The decision came down a few days ago, but the Associated Press has an article reacting to a federal district court in Wisconsin’s decision that that federal government conducting a National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional. This, like injecting ‘under God’ into the Pledge of Allegiance is another one of those Cold War era gestures against godless Communism. Congress established it in 1952.
Personally, I wouldn’t have bothered with the lawsuit since I pay as much attention to the National Day of Prayer as to other National Days or weeks of this or that. But, once the suit was brought, the federal judge had to rule on it. And the fact is that there is no rational secular purpose for this government action.
Apparently abandoning his small government, fiscal conservative pose, Mike Pence had this to say:
“The American people believe in prayer. The American people believe that prayer changes things,” said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., as he urged the Obama administration use “all means at its disposal” to challenge the decision.
So, what exactly? The belief is so feeble that it needs a government prop? And, not only does the federal government need to engage in this non-essential activity, it needs to spend lots of money to defend it’s right to engage in this non-essential activity?
Nobody is stopping anybody from praying. This decision merely says that it’s not the federal government’s business to encourage or discourage you from doing so. The federal government has other things to do, and not enough time or resources with which to do it. And God, at least as I’ve heard him described, doesn’t require the assistance of the U.S. Government. As I’ve suggested before, these symbolic but mostly inconsequential mixes of government and religion strike me as the work of a vocal subset of religious people in the country trying to mark their territory.
Perhaps they should just try peeing on everyone instead?
We will be having a National Day of Prayer service at our town hall at noon AT THE INVITATION OF the “town fathers.” If they changed their minds I’m sure we’d have a service at one of our local churches.
Our town is still one where they desire us local pastors to pray at the beginning of town council meetings and school board meetings. There have been no complaints. If there were any and that were to change it would not bother me.
And personally I get the heebie-jeebies with how interconnected the Dobsons and Focus on the Family are with National Day of Prayer.
Finally, the Constitution already offers protection for us to gather on the first Thursday in May to pray. I feel no need for special rights beyond that!
Oh, and Amy; the female pastors in my denomination might have a bit of difficulty “peeing on everyone!”
No, pence wants the govt involved in spreading his version of religion because we, the American people, want that. You people, whoever you are, that are against freedom and god and America are just trying to impose your secular humanism on Americans. Oh, wait, you are not pushing for a national day of humanism, us Aztecs are not pushing for a national day of human sacrifice (not yet, anyway :) ) so what is it you want? Oh yeah, for the hypocrites like pence to keep their religion to themselves. As for the small town that likes the ministry involved in their business, what a shame. For you are so blinded that you cannot see how anti-American that is.
pray in silence, pray for peace, but stop preying on the rest of us.
I would be willing to support the National Day of Prayer, if the religious folks would support a National Day of Godless Rationality.
Akla:
Define “hypocrite.” Your usage seems odd.
I’ll interject and take “hypocrite” on.
Pence declares himself all about limiting the reach of government… unless it comes to involving it in Christian righteousness. Nothing wrong with Christian righteousness as a personal matter, but Pence shades his small government take such that he’s a fiscal conservative, but a social authoritarian. No authoritarian is really for smaller or limited government.
Thank you Mr. Kole, you hit it on the head. Of course, pence and his republicants are also hypocritical in that they oppose everything the dems and Obama propose, even though it is something they voted for or proposed under bush. And then they stand there, spouting their anti-American hate about how patriotic they are. Send troops to battle, but take away their care? Deny benefits and treatment after these heroes are injured fighting a meaningless, pointless war that should go against everything pence and his religious ilk stand for if they truly believed in this god they profess about and try to ram down our throats through their government programs and federal interventions. If pence and his ilk had their way, they would run all the Muslims out of the country, and probably the Catholics as well. IMHO
Peace on!