Some reflections on the National Day of Prayer
1) President Obama did not cancel it. In fact, here is his proclamation affirming it:
2) There has always been tension between church and state. For 2,000 years. Not just in America. To kings, the idea that there is another King has been problematic. Always has been, always will be.
Church/state tension reached a high point, not in 2010, but in 1077 at Canossa, in Italy. You need to look it up and read about it:
3) There never has been a time when any national government and the true, faithful Christian Church were fully aligned.
4) Christian activity rises and falls in America. It goes in waves. Great Awakenings. The Pentecostal Azusa awakening in 1906. The big post WW2 churchgoing boom. The Jesus movement of the 60’s and 70’s. We are not in a post-Christian era. We are between booms.
5) Our Founding Fathers of the USA were neither the Focus on the Family Republicans the “right” makes them out to be, nor the “enlightenment Deists” that the “left” makes them out to be. Thomas Jefferson considered himself to be a devout follower of Jesus, but would hardly move to Colorado Springs to be with his peeps if he lived in our generation.
6) We cannot COERCE people to pray. Government should never coerce any faith practice. Jesus never coerced anyone. He let them walk away. But, on the other hand, the fact that some are OFFENDED by us “intentionally, publicly spiritual people,” does not obligate us to practice our faith only in private.
Any OFFENSE on the part of others, because of any of our faith practice, private or public, when we are not being coercive, is NOT another reason to push us out of the public practice of our faith (which is totally guaranteed in the Bill of Rights). That was a long, complicated sentence, but I don’t know how else to say it.
It seems like, lately, whenever what we do offends someone, some court makes us stop doing it. This is not constitutional. We are not properly distinguishing between coercion and offense. The former is wrong, the latter can’t be helped in a free society. The systematic elimination of all offense leads to a controlled, non-free society.
7) No government can cancel a national day of prayer. Any more than churches can legislate tax code.
8.) Over 90 percent of Americans pray regularly. Not just born-again Christians. Everyone prays before algebra exams. 🙂 Humans come hard-wired for prayer. Built in wi-fi.
9) As a free-market family-values conservative, I have the right to criticize our own movement. We have gotten way less attractive since Bush left office. We are more prone to conspiracy theories than ever before. A lot of us have just turned off our brains.
I just confronted a man who was looking for signatures using a poster of our president with a Hitler mustache in front of our post office. We are going to lose the next elections if we don’t work on our image. Middle America is not going to vote with what they see as crazy people.
Elections are won and lost with the moderates. We are alienating them. We come across as extremists (remember how may votes Goldwater got?) who love big guns, big business running our health care, closed borders and deportations, conspiracy theories, and people who hate gay people. Reagan (as opposed to Goldwater) got huge votes because of what he was FOR (free markets, strong America, positive-optimistic attitude).
10) We have another national day of prayer, instituted by Abraham Lincoln: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a transitive verb which requires an object. And that would be God.
11) For the record, I believe:
-in having “in God we Trust” on our money
-in school prayer
-that the Bible should be taught in public schools, at least as literature and history
-that intelligent design should be taught in public schools along with spontaneous non-designed evolution.
-that marriage is between one man and one woman.
-that faith conversation and prayer belongs in the marketplace, the public square, the government, the media, and our schools. It is a part of who we are and free societies are free to be who they are.
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David Housholder Essays 
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May 4, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Jolene Kraft
All I can say is Amen. A truly free society has offenses to all whom are blessed to live in one. Like it or not, our Constitution was founded on freedoms; my favorite of which is freedom of religion, the very reason my ancestors came to America. Christianity may be offensive to some but it is a “life necessity” for me. I don’t feel we should coerce people to Christianity or prayer nor condemn them when they don’t; that’s God’s position. When government steps in to coerce faith practices, it impedes the growth of we Christians who want to REVEAL the truth in life. We don’t need governments help; but let us practice our spirituality in public as our Constitution mandates. Grace is a gift from God & a choice to all…it must stay that way.
Years ago, a young lady in my 4th. grade class did not believe in school prayer or “the pledge of allegiance to the flag”. NOT a problem… all we asked of her was to remain silent for 2-3 min. while we had our daily devotion & pledge. She did as we asked without remorse or offense to her because we gave her a choice; then showed our gratitude for her respect of our beliefs. SIMPLE.
