways, back to the Forced Day of Religion thing. More from Wikipedia:
In the National Day of Prayer School Events Guide available on the National Day of Prayer 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 disagree. 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, a day of prayer was proclaimed by president James Madison, however he later decided that National Days of Prayer were inappropriate as "they seem to imply and certainly nourish the erroneous idea of a national religion".
I really like that Thomas Jefferson guy. Can't we bring him back?