Now they have taken Christian’s freedoms out of the public schools without giving us a choice. WHY? It’s so simple. The government became involved in it & as usual, extreme legalistic views won. No middle ground, compromise or choices were given. I’m offended but who cares? My heavenly Father, that’s who.
Outstanding blog, Dave. March on! Christ rocks!
May 4, 2010 at 9:02 pm
Dana Hanson
National Day of Prayer events are clandestine opportunities for Christians from different “tribes” to worship and pray with each other, more than anything else. We will have Lutheran, Foursquare, Vineyard, Calvary Chapel, Baptist, Messianic, Nazarene, you name it, at LIFEhouse, this Thursday night. No, we will not have Holy Communion, but more than a few “Gloria’s!” and “Alleluia’s!” will ring out.
Also, as a parent of public school going on seven years now, you can pray as much as you want in school, just as long as you aren’t coercive and faculty is not requiring it.
Just like you can drop some “F-bombs” in the stands at football and basketball games as long as you aren’t coercive and the faculty is not requiring it.
Ahh, freedom…
May 4, 2010 at 9:12 pm
Allen
I would rather see an annual day that celebrates the freedom of religion in this country, rather than celebrate that prayer should be exercised. I think most Americans would concur that the right for religious freedoms is a key cornerstone in keeping this country ‘free’. Christians can use this celebration as another reaffirmation as to what they believe in, including prayer.
In addition, under the assumption that Christians could agree what it means to be Christian, the strengths of Christian-beliefs should be the focus of the religious-freedom celebration for Christians. This celebration would serve as a better conversation focal point rather than ‘my-American-political-party’ is better than ‘your-American-political-party’ dialogs; Talk about the Christian message getting lost in the wilderness!
May 5, 2010 at 3:38 am
Glen VanderKloot
For years I was on the planning team for our local National Day of Prayer. However, it has now been hijacked by the far right. At the last one I attended the speaker was trying to scare people into heaven by talking about all the soccer moms who were going to hell. In prayers they prayed that God would zap all enemies of the United States, … See Moreincluding women and children if they were Muslims. There was condemnation of all gays and lesbians. (With the clear indication that their sins are much more serious than our sins.) I walked out and will not return as long as the current people are in control of it. I was embarassed to be in the audience.
May 5, 2010 at 12:37 pm
sue
Dave – love this post! I personally love to bless people (Num 6:24-26) and I’m eager to find out in heaven, how the Lord indeed blessed them. Because I know He does. So, I guess that’s my little (quite unintellectual) addition to the National Day of Prayer. Lets be bless-ers for God! Its His kindness that draws people in!
That being said, did like the “coerce” vs “offense” thought. The trick to honor, be bold, to boast in the Lord, and to live “not offended”.
May 5, 2010 at 12:53 pm
David Housholder
The offense/coerce insight was from dear friend Myron Allenstein of Gadsden, Alabama. An ARC pastor and attorney tentmaker pastor.
May 5, 2010 at 3:43 pm
David Collins
All well and good as long as all are invited to pray and can are allowed to be true to the faith tradition of their following. Is Islamic prayer welcome in most National Day of Prayer Observances? Maybe in major metro areas, but not here in Redneckville. And what keeps such observance from lapsing into co-optation by American Civil Religion? It is a very thin line we walk. Very thin indeed.
May 5, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Jay Egenes
I agree with concerns about civil religion. Tillich concluded 50 or 60 years ago that nationalism was the greatest competitor to worship of the true God. While I think nationalism has been displaced by worship of the “free market” or the stuff the market allows us to accumulate, I believe that nationalism is still up there on the list of competitors.
Civil Religion is always trying to coopt true Christianity for purposes of supporting the state.
Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray on NDP or love our country or participate in government programs or ….
But it does mean we should always be wary and remember where our true loyalties lie.
May 5, 2010 at 6:49 pm
David Housholder
Tillich’s chair at Jimmy’s Bar in Chicago was still there when I went to LSTC (across the street). He was not a teetotaler. 🙂
May 6, 2010 at 12:19 am
Abby
Thank you. . . Excellent thoughts!
May 6, 2010 at 1:41 am
Abby
…….except for the comment about President Bush. I can’t quite tell if it was “Bush-bashing”–I hope not.
May 6, 2010 at 1:47 pm
David Housholder
What I meant to say is “since Bush left office” so I edited my post for clarity. Thanks for the heads up.
May 6, 2010 at 5:08 pm
David Beriss
Nice post, well argued and nearly reasonable.
Except.
If by “prayer” you mean you are promoting individual prayer, or even collective ritual, in a manner that does not impede upon others in public places, that is fine. If, on the other hand, you want everyone to be forced to stop everything to acknowledge how holy you and your buddies are, forget it.
I am, as you know, not a Christian. But I grew up surrounded by them and I have to tell you, the feeling of exclusion one gets as a child when your entire class notices that you are not joining in their prayer to Jesus is quite rude. I am a citizen of this country as much as any Christian and I see no reason why I should be forced to participate in or pay for any politician participating in your religion (or any other religion). I am frankly tired of (and quite angry about) Christians getting in my face and insisting that their symbols and rituals should be central to our public life. When I ride my bike in some rural areas of Louisiana, I come across small towns with signs at the city limits that say “Jesus is Lord of Backwardville.” I read the subtext of these signs as saying, you are not welcome here Jewboy.
I might be willing to accept that attitude in a Christian or Muslim theocracy. In fact, we have experienced all kinds of forced joining of prayer, sermons from priests, etc. in such countries in the name of other gods (including, and especially, yours). But not in the United States, which is the greatest experiment in building a secular nation in human history. And, by the way, Jews and other non-Christians have long lived in those little towns throughout America (I used to have family all over southern Minnesota, for example). We used to get along just fine with our Christian neighbors. But now people seem to be on some kind of warpath, wishing to insist on this being a Christian nation, one that can exclude others, especially Muslims.
How about a live-and-let-live attitude? Go pray, at church, at home, at work, even at school, all you want. Do it discretely, not in my face. Don’t insist that I join you or that the whole school stop so you can have a moment to pray. I might do the same. If we are interested in learning about each other’s faith (or lack thereof) we can ask. If not, fine. We have lots of other things to talk about. That can be your faith conversation. Why should it be anything else?
May 6, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Saint Rodney
That’s fine if people want to make it a national day of worship/silence/prayer, what ever. Can I still greet others with merry Christmas in December? Point being, you can’t please everyone, satisfy the majority. I for one will pray where and when I want. Today I pray for you. May the peace of the Lord be with you, & I love you all individually.
May 6, 2010 at 10:15 pm
David Beriss
Dear Saint Rodney,
If you can’t please everyone, please the majority? Does that mean that as a minority I have to just put up with your religion in my face? “We are all about Jesus if you don’t like it go jump in the lake and Merry Christmas by the way.”
I hate to think what might be in your prayer for me, but I pray you keep it between yourself and your god.
And I doubt very much you “love” me…which, by the way, is a really creepy and kind of wack-job kind of thing to say to a stranger…but all I ask is that you consider being polite to others. Tone it down a bit. I don’t mind Merry Christmas (actually, I rather like it, in season), but I don’t mind Happy Chanukah or Happy Holidays either. I like the cheeriness and I find it rather churlish and bizarre that anyone would complain about any of that. I have never heard anyone complain about being wished Merry Christmas, but I have heard Christians complain about being wished Happy Holidays.
Really. You wish them a nice holiday and they moan and complain. Did their mothers teach them to behave this badly? I doubt it.
I suspect that people who complain about such things do not have happy holidays. They need to relax.
We will all be happier when you all relax and get back to doing your religion rather than demanding that everyone acknowledge how holy you are.
May 7, 2010 at 3:54 am
Saint Rodney
David,
I am truly sorry for my comment being taken as a personal attack. It was not ment to target any one person, but all people that believe that just becouse a few people feel sensitive about “prayer” making a huge issue about it, that it must be changed . The vast majority hase no problem with it. Is it really hurting anyone? How insensitive am I to bow my head in prayer.
Pray to any god you want on national day of prayer day, and if your athiest, pray to yourself.
I would think there are bigger issues in America than this. I am surprised that Obama has time to waste passifing this “issue”.
This an opinion. Please don’t let it harsh your peace man.